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How to properly store breast milk?

How to store breast milk safely? Expressing your baby's milk? To find out all the tips for storing breast milk from the fridge to the freezer,

How to properly store breast milk

How to store breast milk at room temperature

Do you express your milk but want to wait for a little before giving it to your baby? No problem, it is quite possible to leave it at room temperature. Thus, for four to six hours (maximum 8 hours), between 19°C and 22°C, the milk can be stored and then given to the baby, without the risk of bacteria proliferating. If you want to leave it in the air for 24 hours, do so, but only at 15°C. If you have changed your mind and want to keep it for a while longer, you can (after a maximum of two hours in the open air) place it in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days or freeze your breast milk for six months. At most.

How to store milk in the fridge

It is also possible to place breast milk in the refrigerator in plastic bags dedicated to storage for short-term storage. On the other hand, before placing it in one of the compartments, make sure of the temperature of your appliance: it must have a temperature of 0 to 4°C maximum. Be careful, and the milk must be stored for a maximum of eight days! On the other hand, you should avoid placing breast milk in the refrigerator door, which can be open all the time ".

Why keep your milk in the freezer

Frozen breast milk is the ideal formula for moms who plan to return to work! "Mothers can keep their milk for a maximum of 6 months in the freezer at a temperature of -18°C," says Lysiane Faure. If it is preferable to fill a glass container to 2/3 to avoid the explosion, it is imperative to label it with a non-toxic marker, whether plastic or glass (date of freezing and volume), before putting it in the cold. In particular, this allows you to check the expiration of breast milk as you go along. And that it is possible to fill small ice cube trays with breast milk to avoid waste.

Tips for storing breast milk

How to thaw breast milk

If the thawing of the milk can be done for two to three days in the fridge, once taken out of the freezer, it is not possible to refreeze it under the penalty of seeing the proliferation of bacteria. On the other hand, our lactation specialist advises against using the microwave to thaw breast milk, particularly because the temperature is poorly controlled, and it could alter the quality of the milk. On the other hand, it is quite possible to heat it gently in a bowl of hot water. Or to alternate a trickle of cold water and a trickle of hot water on it. Finally, before giving it to the baby, you can shake it to mix all its nutritional qualities!

Tips for storing breast milk

  • It is imperative to properly wash the containers and bottles that will receive breast milk to avoid the appearance of bacteria.
  • When you choose to freeze breast milk, do not hesitate to put it well at the bottom of the freezer so that it does not suffer from the vagaries of temperature if the door is often opened.
  • Be careful not to mix your freshly drawn milk with refrigerated one the mixture of hot and cold favors the development of bacteria in breast milk.
  • If you are using a plastic bag, be sure to expel the air inside by rolling gently from the top of the bag down before filling it with milk.
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