All about Milk

One of the most common questions asked by nursing mothers is “how long before milk spoils”. Breast milk can be stored for great lengths of time. The key to this being successful is the container used and the storage methods that are employed. These guidelines should be closely followed to reduce contamination or wasting of the milk. It also provides guidelines for you to know what milk is safe to give your baby for feeding periods.

Milk that has remained in the bottle that was offered to the baby during feeding can be used or offered during the next feeding session. If this is not done, the milk should be discarded. Bacteria are present in the baby’s mouth and may be transferred to the milk during feeding. This may lead to bacterial development and hence contamination of the milk if it sets for a long period of time.

Breast milk can be stored in a deep freeze that has been set to operate at about 20 degrees F and used for up to a year. A regular household freezer, which keeps your ice cream hard, can store expressed breast milk for use for up to six months provided that the storage methods used are satisfactory and contamination of the milk has not occurred. If your freezer keeps your ice cream soft, the maximum storage time for the use of your expressed breast milk is up to three months. Pumped milk that has been stored in the refrigerator for more than two days cannot be put to freeze. It has past its shelf life and is not recommended for extended storage. Expressed milk however that is in the refrigerator can remain stored there for up to eight days maximum.

Storage conditions

All packages that have been used to store expressed breast milk should be adequately sealed. Freezer store milk should be placed in the back of the freezer. A box of baking soda can be placed in the freezer or refrigerator to absorb odours and prevent the milk from adapting whatever taste that may result to be unpleasant for the baby. Read the rest of this entry »