Wondering if that bottle you pumped and left on the counter is still good? Because of the the incredible antimicrobial factors in breastmilk, the answer may surprise you. Even the strictest guidelines give you a whole 4 hours until it is no longer good to drink (assuming the pump parts and bottles have been thoroughly cleaned), though after that it can still be used in baths to soothe skin. This means you may be able to, for example, pump and send a bottle to daycare to be used for the first feeding without ever worrying about putting it in the fridge or cooler. Also, the AAP recently changed their guidelines and stated that pumped milk from a 24-hour period can all be safely pooled together in the fridge with no need to cool freshly pumped milk before adding it.
The graphic below contains the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), but many feel comfortable with slightly longer timelines and use a sniff or taste test to double check (except if the baby is premature or medically fragile). As noted below, once a baby starts a bottle, the window shortens because bacteria from their mouth has gone into the remaining milk.
After about 6 months in the freezer, the milk is still safe, but the nutritional content will begin to decrease. If the power goes out or the freezer door gets left open, partially thawed milk can be safely refrozen and fed to baby later as long as there are still some ice crystals. If it is completely thawed, it may be added to baby's bath, as mentioned above, or used for a memento like breastmilk jewelry.
Feel free to save or print this graphic for future reference. If you're local to Hickory, contact me for a free fridge magnets available so you always have the info when you need it.
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