Breast Milk Storage

Proper breast milk storage is important for the health of a newborn baby.  Breast milk storage units are typically found in hospitals in the infant's ward. The placement of breast milk within a refrigerator or freezer is crucial to ensure quality. Breast milk should never be stored on the door of a refrigerator or freezer because the temperature is not constant and the milk can go bad.  In a refrigerator, breast milk should be stored at 39 degrees Fahrenheit in the back of the unit. Breast milk should not be stored in a refrigerator for longer than 5 days.  If in a freezer, breast milk should be stored at 5 to -4 degrees Fahrenheit and can be stored for up to 12 months.

Problems with Breast Milk Storage

It is a common issue with breast milk storage in hospitals for mothers and nurses to mix up the milk in the infant ward refrigerators.  Often times, mothers label the milk themselves with only their room number and the baby's initials. There have been cases of babies receiving the wrong milk because of this storage system. It is dangerous for babies to receive breast milk that is not from their mother. It can increase the spread of infectious disease. These issues can be avoided if breast milk storage was located in the patient's room. This is not common practice, as refrigerators are usually loud and bulky. What is needed is a refrigerator that does not disrupt patient care.

Phononic Breast Milk Storage

Phononic's medical refrigeration utilizes solid state technology that replaces the compressor found in traditional refrigerators. Because we’ve eliminated noisy compressors, the refrigerators are small and quiet enough to be kept right in patient rooms, supporting mother/baby bonding while eliminating the risk of cross-contamination. Our medical-grade refrigerators recover quickly, even after repeated openings, to maintain safe temperatures. This means that you’ll be dealing with far fewer “out-of-range” alarms that keep you away from tending to your patients. Our refrigerators also provide extremely tight temperature uniformity throughout the entire cabinet, so you no longer need to worry about inadvertent freezing or remembering where to place breast milk to ensure safe storage.