Labelling, storing and transporting expressed breastmilk
Please follow these instructions for the safety of your baby during their stay in the Neonatal Unit of Fiona Stanley Hospital.
Labelling
It is very important to label your expressed breastmilk correctly and for your baby to always wear their identity band. This ensures:
- your baby only receives your expressed breast milk
- that your expressed breastmilk is in date and of the best quality
On each bottle, please attach a:
- red EBM label with the date and time filled in – you can find these beside the fridges in the Neonatal Unit with the rest of the expressing equipment
- white baby label provided by your nurse.
It is important to label your expressed breastmilk correctly to prevent it from being thrown away.
Storage and transport
If you are intending to come into the Neonatal Unit every day, store your breastmilk toward the back of your home refrigerator after expressing. If you are not visiting daily, your milk will need to be frozen.
Expressed breastmilk that has started to thaw needs to be placed in the fridge and used within 24 hours.
| EBM status | At room temperature (below 26 °C) | In fridge (at or below 4 °C) | In freezer (below 18 °C) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshly expressed | 4 hours | 48 hours | 3 to 6 months (12 months deep freeze) |
| Thawed in fridge | 4 hours | 24 hours | Do not refreeze |
| Thawed out of fridge in cool water (below 37 °C) | For current feed only | 24 hours | Do not refreeze |
| Once baby has begun feeding from bottle | For current feed only, then discard | Discard | Discard |
When transporting your milk to hospital, bring it in a small cooler bag with a reusable ice block.
When your baby leaves hospital
Please take any stored expressed breastmilk home with you. The nutrition room staff will let you know how much is currently stored in the hospital. You will need to organise your own bags to transport it home.
Find out more
Learn about:
- establishing your expressed breastmilk supply
- expressing breastmilk for your neonatal baby
- labelling, storing and transporting expressed breastmilk
- you and your baby's neonatal journey.
Contact us
Fiona Stanley Hospital Neonatal Unit (3B) patients can phone the:
- Neonatal Unit on 6152 0215, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Fiona Stanley Hospital Lactation Consultant on 0403 137 964 between:
- 8:00am to 4:00pm, Monday to Friday
- 8:00am to 2:00pm, Saturday and Sunday.
Other breastfeeding support
- Find your closest private lactation consultant
- Find your local child health centre (external site)
- Australian Breastfeeding Association (external site)
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Phone the Helpline on 1800 686 268 - Ngala (external site)
Phone the Ngala Parenting Line on 9368 9368
Outside the metropolitan area, free call 1800 111 546 (free from land line only), 8.00am to 8.00pm, 7 days a week