how to store breast milk and how long does it last?

I am currently 31 weeks pregnant and i plan on breastfeeding my daughter. I breastfed my son who is now almost 5 for the first 3 months he was born but then i had to have surgery and was unable to breastfeed..my son done great so im hoping my daughter will be just as good..now my question is that i plan to pump once i come back to work..how long is the milk good for at room temp, in the refrigerator, in the freezer and in a drop freezer? I want to build up a good enough supply so that i can donate my milk along with feeding my daughter..

[mum2beagain]

Up to 8 hours at room temp, 24 hours in a cooler bag, 7 days in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer and 6-12 months in the deep freezer.
Now it does vary from person to person, some women's milk will only stand at room temp for 4 hours and some women find their milk goes spay smelling/tasting after being frozen but this can be avoided by briefly scalding the milk before letting it cool and freezing it. Also if you intend to freeze
it you need to do so within 24 hors of pumping it. Do a little experimenting to make sure your baby will take the milk in it's various states (fresh, refrigerated and previously frozen), the last thing you want in 100's of ounces of frozen milk your baby won't eat.

[mum2beagain]

That should read 'soapy' tasting. Darned auto correct!!!

[Brittny27]

I always froze milk on day 5 after sitting in fridge. I guess that might be why sometimes after thawing it had a sour smell to it and she wouldn't drink it. I didn't pump much after 3.5 months because I ended up not going back to work.

I only ever left it at room temp for 4-6 hours.

I was told an easy way to remember is by the 4-5-6 rule.

4 hours room temp. 5 days in fridge. 6 months in freezer.

[mature_enough]

I like Britt’s idea. Any way to make it easy to remember is good. (as long as it fits in w/ safe guidelines)

Another way to remember it is just remembering the number “5”
Experts can all agree that number 5 is safe (it falls in between all of the min and max numbers given, which just confuses handlers further)

5 hours (freshly expressed) at room temperature
5 days in the refrigerator (covered, lid, or sealed)
5 months in the freezer *unless chest freezer (up to 12 months)

[mature_enough]

Oooo, and very good point! It does vary from person to person! I never think about that. Very good input!

[tiredbuthappy]

definitely varies person to person. For me, it also varied by the season, because the ambient temperature was different.
Through trial and error you will find what is best for you. Just know that a baby will NOT drink sour milk (My LC told me this so I don't worry if I am unsure) and that bad milk smells very bad. Leave a bottle out for a few hours before washing and sniff- you will recognize very quickly the difference!
Here's what I found for me (copied out of one of my journal entries)

I had my daughter in July. I found that during the summer, when it was warm in the house, my milk was good at room temp up to 5 hours. During the winter, when the house was cooler, it was good at room temp for up to 8 hours. But during the winter, overnight when the room temp was very cool, my milk was good for at least 10-12 hrs left out. This was a wonderful discovery when I was able to drop pumps. I would pump before bed, and have the bottle ready and waiting for whenever the baby woke during the night- no need to warm or pump.

every person's milk is different. Your best bet is to use the sniff test. Bad milk smells BAD, and your baby will not drink it. If your baby is willing to drink it, it is most likely good. After a while, you will become comfortable with how long your milk is good.

same goes for in the fridge- depends on the person. i personally never let it sit in the fridge more than 3 days. if i started to get too much in the fridge, then i would start freezing. if you are freezing, it's always a good idea to freeze milk that hasn't been in the fridge for too many days.

when deciding which milk to give, always try to give fresh first, then fridge milk, then frozen. Fresh (as in, at room temp- never been in the fridge) is the best. But even frozen milk is much more beneficial than formula, so don't feel bad giving that as well.

Here's what I would do-
After pumping I would measure out bottles. I left one or two out on the counter to use before it spoiled, and put the rest in the fridge. Technically, most guides say that once a baby drinks from a bottle, you cannot reuse it. My LC said that if the baby drinks fresh milk and doesn't finish it, you can put it in the fridge and use it for the next feed as long as you change the nipple before you put it in the fridge. This always worked for me. The milk only spoiled once, and that was when DH forgot to change the nipple before putting it in the fridge (bacteria from saliva stay on nipple). Again, always use the sniff test to make sure it's ok. Some people taste the milk before serving, but i never could. You cannot do this with milk that has already been refridgerated. The longer milk is in the fridge, and with each warming, some of the milk's antibiotic characteristics are lost.

[mature_enough]

I always forget to mention these things! I'm glad you and momtobeagain did mention it. It's very good information. How common is the problem?

[tiredbuthappy]

which problem? :)