How to Pump and Save With Breast Milk Storage Bags

Knowing that your little one can still benefit from your breast milk while you're away can give you peace of mind. Pumping and storing your breast milk is a great way to ensure your little one still receives all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from your milk. Breast milk storage bags are a space-saving, cost-effective way to conveniently do this.

How to Safely Use Breast Milk Storage Bags

While some parents use food containers or baby bottles to store your milk, they take up a lot of space in the fridge or freezer. That’s why breast milk storage bags are the best way to preserve and store your milk. After all, they’re created for that express purpose.

Best of all, they’re easy to use. Simply transfer your pumped milk to the breast milk bag. Seal the bag and write the date and time on the bag before storing it in the refrigerator or freezer. (Quality breast milk bags are self-standing for easy filling, handling, and space-saving storage.)

Thaw frozen breast milk at room temperature for two hours or in the refrigerator for 24 hours. According to HMBANA, breast milk can also be thawed in a container of warm water (not >98 degrees Fahrenheit). If thawing your milk at room temperature, be sure to monitor it and refrigerate your thawed milk as soon as it's almost completely liquid. When it’s time to feed baby, simply transfer the milk from the bag to the bottle, and you’re ready to go.

Safe Storage of Breast Milk Bags

Of course, you want to ensure that your milk is stored correctly so that your baby benefits from all the vitamins and nutrients breast milk provides. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend the following breast milk storage guidelines:

• Freshly expressed or pumped breast milk. 
  • Can be kept out at room temperature (77 degrees Fahrenheit) for up to four hours.
  • Stored in the refrigerator (40 degrees Fahrenheit) for up to four days.
  • Kept in the freezer (0 degrees Fahrenheit) is best used within six months, but up to 12 months is acceptable.
• Thawed, previously frozen.
  • Can be left out at room temperature (77 degrees Fahrenheit) for one to two hours.
  • Stored in the refrigerator (40 degrees Fahrenheit) for up to 24 hours.
  • Never refreeze breast milk after thawing.
• Leftover milk after feeding.
  • If baby doesn’t finish the bottle at feeding time, leftover milk must be used within two hours.

Are Breast Milk Storage Bags Reusable?

Since our breast milk bags come ready to use right out of the package, there’s no prep involved, saving you valuable time. Health experts recommend that you only use them once and then dispose of them to avoid the risk of contaminating your baby’s next feeding. Fortunately, Medela’s breast milk storage bag packs come in convenient 25, 50, and 100 bag quantities, so you’ll have an ample supply to start a milk stash and keep your little one well-fed when you’re away.

The Best Breast Milk Storage Bags

A lot of work, time, and energy goes into expressing and pumping milk so you can nourish your baby. That’s why so many moms refer to breast milk as “liquid gold.” And when it comes to your liquid gold, we all know that crying over spilled milk can - and does - happen sometimes! To avoid a messy milk spill or leakage disaster, you'll want the best breast milk storage bags you can get.

Medela Breast Milk Storage Bags come hygienically sealed and ready to use. They are made of durable material without BPA, include a double zipper seal that prevents leaking, and they're self-standing for easy filling and handling. A flat design allows for space-saving storage and quick thawing of frozen milk. As a bonus, they come with a resealable transport pouch to keep unused bags organized and clean. 

Health experts have long agreed that breast milk has a number of important vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that provide your growing baby with everything they need for a healthy start in life. Using breast milk storage bags help your little one get the very best of what you have to give by providing hygienic, safe, and time-saving storage while helping you conveniently continue to provide liquid gold to your baby - even when you're not nearby - for as long as you choose.