Question
I have a half-day appointment tomorrow and need to leave. Can I express my breast milk tonight and store it in the refrigerator’s fresh-keeping compartment for when the baby is hungry? Should I warm it up with boiling water before giving it to the baby? Will it harm the baby if I do this?
Answer
If the baby can’t finish a bottle in one go, it’s best to store two extra bottles, and never put the unfinished milk back in the refrigerator. If the milk is taken out of the fridge, warmed, and then not consumed, putting it back in the fridge again accelerates the spoilage rate of the milk. Therefore, it’s recommended to warm only what the baby drinks, generally keeping its quality for about four to five hours. If stored at room temperature, it’s best to finish it within two hours to ensure it doesn’t affect the nutritional content of the breast milk.