How long can you store your breastmilk in a freezer before the milk loses its nutritional benefits? Let’s set the record straight.
The common recommendation is a storing period of 3 months if the breastmilk is in a normal freezer, 6 months if the milk is in a deep freezer. However, these are only ideal circumstances. Under the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) guidelines published in 2011, frozen breastmilk is nutritionally acceptable up to 12 months in a deep freezer. HMBANA suggests 6 months as an optimal time frame for storing and using frozen breastmilk.
The process of freezing breastmilk does result in a decrease of nutritional value, though the loss is not substantial or significant compared to the nutrition that remains.
Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas will accept frozen donor human milk that has been in a freezer up to 8-10 months. Unfortunately at the 12-month mark the Milk Bank will not be able to accept the breastmilk.
Other guidelines from HMBANA include:
Previously frozen breastmilk thawed in refrigerator but not warmed:
-Can be used at room temperature in less than or equal to 4 hours
-Can be stored in refrigerator up to 24 hours
Research is an ongoing process and HMBANA periodically updates guidelines to ensure the safety and care of infants and children. Information found above was acquired in the Third Edition of “Best Practices for Expressing Storing and Handling Human Milk in Hospitals, Homes and Child Care Settings”, published in 2011.