Storing expressed milk

[Jhug1]

Currently 12 days PP breastfeeding and I have been using a haaka for letdown milk to freeze. Currently I get about an oz each time I use the pump. Can I put it into a breast milk bag and then put it in the fridge and top it up each time in a day or how do I go about it?

Hi, so what I currently do is put it in a storage bag with the date and amount on and freeze it flat. You can store way more that way and it lasts much longer than in the fridge. I store in 1 or 2oz amounts because then I can just defrost as I need it by running the cold tap over the storage bag. It takes no time to defrost when laid flat to freeze as well.

@Lavender14hello! I have previously been doing that, but felt like I’d go through so many extra bags that way!

Am I able to use the letdown milk into a bag, store in the fridge until the next feed 2-3 hours later and then fill again then store in the freezer?

You can put the milk into a sterilised container in the fridge, then when it's cool add it to the already cold milk bag and freeze when you have 2 or 3 days worth.

Containers don’t have to be sterilised for breastmilk if baby was full term and healthy.

Yes, as other posters have said. The key is not to mix temperatures. So if you have a bag in the fridge you want to add to, then you need to cool the milk you want to add in the fridge before you combine.

You can then freeze when it's full. But it's early days I wouldn't freeze full 180ml bags yet as you will just waste it when you defrost it. Freeze it in smaller quantities

As pp said you can add top ups of new milk to an existing container, but cool the new milk first.