At Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas, we get a lot of questions from moms about how to safely handle and store pumped breastmilk. Today’s blog outlines general guidelines, however milk can still be donated most of the time if these techniques are not followed exactly. Hygiene & Pumping
- Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before handling pump or pump parts.
- Gently wipe nipples and breast with a clean, damp washcloth before pumping.
- Express or pump your milk into a sterile container.
- Clean your pump after use. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for proper cleaning techniques.
Raven shows off a bag of liquid gold Containers
- Clean, dry, food-grade hard plastic, glass containers or plastic milk storage bags are all acceptable for collecting and storing breastmilk.
- MMBNT will provide donors with milk bags or containers when requested.
- Because milk expands with freezing, fill containers ¾ full.
Storage
- Mark the expression date on the container with permanent marker so that the oldest milk can be used first.
- If milk is collected while taking medication, make note of the medication on each container, or contact MMBNT with exact dates of medication use.
- The shelf in the door of a refrigerator or freezer is not recommended for milk storage because of the temperature variations when opened and closed.
- Stack milk collection bags flat for efficient storage.
- Refrigerate or freeze your milk within 30 minutes of pumping.
- You may refrigerate your milk for up to 24 hours before freezing.
- More than one pumping session can be combined together, as long as it is frozen within the initial 24 hour time period. Milk should be the same temperature when combining (do not add freshly pumped body-temperature milk to refrigerated milk).
Milk Temperatures & Safety
Milk at Room Temperature-Freshly expressed milk is safe at room temperature (60-85F) for 4 to 6 hours.
Refrigerated Milk-Refrigerated milk should be frozen within 24 hours.
Frozen Milk-Breastmilk can be frozen for up to 12 months. A freezer that keeps ice cream hard is adequately cold for storage. For more information about Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas or becoming a milk donor, visit our website.