How Long Can Breast Milk Stay In and Out of the Fridge?

Breast milk is like golden fluid for both the mother and the baby. It’s the symbol of a mother’s love. However, most young mothers don’t know how to store breast milk properly. They ask us How long can breast milk stay in and out of the fridge? 

Therefore, we hope to cover all the questions regarding storing breast milk in and out of the refrigerator from this post.

Let’s get started!

How long can breast milk stay out of the fridge after pumping?

You can keep freshly pumped breast milk stay out of the fridge up to 4 to 6 hours. However, we advise mothers to store the milk within 4 hours after pumping. 

There are bacteria activation can happen with breast milk if you keep it in room temperature for long hours as same as cow milk. Once bacteria activated, it would not be good enough for a child. Therefore, please keep it in the fridge as soon as you pumped out. 

How long can breast milk Stay in the fridge?

• Refrigerator – You can keep freshly pumped milk in the fridge about 4 to 8 days. This time can be different from the condition of your refrigerator.

• Deep freezer – You can keep breast milk in the deep freezer (-18 Celsius) up to 12 months. However, if it continues a long time, the quality will decrease. Therefore, It is better to use within 6 months for the maximum result.

• Insulated cooler – If you haven’t a refrigerator, you can keep breast milk in an insulated cooler up to 24 hours. You can cover the milk bottles from a pack of ice for giving the maximum cool.

How long can breast milk Stay in the fridge before freezing?

You can keep breast milk in the fridge for up to 8 days. However, this time may differ from the quality of the fridge. If you hope to freeze the breast milk, it’s better to put it in the deep freezer as soon as pumped out.

However, you can put the milk into the deep freezer after you keep it in the regular refrigerator. It is advisable to move it within 3-4 days.

How long can breast milk Stay in the fridge after being defrosted?

Most mothers ask us how long can breast milk stay in the fridge after being frozen. The answer is quite clear. You can keep it up to 12 months. Sound interesting?

However, you have to keep in mind that the quality and the nutritious level will decrease if you keep it in a deep freezer for a long time. We advise mothers to use it within 6 months for the maximum results.

How long can breast milk Stay in the fridge after thawing?

It is advisable to refrigerate it back as soon as you finish feeding the baby because there is a high possibility to activate bacteria in thawed milk than freshly pumped milk. 

However, keep it outside until it comes to room temperature. Then, you can put it back to the fridge.

What is the best way to keep breast milk in the fridge?

You can use glass bottles for keeping the breast milk in the fridge. And also, you can use hard-plastic bottles or BPA-free containers. If you don’t have that facility, you can use the milk collecting plastic bags even.

However, we highly recommend glass bottles with a durable cap because the glasses will keep the temperature for a long time than other materials according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Some mothers use disposable plastic bottles or other general household containers for storing breast milk. We strongly advise not to do it because there may be some harmful effects.

And also, we advise mothers to use several containers to keep it in a small amount, that will suffice for one meal of the baby for one time. Then you don’t need to put it back after thawed. 

Another thing is, you better keep the milk bottles on the other end of the fridge because there is a possibility to catch the warm air when you open and close the door every time.

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