Storing & Feeding Breastmilk
Guidelines Are for Home Use and Not for Hospital Use.
Use the following guidelines for the storage of breast milk.
By following recommended storage and preparation techniques, breastfeeding mothers and caretakers of
breastfed infants and children can maintain the safety and quality of expressed breast milk for the health of
the baby. These are general guidelines for storing breast milk at di erent temperatures. Various factors (milk
volume, room temperature when milk is expressed, temperature uctuations in the refrigerator and freezer,
and cleanliness of the environment) can a ect how long breast milk can be stored safely. Always keep milk
covered when storing.
Type of Breast Milk
Freshly Expressed
or Pumped
Thawed, Previously
or Pumped
Leftover from
a Feeding
(baby did not nish bottle)
Adapted from "ABM Clinical Protocol #8: Human Milk Storage Information for Home Use For Full-Term Infants," Revised 2017
Breast Milk Storage Guidelines Center for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC");
www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/recommentations/handling_breastmilk.htm
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Human Milk Storage Guidelines
Storage Locations and Temperatures
Countertop
77ºF or colder (25ºC)
(room temperature)
Up to 4 hours
1-2 hours
Use within 2 hours after
the baby is nished feeding
Refrigerator
Freezer
40ºF (4ºC)
0ºF (-18ºC)
Up to 4 days
Within 6 months
Up to 12 months
Up to 1 day
refreeze human milk
(24 hours)
been thawed
is best
is acceptable
Never
after it has