Health Tip: Storing Breast Milk

(HealthDay News) -- If you want to store breast milk for when you''re not available to breast-feed, the Nemours Foundation offers these suggestions for doing it safely:

• Breast milk can be refrigerated for about two or three days, as long as the temperature is between 32 and 39 degrees Fahrenheit (0 C to 3.9 C).
• Breast milk can be frozen for three to four months in many freezers, as long as the temperature is 0 F (-18 C). But lengths may vary based on the type of freezer.
• Breast milk can be kept at room temperature for four to eight hours, as long as the room is kept at 77 F (25 C) or cooler.
• Always store breast milk in sterile bottles that have a screw cap, a sterilized nursing bag, or tightly-capped hard plastic cups. Always label the bottles with the date that the milk was pumped.
• You can let milk thaw in a refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but never refreeze milk that has been thawed.

-- Diana Kohnle

Last Updated: Feb. 18, 2009

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