Storing And Thawing Breast Milk; Storage; Storage Guidelines For Freshly Expressed Breast Milk; Freezing - Medela Symphony Mode D'emploi

8. Storing and thawing breast milk

8.1 Storage

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Storage guidelines for freshly expressed breast milk

Healthy term
baby
NICU baby
l These guidelines for storing and thawing of breast milk are a recommendation. Contact
your midwife or breastfeeding and lactation consultant for further information.
l Do not store breast milk in the door of the refrigerator. Instead choose the coldest part of
the refrigerator (this is at the back of the glass shelf above the vegetable compartment).

8.2 Freezing

l You can freeze expressed breast milk in milk bottles or "Pump & Save"* bags. Do not fill
the bottles or bags more than 3/4 full to allow space for possible expansion.
l Label the bottles or "Pump & Save" bags with the date of expression and volume of milk
expressed.

8.3 Thawing

Warning
Do not thaw frozen breast milk or do not warm breast milk in a microwave or a pan of
boiling water to avoid loss of vitamins, minerals and other important components and to
prevent burns.
I ln order to preserve the components of the breast milk, thaw the milk in the refrigerator
overnight. Alternatively, you can hold the bottle or "Pump & Save" bag under warm water
(max. 37 °C / 98.6 °F).
I Gently swirl the bottle or "Pump & Save" bag to mix any fat that has separated.
Avoid shaking or stirring the milk.
Room temperature
16 to 26 °C
( 60 to 78 °F )
≤ 6 hours
≤ 4 hours
Refrigerator Freezer
4 °C ( 39 °F ) –18 to – 20 °C
or lower ( 0 to -4 °F )
≤ 5 days ≤ 6 months at
–18 °C (0 °F)
≤ 12 months at
– 20 °C (– 4 °F)
≤ 4 days Optimal:
≤ 3 months
Thawed breast milk
Thawed to room
temperature: use within
max. 4h
Thawed to fridge tempe-
rature: use within 24h
Do not refreeze!
* More information at www.medela.com