I’m afraid to eat anything that’s been in my fridge for over a few days so judging the “freshness” of pumped breast milk made me worry more than I should. I’m certain I threw out more than my share of good milk before I did my research.

As a general rule, breast milk will keep for:

Room temperature: 4-6 hours

Cooler with ice packs: 24 hours

Fridge: 3-8 days

Refrigerator Freezer: 3-6 months*

Deep Freeze: 6-12 months*

*once thawed use within 24 hours

Also some good breast milk storage tips include:

• Store breast milk in disposable freezer bags or collection bottles in two- to five-ounce portions.
• Liquid expands when frozen so leave a little extra space in your container.
• It’s normal for breast milk to vary in colour and consistency and for stored milk to separate into layers. Shake breast milk before serving to your baby.