Transporting breast milk for your baby in hospital

Some babies may need to be cared for in hospital or a special care unit for a few days after birth. For example if they are premature or sick.

You may or may not be staying in hospital with your baby. This will depend on you and your baby's health and circumstances. You may be discharged (released) from hospital but your baby may need to stay there.

You may still be able to breastfeed.

If your newborn is in hospital and you are at home you can still feed them with your breast milk.

You may need to:

1. Express milk.
2. Store your breast milk
3. Bring the milk to the hospital.

Expressing milk will help keep your milk supply.

How much breast milk to express

How much milk your baby takes will depend on their health condition. They may only take a few drops but some may take a few ounces.

Do not put milk back in fridge if your baby does not finish the bottle.

It is best to store your milk in small amounts to avoid wasting any. You can always take out more if your baby is looking for more.

The team caring for your baby in hospital will give you disposable (for one use only) containers for storing your milk. These containers attach to the expressing pump.

Label each container with your baby's:

• name
• date of birth
• hospital number (you will find this on your baby's wristband)

Also include the date and time you expressed the milk.

Storing fresh breast milk

Ask the team caring for your baby about storing breast milk at the hospital.

For premature or sick babies, store fresh breast milk in a fridge and use it within 48 hours.

If you're storing breast milk at home, check that the fridge temperature is 4 degrees Celsius or lower. Place the expressed milk at the back of the top shelf.

Storing frozen breast milk

Fresh breast milk is best for your baby but sometimes you need to freeze milk to use later.

To freeze breast milk

Express milk into a container. Leave a gap of 1cm to 2cm between the top of the milk and the lid. You need this space because milk expands when you freeze it.

Use frozen breast milk within 3 months of the date you freeze it.

Store defrosted milk in the fridge. You must use defrosted milk within 24 hours.

Storing expressed breast milk

To defrost breast milk

Always thaw the oldest breast milk first. You can defrost it in the fridge or in warm water.

Thawing milk slowly in the fridge causes less fat loss than thawing it in warm water.

Do not use a microwave to thaw or warm breast milk.

Defrosting frozen breast milk

Transporting breast milk

There are some things you can do to make sure your breast milk is transported safely to your baby.

Transporting fresh breast milk

Use an insulated cooler bag or box to take fresh breast milk to hospital. If the milk reaches room temperature, you must use it within 4 hours.

The team caring for your baby can freeze milk at the hospital.

Transporting frozen breast milk

If you take frozen milk from home, note the time you remove the milk from the freezer. Make sure it does not thaw on the way to the hospital. Use an insulated cooler bag or box with ice blocks or ice packs. Put the bag or box in the boot of your car to keep it cool.

Keep breast milk out of direct sunlight when transporting it to hospital.