Breast milk can be refrigerated for up to four days without losing its nutritional value or allowing bacteria to build up, a small study suggests.
In a recent study, researchers stored breast-milk samples from 36 mothers in the refrigerators of one neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The milk, which mothers collected with a breast pump about one month after giving birth, was stored at 39 degrees F and tested after 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours.
Over that time, the researchers found either no or minimal changes to the breast milk's composition -- including bacterial levels, acidity, immune-system proteins from the mother, beneficial fatty acids and protein.
The findings suggest that fresh breast milk can be refrigerated for up to 96 hours without compromising its integrity, Dr Richard J.Schanler, North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York, and his colleagues report in the Journal of Pediatrics.
