OverviewUpdated 7 days ago

To keep breast milk safe from bacteria and prevent damage to key nutrients it is vital that the milk is stored properly. Refrigerate or chill breast milk immediately after expression. You can refrigerate breast milk in a cooler or insulated cooler pack, or freeze milk in small (2-4 ounce) batches. 

• Clearly label milk containers with the date the milk was expressed. 

• If cream rises to the top of the bottle, gently swirl to mix the milk. Do not shake the milk, this causes the nutrients to break down.

• Do not store milk left over from feedings. Use this milk within 2 hours of the finished feeding. Bacteria from the baby's mouth could have entered the milk and can grow when stored.