EMM (Expressed Mother's Milk)
How should I store my milk?
Store milk in sealed, sterilized containers. Containers should
be labeled with the date and time that it was expressed. Place
the container in ice water to cool it quickly. If the expressed
milk is to be used for the baby within 24 to 48 hours, keep it
refrigerated until just before use. If she will be freezing her
milk, containers of breastmilk should be placed in the back of
the freezer. Never store breastmilk in the freezer door. Breastmilk
will keep in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours; in the refrigerator
freezer, for about three months; in a chest freezer, or deep freeze,
breastmilk will keep for about one year at O° F. However, because
breastmilk is constantly changing to meet the baby's needs at
a given age, it is best to use breastmilk within a week or two
of expression. Breastmilk should not be stored for long periods.
It is best to freeze milk in small amounts (2 oz.) to avoid waste
and decreases defrost time. Baby bottles are not ideal for freezer
storage because there can be a large air space at the top, and
the bottle may not be airtight. Special bags are available (Ameda/Egnell
® and Medela ® ) that protect the breastmilk from freezer burn
much better than plastic nurser bags. However, if the mother is
using plastic nurser bags, she should use one nurser bag slipped
inside another and with a twist tie to hold it shut. Placing the
nurser bags in an air-tight zip type freezer bag will further
protect the milk from freezer burn. Allow for expansion by leaving
a small air space at the top. Keep the bags upright, in a cup,
until frozen.
How should I defrost breastmilk?
If the milk will be used within the next 24 hours, defrost it
in the refrigerator overnight.
Frozen milk can be quickly defrosted placing it in tepid (warm,
not hot) tap water, and gradually adding warm water. Never heat
breastmilk on a stove or in a microwave oven! High heat alters
the proteins in the breastmilk. Shake or rotate the container
gently to mix the contents while it is defrosting Be sure to discard
any milk left in the bottle after a feeding. Reuse can cause serious
illness.
Why does my milk have a yellow layer at the top?
A yellow or white layer at the top of cooled or frozen breastmilk
is simply the cream layer of the milk that separates as the milk
is cooled.
Can I mix my milk and formula in the same bottle?
Formula may inactivate some of the components of breastmilk. It
is best not to mix breastmilk and formula in the same bottle.
Give the breastmilk first and makeup the rest of the feeding,
if needed, with formula added to the empty bottle.
What type of nipple should be used for bottle feedings?
Actually, there is no one, "best" type of bottle nipple, except
the one the baby will take.
The orthodontic nipple is said to be similar to the shape of the
mother's breast in the infant's mouth. It has a small hole on
the top side, rather than a large hole in the tip. The small hole
keeps the flow from becoming too fast for the breastfed infant
to control. The baby's mouth should be open wide around the base
of the nipple, not closed around the narrower neck of the nipple.
Short, stubby nipples can interfere with proper latch-on, by encouraging
the baby to feed at the tip. Standard bottle nipples should not
have too large of a hole. (Test by holding the bottle upside down.
Milk should drip slowly from the top, not run out.)
Questions after the first 4 weeks
Storage of EMM (Expressed Mother's Milk)
Copyright Marie Davis, RN, IBCLC 1999
Last reviewed: