Does anyone know if or how long frozen breast milk (not thawed yet) can stay in a cooler for?

I work outside the home, and my baby comes with me. I just want to make sure the milk can survive getting driven about. All the recomendations I have seen have been for moms getting freshly pumped milk home...I just need to do it the other way around! I do have access to a feezer/fridge during the day...but I am just so afraid I will move on to the next location, and forget my milk!!!

Any tips/suggestions would be great.
Thanks!

Breastmilk can stay frozen for and still viable for up to three months in the freezer (hard frozen).

Fresh for two days in the frig.

Fresh on the counter for six hours.

So, you should be fine if you make your little cooler like a frig and cart it around all day.

Best,

If you have a deep freeze it is good for up to a year. After that time you can pasteurize it and it is like day 1 so refreeze it and it is good for another year.

Even better news!
Thanks, Lalle.

I thought we could keep BM in the freezer for up tp six months not just 3 months !!! This means I will have lots of frozen milk that I will have to throw away, since baby won't be here for at least 2 more months and I already starting building up a stock one month ago !

Hapi - I've heard 6 months to a year. I would not throw it out. It should be fine.
Jennifer

If it is a deep freeze it is a year. If you go over your time just follow the instructions for pasteurizing and it resets the clock for you. Don't throw your milk out.

Thank you guys. That's a releif. I'm having a hard time with my very low supply as it is and the thought of throwing all I froze already was a real scare.

I think the pasterizing tip is the best thing I have heard too. Thanks again. (hugs)

actually breastmilk is good fresh in the fridge for 8 days. And Lalle is right about it being frozen for a year. I have used breastmilk that was 2 years old. Kept below "0" at all times. It was fine when thawed and used. So breastmilk is alot more stable than a lot of people know

So silly question. Can anyone tell me the exact steps of pasteaurization?

I don't know how I can suddenly freeze boiling milk !! Do I just dip it in ice or what?

Thanks guys.

Hapi if you give me your email I will send you the instructions Lenore gave me. You don't freeze the boiling milk you have to let it come back to room temp again. You don't actually boil the milk.

NEVER boil your milk. LOL..bring the milk up to 63 degrees celcius (sp?) Hold it there for 30 minutes. I always used a stainless steel pot. I had a sink of ice water ready. At the end of the pasteurizing I put the pot in the ice bath to cool it down fast. I then poured into bottles and froze. Or you can have your milk in glass bottles already. Put water around them in the pot and bring temperature up the same way. My problem with the glass bottles was. I would EXPLODE them bringing the temp down to fast. It needs to be cooled quickly. I just did it to to fast. The stainless steel pot works so much better for me.

Hmm...OK...but I have one issue, how would I ever make sure the temp. is held fixed at 63 degrees?? I think I should buy a thermometer. But even then, the temp. would keep rising as long as the pot is on the stove, right?

thanks for the help though.

Yes get a thermometer. You have to hold the milk at 146f. What I did was put the milk in a stainless steel pot. Bring the temp up to about 8-10 degrees below 146f. Stir with a stainless steel whisk. Turn the burner OFF. It will continue to heat up. It heats to just about 146. Keep your lid on the pot. Every ten minutes stick your thermometer in the pot. If it drops below 146. Turn it on simmer to bring the temp back up.If it heats up to 150 its okay....You just do NOT want to boil your milk. When the 30 minutes are up. Sit your pot in an ice bath in the sink. Stir the milk with your wisk to cool it down fast. Pour into clean breast milk bottles or bags and freeze

OK, thanks a lot Nona. That's very helpful. And sounds easier than in my mind :-)

Laurie, I sent you a private message with my e-mail if you need to send me details about pasteurization. In case it's different from what Nona mentioned.

Thanks.

Got it I will send you what I have. It is what Nona said just a little more explanation

Thank you very much Laurie. I got your e-mail and the document is very detailed and easy to follow.


I think I'll pasteurize all my milk supply when the first bag hits the 3 months mark in the freezer. I don't want to take any chances.

Thanks again.

I would wait until 6 months at the earliest no reason to pasteurize before you need to. Plus you will have baby by then and will most likely be using up the oldesst of the milk at that time.

The reason why I said 3 months is because I have read conflicting info about the maximum time frozen milk could stay in a freezer. I sometimes read 6 months and other times I found info that say only 3 months. That's why I don't want to be taking any chances, my supply is as low as ever and I don't want to lose the precious milk bags I have already frozen.

I would not worry about it until 6 months at least. I have bm that I have had frozen for a year and it is fine.
Jennifer

Thanks Jennifer. If 6 months are OK, I sure hope my baby will be here and using my supply before it hits that mark.

Lenore has always said a year. I trust her information completely. If you don't want to wait that long then do 6 months. You will be perfectly safe at the 6 month mark. If it has stayed frozen and not been thawed prior to that it is fine. Do you have a chest freezer or just one over the fridge?

when they say 3 months they are refering to the freezer over the fridge because its usually opened all the time. So warm air hits your frozen bags. Remember... these are only guidelines. They think of every situation possible and try to make guidelines to accomadate everything. ( my spelling is horrible today!)

Laurie and Nona, I have an over the fridge freezer. That means it's opened more frequently than a chest freezer, and the fridge itself is being opened every 5 minutes :-)

So in that case, should I go with the 3 months mark or 6 months.

I think I'm driving myself crazy with all the thinking and worrying. But I wouldn't want to put my future baby at any risk.

I would store the milk as far back away from the door as possible and go for 6 months.

OK , thanks for the always good tipes Laurie.