Storage of Breastmilk

• Freshly pumped breast milk can be stored for 5 days in a refrigerator.
• Frozen breastmilk can be kept 3-4 months in a self-contained refrigerator unit or up to 6-12 months in a deep freezer. If your ice cream is solidly frozen, the temperature is adequate.
• To thaw frozen milk, put the container of breast milk in the refrigerator, where it will take a few hours to thaw.
• For quicker thawing, place it in a pan of warm water until it has warmed up to the temperature your baby prefers. Never warm it up in a microwave or boiling water; this would destroy the protective antibodies.
• After thawing, breastmilk can be kept safely in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Do not refreeze. After feeding your baby, discard unused breastmilk in a bottle after 1 hour.