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Room Temperature
Breast milk can be stored at room temperature for a maximum of 6 hours.
Storing Breast milk in the Fridge
Depending on fridge temperature
4C or Lower - 8 Days
Higher than 4C - 3 Days
Ice Compartment - 2 Weeks
Cool Bag
Breast milk that's been cooled in the fridge can be carried in a cool bag with ice packs for up to 24 hours.
Storing Breast milk in the Freezer
Breast milk can be stored up to 6 months in a freezer, if it's -18C or lower.
Defrosting Frozen Breast Milk
It's best to defrost frozen breast milk slowly in the fridge before giving it to your baby. If you need to use it straight away, you can defrost it by putting it in a jug of warm water or holding it under running warm water. Once it's defrosted, use it straight away. Do not re-freeze milk that's been defrosted.
Warming Breast Milk
You can use expressed milk straight from the fridge, if your baby is happy to drink it cold. Or you can warm the milk to body temperature as above. Do not use a microwave to heat up or defrost breast milk.
Once your baby has drunk from a bottle of breast milk it should be used within 1 hour and anything left over should be discarded.
I hope that you have found this quick guide to storing of breast milk useful.