The Nursing Baby - Q&A

One new mother asks:
I am a flight attendant and will be out of town for 3 to 4 days at a time while nursing. How safe is it to store milk this long with only ice for cooling? Another lactation consultant says keeping it cool is okay, trying to freeze it at night if hotels will place the milk in their freezers. But health dept. standards require maintaining at least 41 degrees Fahrenheit. I don't believe this is possible. If I can freeze it at night it would only be for about 8 hours or less and the remaining 16 hours of the day on ice or ice packs. I don't want to make my baby ill.

I highly suggest just refrigerating, because freezing/defrosting will quickly spoil the milk. However, if you can keep plenty of packs frozen and change them in your bag about every 8 hours, you should have good milk.

Most refrigerators cool to much lower than 41 degrees, so that should (hopefully) not be a concern. And the ice packs should cool your milk adequately up to 12 hours (at least in the Medela storage compartment). The door of a fridge tends to be warmest and the back coldest. Be careful, because the backs of some fridges will actually freeze your milk.

The total time your milk is good varies between 5-8 days when refrigerated. If you will not use it in that timeframe, it is fine to freeze it when you get home. Frozen milk is good 4-6 months.

Any mom can tell whether her milk is good regardless of time refrigerated, just by taking a sniff! Breastmilk turns just like cow's milk turns when going bad.

Blue skies, & happy nursing!

These tips are not intended to be medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider if you have questions.

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