How long does breast milk keep fresh in the refrigerator

Breast milk is one of the staple foods for newborns. Breastfeeding can supplement the nutrients and various minerals needed by the baby's body. At the same time, breastfeeding can also enhance the baby's body resistance, etc., which is of great benefit to the baby's health. Keeping breast milk fresh in the refrigerator is also a relatively convenient way. Under normal circumstances, breast milk can be kept fresh for 24 hours in a refrigerator at 2-4 degrees.

How long can breast milk be kept fresh in the refrigerator?

Fresh breast milk can be stored in a refrigerator at 2-4°C for 24 hours. Note that breast milk should be stored in breast milk storage bags or breast milk storage bottles in the coldest place in the refrigerator. If breast milk is frozen, it should be stored in the freezer at a temperature of less than or equal to -18 degrees Celsius. It is safe to feed your own baby within 3 months and does not require sterilization. Fresh breast milk can be stored for 4 hours at room temperature of 25-37 degrees Celsius and for 8 hours at 15 to 25 degrees Celsius. Note that breast milk cannot be stored at conditions above 37 degrees Celsius. Breast milk taken out of the freezer should be thawed in the refrigerator and then warmed to 38-39 degrees Celsius with warm water. It can also be quickly warmed in a milk warmer. Do not use a microwave or boil to heat it. It cannot be warmed repeatedly. If it is not finished after warming, it should be discarded.

How to choose a suitable milk storage container?

After all, it is used to store food for the baby, so it is basic that the milk storage container should be healthy and environmentally friendly, and it should also protect the nutrients in the breast milk from being destroyed. There are several types of milk storage devices available on the market:

By material. Common materials are glass and plastic. Plastic products are suitable for freezing and have good sealing properties, so they are the best choice. Metal products can destroy the active ingredients in breast milk and are therefore not suitable for storing breast milk.

By specification. There are milk storage bags and milk storage cups to choose from. Milk storage cups are reusable, while milk storage bags are disposable items. From the perspective of hygiene and convenience, milk storage bags have greater advantages, especially when a large amount of breast milk needs to be stored.

No matter which material and specification of container you choose, make sure it is sealed well and do not fill it too full to prevent the milk from expanding and bursting the bag after freezing.

Breast milk should be divided into small portions according to the baby's appetite, usually 60ml~120ml; each bag should be labeled with the date for easy access.

How long can you keep expressed breast milk?

The storage period of breast milk varies depending on the storage conditions:

Room temperature: Colostrum can be stored for 12 hours at room temperature of 27-32℃; mature breast milk can only be stored for 4 to 6 hours at the same temperature, and can be stored for 10 hours at room temperature of 19-22℃.

Refrigeration: It can be stored at 0-4℃ for about 3 days. If it is placed in a small freezer box in the refrigerator, it can be stored for two weeks.

Freezing: If placed in a special freezer, the shelf life can be 3 to 4 months.

After thawing, frozen breast milk should be consumed within 8 hours and the remaining milk cannot be re-frozen. Do not use a microwave to warm milk to avoid destroying the nutrients in the breast milk. You can choose to use a milk warmer to warm the milk.