How Long Is Breast Milk Good for at Room Temp?

It's fine... just pop it in the fridge and mix it with the warm milk when you get ready to feed again. I did this a few times although my son eventually rejected the bottle... wanted it straight from the tap!

You can get good, reliable info about breastfeeding from La Leche League. Here's a link to their guidelines for storing breastmilk. It's "liquid gold" and your baby is benefiting from all your efforts! Keep up the good work! - C.

http://llli.org/FAQ/milkstorage.html

I believe three hours is the time it's allowed to be at room temp (however, I believe LLL says up to 6 hours is okay). Some tell you not to reuse the milk/bottle because it's already been in the baby's mouth. If you are having trouble with latching and want to keep/save the milk, I would do what Jennifer S. says below. If you are unsure, just give him 1oz at a time.

It's been a while since I've had babies, but I remember my daughter wouldn't drink it all and we'd be out somewhere, but I'd feed her more an hour or two later and it was fine, she never got sick from it. (I remember checking it out at the time to make sure it was fine.)

I was told it's good for an hour at room temperature, but after that, not so much...and you can't stick it back in the fridge once you heat it.

Good luck! If you can get through the first few weeks, it gets MUCH easier!!!

-M

No it is no longer good. Once the milk hits the air and the babies spit gets to it, it goes bad Do not use it. It could cause the baby to get tummy cramps. I went through the same problem. The lactation consultant tried and she could not get him to get on. They sell this thing at target that it looks like a bottle nipple that you put over yours. Thats what I had to use for my son. Its a hassle when you nurse but it works and instead of paying all that money to have a pro. go to a store and get one of these and see if it works for you. You can later on after the baby gets used to nursing try sliping out so it gets to use it without it. It really does work. I would hate for you to pay all that money because they are not cheep. The thing I was telling you about is only $15.00 compaired to $200.00 its worth trying. My son is now 7 and healthy as every. If you don't want to waist it what I would do is pump it and freeze it. to unthow it get a hot cup of wanter and set the baggy in there for a few minutes and it will perfect only use one oz. at a time so that way you can just re-freeze.

Once the bottle hits your baby's lips, the bacteria in his or her mouth contaminates it. Throw away whatever you do not use within the hour. My son was in the hospital for 5 weeks after he was born and it was hard seeing the precious breast milk go in the trash, but the nurses convinced me that it had to be done.

Don't wait too long for that consultant to call you back... It is a slippery slope using the bottle, if you intend on breastfeeding. Put the milk in the fridge and it will be good for up to 5 days. On the counter, only a few hours. in the freezer, they say up to 6 months.

If I were you, I would make an appointment at the Pump Station with one of their consultants, or go to the breast feeding support group at one of their stores. They are so good and someone will talk to you right away!

best wishes to you.

Hi S.

I read somewhere that says up to 4 hours, but I usuaully put the milk in the fridge if I know it won't be used for the next 2 hours. If it's out in the warm sun, I would say 1 hour. Now, it' actually remarkably easy and quick to heat up the cold or even frozen milk! First, if you think that your son will not drink more than 2 oz, freeze the extra 1 oz in a breastmilk bag. As your breastfeeding/pumping gets easier, you will be able to freeze even more each time. Just throw it in the milk bag and immediately freeze it. It can stay in the freezer for 3-4 months!! When you want to use it, put in under warm running water for a few seconds, then leave it in a warm (not hot) water container for a few minutes. When you are heating just 1 oz, it takes maybe 1 or 2 minutes; for 3-4 oz, it may take 5-10 minutes. But u take the milk out ahead of time and you can get the baby ready when the milk is heating.

A lot of good enzymes and nutrients start to die in room temp, so freezing the milk as soon as possible and heating it in warm, not hot, water is the best way to preserve the good stuff in breastmilk!

Good luck. Get the lactation consultant to come to your house if you can! It's the most helpful thing I did when I started breastfeeding.

I used to use my left over milk as long as it was refrigerated as soon as he was done eating and I used it within a few of hours. At room temperature I never let it sit out for more than 2 hours before I'd get rid of it.

Hi S.,

I just saw your post. Have you been able to meet with your lactation consultant yet? I sure hope so. If not, I would be able to help you ASAP via SKYPE in your own home. Please visit my website www.virtualbreastfeedinghelp.com and make a "Virtual Help Appointment". Breastfeeding should be easy and enjoyable.....I can help you make it that way.

Take care, S..

~L.

In the hospital (when my son was born) they told me that bottled milk (either breast milk or formula) was good for one hour un-refrigerated and any milk not consumed within this time should be thrown away to avoid bacterial contamination. Also, once he has eaten some of it, the milk should not be put back into the refrigerator (something about heating and re-heating the milk isnt good for it).

Hope this info helps. If you have more questions I would try to call the hospital that you delivered at-- they often have mother-baby nurses available to answer questions (sometimes a whole department).

Good luck with your little one.

Hi S.,
First Congratulations on the new baby boy. I breastfed my son that way for a full year because he wouldnt latch on (he was premature). I would only keep the milk at room temp for 4 hours. Just dont put it back in the refrigerator once it is at room temp. That was the longest I would wait before getting rid of it. Sometimes if my son got hungry and it was right on that four hour mark I would smell it. Trust me when smelling it you can tell when its not good anymore. So when in doubt smell it, if it doesnt smell quite right get rid of it. Trust your gut on that one. Hope this helps you. Best of luck.
E.

When I was in the hospital with my daughter the lactation nurse made it easy to remember the "5's":
5 hours room temp
5 days in fridge
5 months in freezer

but once they have started to drink from bottle and if there is left over you should dump because of the bacteria. I would just give hime 2 oz and you can always give more if hungry rather than dumping.

I would try thepumpstation.com to speak with a lactation consultant ASAP.

I had the same issue with my son... Infact breastfeeding was such a struggle that I almost gave up. Hang in there, it gets better. I have been successfully breastfeeding for 6 months and he goes from bottle to nipple, no problem!

As for the milk?? I remember one ounce being like an ounce of gold! I was told anywhere from 5-10 hours the milk could sit at room temperature. It will be obvious by smell if the milk has spoiled and the surest sign would be that your baby WILL NOT drink bad milk!

God Bless you and your family,
K.

its fine use it again

Check the pamphlet that came with your breastpump. That's what I used. :-)

Both my kids had a hard time staying on the breast for a long time. So I pumped with the first one for about 11 mos and then started her on whole milk . She did great. I am still pumpimg for my five month old because she started rejecting my breast at 3 mos old:(. If the milk is unused it stays good at room temp for 4 hours and if it is used, I try to give it to her again within the hour. I don't reuse the unfinished milk because it does have the babies saliva in it. When I express my milk and I know it is not time for her to eat I store it. I add freshly expressed milk to refrigerated milk if it has not been used and if it is from the same batch that was expressed within a 24 hour period. I date all my bottles and store them in the fridge for 5-7 days. When I give her a feeding I start out at 5 oz and then if she drinks it all and still seems hungry I give her another 2 oz from the same batch or day. If she only drinks 1 oz of it I will save it at room temp for an hour and if she takes it great and if not I discard it. Not fun to do but i would rather be safe then sorry. So I hope it helps. It is better to just nurse but do what works for you and your family to keep you happy and sane. Good luck.

An easy way to remember how long breast milk stays good:

5 hours on the counter
5 days in the fridge
5 months in the freezer

Good luck!!

I had the same trouble with both my boys. One couldn't latch without using a nipple shield, then took forever to nurse. With my second baby, he latched fine but had an "inefficient suck" where he would only get 1/2 oz after 10 minutes. So with him, I pumped and bottle fed. I believe the milk is good for 1 hour from the time it's either pumped from the breast or warmed up (if from the fridge). Set a timer for 45 or 50 minutes and try offering him the last oz before it "expires". I looked online just now and other folks say 30 minutes if heated. Ask the lactation consultant or your pediatrician to be sure. Hang in there!

Sadly, you only have about one hour after your baby has touched the nipple with his saliva to try to drink the remaining ounce. I get so bummed whenever I have to pour out breast milk. It's like gold!- www.weelicious.com

it is no longer good. Throw it out. Any milk, formula, breast milk, food, etc that has been used is no longer. Natural bacteria found in the mouth and saliva will mix in with it. It then spoils the item. Try not to make a bottle larger than he will take.

I spoke to lactation consultants at the Pump Station in Santa Monica back when I was nursing and pumping. They said you can reuse a bottle one time if it hasn't been out of the fridge for too long. Don't use the same bottle more than twice though due to bacteria. I always hated wasting pumped milk so I was happy to hear I could use it a second time.

I hope he latches on soon. Congrats on the new baby!

K.
http://oc.citymommy.com

Hi S., congratulations on your little boy! Check out kellymom.com - it is a great breastfeeding resource website! It will answer alot of your questions. Good luck nursing!

Great job nursing! It's best if the milk will stay at room temp rather than putting it in the fridge and reheating it. It's the reheating part that isn't great. I've been told it's fine at room temp up to 6-8 hrs, since you're feeding every 2, don't worry about it.

It is DEFINITELY ok to reheat and reuse that milk! The wonderful thing about your breastmilk is that it's full of antibodies and not only do those antibodies help boost your baby's immune system, but they keep it fresh longer! Also, breastmilk is ok to be out for 6-10 hours at room temp.

Here is a link with more information on storing and handling expressed milk. There's info in there on reusing milk:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkstorage.html

Good for you for seeing an LC to help with your latch struggles. That was something that we really struggled with as well. Here's some info that helped me, but really, the best thing was working with a good IBCLC (Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant-not all LCs are created equally!) and getting hands on assistance: http://www.kellymom.com/newman/26baby_refuses_to_latch.html

Just remember when you warm that milk, DON'T SHAKE IT! This will cause it to bruise and spoil more quickly: http://www.bflrc.com/ljs/breastfeeding/shakenot.htm

In the meantime, check out this link as well on how much you should be giving. Remember, your baby's stomach is only the size of his fist!: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html

And you might want to read this as well on alternatives to the bottle. At this age, giving a bottle of milk is really risking nipple confusion and could worsen any latch problems. There are plenty of alternatives that don't carry the same problems that bottles do if supplumentation is medically necessary: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/alternative-feeding.html

How to bottlefeed the breastfed baby: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bottle-feeding.html

Lastly, here's this on weaning from the supplements, which you will probably be able to do once you get the latch thing down! I know this is about formula supplements, but it helps for breastmilk supplementst as well: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/decrease-formula.html

Hope this helps!