We also know that figuring out how long your milk can safely stay on the counter, in the fridge or a cooler, and in the freezer can be a confusing process.
In an attempt to reduce the confusion, we looked at the many available breast milk storage guidelines, and are sharing the most recently updated guidelines from the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine. The Academy is an organization or physicians dedicated to supporting breastfeeding.
These guidelines are current and well referenced, are more specific (showing optimal and acceptable storage lengths) than other sets of guidelines, and are recognized by the Centers for Disease Control. La Leche League’s guidelines‘s are quite similar. They are intended for use with full term infants.
“Previously frozen human milk that has been thawed for 24 hours should not be left out at room temperature for more than a few hours.”
“Once a baby begins drinking expressed human milk, some bacterial contamination occurs in the milk from the baby’s mouth. The duration of time the milk can be kept at room temperature once the baby has partially fed from the cup or bottle would theoretically depend on the initial bacterial load in the milk, how long the milk has been thawed, and the ambient temperature. There have been no studies done to provide recommendations in this regard. Based on related evidence thus far, it seems reasonable to discard the remaining milk within 1–2 hours after the baby is finished feeding.”
There is little information on refreezing of thawed human milk. Bacterial growth and loss of antibacterial activity in thawed milk will vary depending on the technique of milk thawing, duration of the thaw, and the amount of bacteria in the milk at the time of expression. At this time no recommendations can be made on the refreezing of thawed human milk.
At Motherlove, we strongly support the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative. We think that every expecting mom who is planning a hospital birth should know about Baby Friendly Hospitals, so we thought we’d answer a few common questions here:
What is a Baby Friendly Hospital?
The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is a program sponsored by the World Health Organization and UNICEF to encourage and recognize hospitals that provide evidence-based breastfeeding care.
A Baby Friendly Hospital is one which has been certified as fully complying with the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. To become Baby Friendly, hospitals undergo a lengthy certification process and an independent evaluation to determine that they have met all of the Baby Friendly criteria.
What are the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding?
To become Baby Friendly, hospitals must demonstrate that they comply with the following evidence-based policies:
What difference does it make if I birth at a Baby Friendly Hospital or somewhere else?
Research has repeatedly shown that mothers who birth at Baby Friendly hospitals are more likely to breastfeed, breastfeed longer, and breastfeed more exclusively. That’s because the 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding are based on research showing which policies support – and which undermine – breastfeeding. So, while it’s certainly possible to breastfeed successfully if you don’t birth at a Baby Friendly Hospital, you will probably encounter far fewer barriers to meeting your breastfeeding goals if you birth at one.
How can I find a Baby Friendly Hospital near me?
As of December, 2011, there were 125 Baby Friendly Hospitals in the U.S. You can find a complete list of them here.
Many hospitals are in the process of becoming Baby Friendly, and the Centers for Disease Control recently announced that they’ll be supporting the certification of many more. Kaiser Permanente also recently announced an initiative to make many of their hospitals Baby Friendly.
What can I do if I don’t live near a Baby Friendly Hospital, or my insurance limits my options?
Sadly, many mothers don’t live near a Baby Friendly hospital. The CDC estimates that only 5% of all births occurs at a Baby Friendly Hospital today. And the unfortunate truth is that most hospitals don’t meet the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. In 2009, for example, only one in three hospitals reported to the CDC that they practicing rooming in (Step 7).
This is changing, but if you’re pregnant now you can’t exactly wait! So what can you do if you can’t birth at a Baby Friendly Hospital but want the best breastfeeding care you can get?
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