How long can I store breast milk in the fridge ?

[jacksmannequin]

Everything says something different. And everyone I've asked tells me different !
A midwife said 8 days, another said 6 days...
also how long can it stay out the fridge for ? Again been told different things, online says a few hours but a midwife said no longer than an hour.

I had some in the fridge (today is the 3rd day) that i had been adding too. It had gone funny, like it had these weird floaty bits in, didn't smell but that hadn't happened before.. didn't wana give it baby so poured it away.

Any info would be appreciated, thanks

6 days I was told. Certainly 5. I wouldn’t ‘add’ to it though surely that messes up the temperature and the ‘use by’ date gets a bit jumbled. Just pump and store different sets of expressed milk separately.

An hour is for formula that a baby has already started drinking. You can leave breastmilk out of the fridge for about 6 hours.

www.laleche.org.uk/storing-your-milk/

Looks like it depends on room temperature and fridge temperature. 1 hour is for formula milk that has been drunk from.

I was told 4 hours outside (less if hot during summer - this is assuming maybe 20’c inside temp), 4 days in the fridge, 4 months in the freezer.

It’s normal for breastmilk to separate in the fridge by the way - the cream rises to the top!

If you do it will only be as good as the oldest milk). The floaty bits will be because the fat has separated abd then you have added milk on top (a good shake would have sorted it out). Personally I only combined the same days milk to make up "full" feeds.

Keep for up to 8 days at the back of the fridge (if your worried - sniff it. It will go off just like regular milk). Up to 6 hours once you've taken it out of the fridge. And a couple of hours once they start drinking from it (once my baby was over a couple of months old I would use it up to 4 hours)

I went with 3 hours out, 3 days fridge, 3 months freezer. Although you don't need to be anywhere near that strict on the freezer if it's properly cold. And 3 days in th e fridge is probably over cautious.

I don't think there's a huge issue with mixing milk as such, but you shouldn't be adding warm milk to cold milk, that's possibly why it went funny.

It is normal and fine for it to separate though, just shake before use. And I'm assuming baby is still tiny? The colour and degree of separation will generally change in the first weeks/months, also normal and fine.

6 hours out of the fridge
6 days in the fridge
6 weeks or months in the freezer can't remember that one. It's la leche league guidelines

You can add to it but the new milk needs to spend 15 minutes in the fridge so that they are the same temperature

I've been adding straight to it didn't realise or think!! I've got a fair bit frozen - should I get rid of that now?

No of course not

Yes that's it. It's 6 months for the freezer.