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Breast pumps

Get breast pump advice from others here. Plus you can read our round up of the best breast pumps.

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Original poster

Pumped milk in bottle

4 replies

PockerMaus · 07/12/2025 15:37

Hi guys

Just a quick one as I can't seem to find a quick answer on the NHS...

My son will sometimes wake up around 20 minutes after he's gone to sleep for a feed (doesn't happen all the time but occasionally, I think he falls asleep too early on the boob and wakes up hungry again or could just be a false start). He will only ever really fall back to sleep by being fed in the night and it's the easiest & quickest way for us (he's 5 months).

I usually like to go for a quick run after he's gone to sleep so I was thinking if I just pumped a little bit after he's been fed and put it straight into a bottle incase he wakes up whilst I'm out so my partner can get him back to sleep without him crying too much. If he doesn't use the milk, can I restore into a breast milk sachet and pop that in the fridge/ freezer? Or does the milk need to go straight into one of the air tight bags?

Might be a stupid question tbh but I don't want to waste any milk!

Thought I'd add, my son is super fussy with any milk not straight from the boob. It either needs to be warmed to a certain temp or recently pumped & not refrigerated :) hence why I would pump after feeding him to sleep

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Pinkosand · 07/12/2025 16:45

Freshly expressed breast milk can be left at room temperature for 4 hours (Google says it's fine to store it after 4 hours as well).

To be honest if the bottle is sterile, I don't see why you can't just have it in the bottle then decant to a bag if he doesn't wake.

Original poster

PockerMaus · 07/12/2025 16:56

Pinkosand · 07/12/2025 16:45

Freshly expressed breast milk can be left at room temperature for 4 hours (Google says it's fine to store it after 4 hours as well).

To be honest if the bottle is sterile, I don't see why you can't just have it in the bottle then decant to a bag if he doesn't wake.

Neither can I! Seems fine in my head. Or I guess I could leave it in the pump actually and it be transferred to a bottle if needed or straight into a bag when I get back. Don't know why I didn't think of this in the first place, baby brain!!!

OP posts:

Btowngirl · 09/12/2025 08:50

I think it’s 6 hours it can be left out if it’s been pumped and not refrigerated isn’t it? If your partner tries to give it to DS & DS refuses, I think then you’re not meant to freeze it as it’s no longer sterile. I just chuck any like that into the bath though. Also consider lipase in frozen milk, I kept seeing stuff about it online so tried my last lot of thawed milk and it was disgusting due to the freezing process causing acceleration of lipase, so I’ve got bags I can’t give her which will now be for the bath 🫠

Paaseitjes · 09/12/2025 12:39

Breast milk isn't sterile anyway because it's been in contact with your skin. If the baby has drunk some there could be saliva mixed in which is why you shouldn't freeze that, but if the milk has just been in a clean bottle, especially in the fridge, it's fine to go in a bag in the freezer. The bottle is no different than the pump. How do you think people who pump at work get milk home and into the freezer? ;)

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