*Ask an Expert is a blog feature hosted by a team of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs). Once a month each IBCLC randomly chooses a question from The Badass Breastfeeder Facebook wall and provides their response on the blog.
By Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC, FILCA
Fan Question:
“If I’m going to freeze my milk, do I have to do it right after I pump?”
Here’s how the guidelines in the table below work. You can refrigerate room-temperature milk at any point before its time is up. Depending on your room temperature, this would be before 4 hours (66°F to 72°F/19°C to 22°C) or before 6 to 10 hours (73°F to 77°F/23°C to 25°C). And you can freeze refrigerated milk any time before 8 days.
Milk Storage Guidelines for Healthy, Full-Term Babies at Home
| Milk Storage/ Handling | Deep Freezer(0°F/-18°C) | Refrigerator Freezer(variable 0°F/-18°C) | Refrigerator(39°F/4°C) | Insulated Cooler with Ice Packs(59°F/15°C) | Room Temperature | |
| (66°F–72°F/19°C–22°C) |
(73°F–77°F/23°C–25°C) |
|||||
| Fresh | Ideal: 6 mo.Okay: 12 mo. | 3–4 mo. | Ideal: 72 hr.Okay: 8 days | 24 hr. | 6–10 hr. | 4 hr. |
| Frozen, Thawed in Fridge | Do not refreeze | Do not refreeze | 24 hr. | Do not store | 4 hr. | 4 hr. |
| Thawed, Warmed, Not Fed | Do not refreeze | Do not refreeze | 4 hr. | Do not store | Until feeding ends | Until feeding ends |
| Warmed, Fed | Discard | Discard | Discard | Discard | Until feeding ends | Until feeding ends |
Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC, FILCA is a board-certified lactation consultant in the Chicago area who has been helping breastfeeding families since 1982. Her books for professionals are used worldwide. Her books for parents include Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers, which she co-authored with Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, and her tiny problem-solving guide, Breastfeeding Solutions In 2013, Nancy released her Breastfeeding Solutions smartphone app (available for Android and iPhones) to give mothers a quick, go-everywhere source of breastfeeding help. Nancy speaks at events around the world.
