Hang time for breastmilk

NICU_RNwantsFL · Feb 2, 2004

Thanks for the quick reply! Sorry to sound like such a dunce - but let me get this straight. You have no on-site freezer, and any frozen breastmilk you deal with has been brought in to you by Mom (from HER freezer)?

Does this ever result in your running out of breastmilk for the particular infant and having to substitute formula?

Recently I had to lean so far down into the freezer to retrieve my baby's stash that I almost fell in!!!:roll

mweaverrn · Feb 2, 2004

LOL you almost fell in! Nope we have no on-site freezer..just a bunch of apartment size refrigerators. On occasion we do run out of breastmilk and have to substitute formula. We try to calculate it so that doesn't happen. Most parents, especially BF ones, visit frequently anyhow.

Michelle

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Feb 9, 2004

Hang time for EBM: 4 hours

for formulas: 8 hours

All tubing changes are 24 hours (which I find odd)

Fresh EBM good for 48 hours

Frozen good for 6 months frozen or 24 hours once thawed

All products (EBM or formula) good for 24 hours once any kind of additive used (HMF, KCL, microlipids).

We have a huge freezer to store frozen EBM and it's not unusual for a mom to have 2 or more of those bath basins full of those 4oz bottles. We strive to remember to send home all the EBM with baby when it goes home because we have a policy of not tossing the milk for 6 months.

Now an interesting exception to the thawed milk 24 hour rule. . . We have donor milk here and it's good for 48 hours once it's thawed (unless an additive mixed in then your back to 24 hours). We are told it's because it's pasteurized but we all think it's because of the expense. We've heard figures like $70-100 for a 4oz bottle.

iceNICUnurse · Feb 10, 2004

Like most of you we can use fresh EBM for 48 hours. If we add fortifier then only 24 hours. Thawed milk has to be used within 24 hours. We have a freezer but ask the mums to freeze at home as well and only bring what the baby needs but we like to have a few bags in the freezer just in case.

Hang time for any kind of milk is 4 hours and we change tubing q8hours.