How long does breast milk keep in the fridge?

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor II Le Thanh Cam - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology, Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital.

To prevent bacteria from entering and storing milk for a longer time, after expressing milk, many mothers often store milk in the refrigerator. However, how long does expressed breast milk stay cool, how to properly store it... not all mothers know.

To ensure that their children grow up safely with breast milk, many mothers have implemented solutions to store breast milk and then store them in the refrigerator. However, do mothers know how to properly store breast milk to cool the refrigerator, or how long does breast milk last in the refrigerator?
Accordingly, how long breast milk can be kept in the refrigerator will depend on the storage temperature and how the mother preserves the milk. Generally, the lower the temperature of breast milk storage, the longer it will last.
In case the mother expresses and stores the milk in the refrigerator, the maximum storage time is from 1-3 days.

How to store: Milk that has been used by the baby should not be stored and stored in the refrigerator, because the baby's leftover milk after each use is contaminated with saliva containing bacteria, this can cause the milk to spoil. cannot be used further. Never mix freshly expressed breast milk with bags of breast milk that have been stored in the refrigerator. The device to store milk can be a milk bottle or a specialized milk storage bag that is sold a lot at chain stores for mothers and babies. To be able to track the time of use and storage of milk in the refrigerator, use white tape and a pen to indicate the milking date. Do not use rudimentary equipment to store milk, such as plastic bags or plastic bottles, and have not been sterilized. How to use: To use frozen milk, mothers do it in two ways:
First way: Mothers can take it out of the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to cool down and then soak it in 40 degrees Celsius water. The second way is As soon as you take it out of the refrigerator, you soak it in normal water for about 5 minutes (change the water twice), then you soak it in warm water for about 5 minutes (change the water twice), finally Soak in water at 40 degrees Celsius for about 5 minutes (also change the water twice). So after 15 minutes, your baby will have milk to eat right away, not waiting too long. Do not thaw milk in any way, because changing the milk temperature too quickly and suddenly will cause breast milk to gradually lose important nutrients and antibodies. Breast milk stored in the refrigerator, once warmed, needs to be given to the baby to drink immediately. So only warm enough for the baby to eat once. If the baby eats leftovers, throw them away. Do not reheat or store in the refrigerator.

Many women who breastfeed their babies will find a phenomenon that breast milk stored in the cooler or freezer compartment of the refrigerator will often have a strange smell, a fishy smell, a soapy smell or a greasy smell... and the mother thinks that There is a problem with preserved milk, or the mother has expressed and stored the milk incorrectly, she is worried...
However, mothers do not have to worry too much about this because it is simply the effects of enzymes. lipase breaks down the fats present in breast milk when breast milk is stored in a low temperature environment. However, the strange smell of milk will affect the baby's adaptation, the baby may not eat or eat less.
For more nutritional knowledge and child care for each age, parents should regularly visit the website vimec.com and make an appointment with the leading doctors, pediatric and nutrition experts of the National General Hospital. Vinmec when needing advice on children's health.