Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Braestfeeding - How should expressed breast milk be stored?

Expressed breast milk should be kept in a sterilized glass bottle or plastic container with the date marked on it. Plastic polyethylene bags, such as commercial bottle liners, are not recommended. Breast milk contains essential antibodies (IgA) that help protect your baby. Using plastic bags to freeze expressed breast milk could cause some of these antibodies to be lost.

Store expressed breast milk in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. You can also store it for two weeks in your refrigerator freezer (not in the door) or for up to six months in a a deep freezer with a temperature below -18°C.

When you are freezing breast milk, do not add warm expressed milk to milk that has been already chilled or frozen. This may encourage bacteria to grow.