This seems to be one of the most popular questions around. How do I know if my breast milk is spoiled? Everyone is terrified to possibly feed their sweet baby something that could make them quite sick. Well, nature has been good to us very busy moms.

When I began working again after my maternity leave, I brought my baby to work for about a week to ease the transition some. Since I was at work for only a couple of hours, I brought one bottle from home and let Gabrielle suck on it intermittently between her bouts of sleeping.

A co-worker of mine came into my office and was horrified to see the same bottle 1½ hours after the first time that she saw. Being an avid exclusive breastfeeding mom, she promptly told me that I had let the breast milk spoil and Gabrielle was going to get sick. I was just mortified. How could I have been so careless? I had been allowing the breast milk to sit out a couple of hours thinking that it wouldn’t hurt Gabrielle. I actually drove home crying, thinking what a terrible mother I was to allow my baby to drink spoiled breast milk.

Well, when I got home, I began researching how store breast milk and how long milk could be stored at various temperatures. As I said earlier, nature is good to us. Gabrielle was in no danger at all. It turns out that breast milk can stay out at room temperature for 8-10 hours. Even though Gabrielle was a slow eater, I never let the breast milk stay out 8 hours. But, for moms that accidentally leave the breast milk out for an extended period, be aware that the milk is probably just fine.

In addition to the room temperature time, you can store breast milk in your refrigerator for up to 8 days. Now, some place that moms may get confused in with freezer storage. You must be careful with freezer storage. If you are storing breast milk in your refrigerator/freezer, the breast milk is only safe for up to 3 months. I think many moms think that since it is in the freezer, then it is good for up to 6 months. However, if you store the breast milk in a separate deep freeze, the breast milk is safe to use up to 6 months or longer.

So, to conclude:

room temperature – up to 10 hours

refrigerator temperature – up to 8 days

refrigerator/freezer temperature – up to 3 months

freezer deep freeze – up to 6 months.

These incredible Slim Lines Milk Trays, are great for storing your breast milk ››

Enough is enough.  Having 4 people use towels on a daily basis is just pushing me to my breaking point.  Robert and I re-use our towels for a few days, by placing our wet towels over the shower to let them dry over night.  I attempted to get the kids to the same, but they didn’t have a good place to put their towels and daily towels ended up all over the house wherever they decided to drop it.  Instead of finding the towels, bringing them into the bathroom myself, and finding a place for them to dry, I decided they needed a place.

After doing some research, I decided to use an over the door coat hanger and write our names on the hook for each towel.  This is working WONDERFUL.  Now the kids know exactly where the towels go and mom doesn’t have to run around the house searching for them.  Although I do have to take the towels down every few days and put clean ones up; they would use the same one for a few months.  Ewwww!

Well, at 4 months your pediatrician may have you beginning to introduce solids into your baby’s diet. Cereal is usually the first to be introduced. Initially, your baby will not be getting too much cereal into their mouth to actually digest. This is primarily a time to get your baby used to the feelings, tastes and mechanics that come with learning to eat solid foods, therefore, you may find that your baby will still be drinking the same amount of milk each day.

However, as your baby becomes more proficient at eating solids, she will be getting more calories from this and will need fewer calories from your milk. Many babies between the age of 4-6 months still average about 24 ounces a day. But, again, listen to your baby’s cues. There are no strict guidelines for how much milk your baby should have each day, but if your baby goes significantly over 32 ounces or less than 20 ounces often, then you may want to contact your doctor for suggestions.

Your pediatrician should give you details about how to begin feeding your baby. Many moms will feed their baby breast milk as usual, however, substitute two of the milk feedings by mixing a little cereal with your breast milk, and then follow up the cereal feeding with additional breast milk until your baby is satisfied. Over a period of weeks, you will introduce fruits and vegetables and your baby may want less and less milk.

Trust your own judgment, and enjoy this interesting and fun time in your baby’s life.

By the end of your baby’s first month, he may be averaging 24 ounces of milk in a 24 hour period.

Within months 1-3 your baby may be sleeping longer through the night and feeding longer during the day time feedings. Surprisingly, your baby may not be feeding more that 24-25 ounces per day within these first few months. Few babies may require more than this, however, most babies don’t feed more than 30 ounces per day within the first few months.

Remember, this is for babies who are being fed exclusively breastmilk. For babies that are receiving supplemental bottles of formula, then these babies may be receiving much more than the 24-30 ounces breast milk within 24 hours.

If your baby is drinking much less or more than these averages and your baby’s weight seems to be changing dramatically, or you are just plain worried, then call your doctor for further advice or just a little TLC.