What I need to know about frozen EBM

1 .Freshly expressed milk can be stored for:

• in a cold box with ice packs for up to 24 hours
• at room temperature (no more than 25 degrees C) for up to six hours
• up to five days in the main part of a fridge, at 4 degrees C or lower
• up to two weeks in the freezer compartment of a fridge
• up to six months in a freezer, at minus 16-18 degrees C or lower
• up to twelve months in a deep freezer at minus 18 degrees C or lower (Source: Medela)
  

If you plan to store expressed breastmilk for fewer than five days, keeping it in the fridge is the best way to maintain all its goodness (BFN 2009, NICE 2008).

2. Frozen breastmilk should be defrosted in the fridge, and can be stored there for 24 hours. Once it has defrosted, though, it mustn’t be refrozen.

3. You can thaw frozen milk in any of the following ways:

• place the bottle or bag in a bowl of warm water
• run it under warm tap water
• defrost it in the fridge overnight

It's tempting to speed up the thawing or warming process, especially when you're busy. But using a microwave or hob to do the job will kill the nutrients in your breastmilk. Once the milk is thawed, use it straight away (BFN 2009). Throw away partially drunk portions of milk. The milk will have mixed with your baby’s saliva and may not be hygienic for him next time.

Once milk has been defrosted and warmed, it cannot be cooled and warmed again.

4. Your baby will want between 150ml and 200ml of formula per kilogram of his body weight per day (UNICEF 2010). So, if your baby weighs 3kg, he'll need between 450ml and 600ml of formula over a 24-hour period to satisfy his hunger. Rough guidelines:

• During the first week, try giving your baby between 30ml (~1 Oz) and 60ml (2 Oz)at each feed. He won’t be able to manage much more than this in one go.
• By the time your baby is one month old, he will probably want between 90ml (3 Oz) and 120ml (4 Oz) at each feed. He’ll consume anywhere from 400ml to 800ml in one day. You'll soon sense if your baby needs more, as he'll finish his feed quickly and then look around for second helpings!
• When your baby’s between two and six months, he may want between 120ml (4 Oz) and 180ml (5 1/2 - 6Oz) at a feed. He'll have anything from 700ml (23Oz) to over a litre a day (33Oz).
• Once your baby reaches six months, he may want between 180ml and 220ml at a feed. His total formula intake may be about 900ml a day.
• When you start giving your baby solids, his daily intake of formula milk is likely to gradually decrease to about 720ml.
• Once your baby is fully established on solids, he’ll need about 500ml to 600ml of formula every day alongside a varied diet (DH 2009a). If he doesn't want this amount of milk, you can always give him milky foods such as custard, rice pudding and yoghurt.
• After your baby's one year old, he can move from drinking formula to full fat cow's milk (DH 2009a).
  

*It says here formula, but I would assume it's the same as breastmilk, as for breastmilk they'll always say it depends on when baby wants to feed.

Source: Babycentre.co.uk