How to Use Your Breast Milk Powder

Storage Recommendations

Freeze-dried breast milk is not sterile. Breast milk powder should be stored and prepared properly in order to prevent contamination with Cronobacter and other bacteria that can cause serious illness if safe handling guidelines are not followed.

(These recommendations were developed using guidance from the CDC on safe storage of breast milk and of powdered infant formula).

Rehydrated Breast Milk
Cover prepared bottles not used immediately.
If bottle was made with warm water, use within 1 hour then discard any unused milk
If bottle was made with cold or room temp water, it may be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours as long as baby has not fed from the bottle. Discard any unused milk.
Do not refrigerate or store bottle after baby has started feeding. Discard any milk left over from feeding.
Do not freeze rehydrated milk.
Be sure to clean and sanitize the bottle before its next use.
Powder
Store sealed pouches in a cool, dry, indoor place—not in vehicles, garages, or outdoors.
Once a pouch is opened, store in a cool, dry place with the zipper tightly sealed.
For Singles Packaging, discard unused powder after 5 days.
For Saver Packaging, discard unused powder after 30 days.
Discard entire pouch if moisture is introduced at any time.
Do not store your scoop inside the pouch! Keep in a clean, dry place between uses.
Do not use past expiration date printed on the custom label.

Instructions for Rehydrating Milk

REMEMBER: Before preparing milk, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water!

1. Add water to bottle

Add purified water to a pre-sterilized bottle according to instructions on your pouch. Pre-warming the water may be necessary to avoid clumping. If your baby is immune-compromised, premature, or less than 3 months of age, consult your medical provider or follow CDC guidelines for water preparation.

For Singles Packaging: The measurements on your custom bag label will rehydrate the powder back to your breast milk’s original consistency. For different sized bottles, see table below.

For Saver Packaging: See table below.

Tips:

Always measure the water first and then add the powder.
- Too much water may not meet the nutritional needs of your baby.
- Too little water may cause your baby’s kidneys and digestive system to work too hard and may cause your baby to become dehydrated.
To warm water, you can use a bottle warmer, or let the closed bottle sit in a bowl of warm water from a kettle, microwave, or stove top. Do not let the bottle nipple contact the water when warming.
Never heat a prepared breast milk bottle in a microwave. Microwaving can destroy nutrients in breast milk and create hot spots, which can burn a baby’s mouth.

2. Add powder to bottle

For Singles Packaging: Prop open the pouch to stand and then pour the entire pouch into your bottle. Pouring is the safest method for getting the powder into the bottle. If using only a portion of the powder, use a clean, dry measuring scoop.

For Saver Packaging: Use a clean, dry scoop to measure the correct amount of powder according to the table below. Make sure your scoop is tightly packed and levelled. The volumes listed in the table will ensure accurate rehydration of your milk, which is important for the correct nutrient/water balance.

Tips:

For Saver Packaging, write the date you opened the bag in the space provided.
Tightly seal zipper between uses.
Do NOT store scoop inside the pouch. Store in a clean, dry place between uses.

3. Mix it up

Close bottle and swirl it. Depending on the fat content of the milk, it make take a bit longer for the fats to dissolve. If any clumps remain, gently heat bottle under hot running water (with bottle nipple covered) and continue swirling. Shake if needed.

In some cases, adding warmer water may be necessary to get the fats in the milk to dissolve. In this case, the milk may be too hot for feeding. To use right away, cool the milk to ensure it is not too hot before feeding your baby. Run the prepared, capped bottle under cool water or place it into an ice bath. Do not let the cooling water get into the bottle or on the nipple.

4. Feed that hungry little one

Don’t forget to check that the temperature is not too hot! Test the milk’s temperature by putting a few drops on the inside of your wrist. It should feel warm, not hot.

Freeze-Dried Breast Milk Rehydration Table

The volumes listed in the table will ensure accurate rehydration of your milk, which is important for the correct nutrient/water balance.

Be sure to use a tightly packed and levelled scoop.

Milkify freeze-dried breast milk rehydration table. Table shows amount of powder and water to add to make different sizes of bottles.

ADDITIONAL INFO

Incorporating into Solid Foods

Your powdered breast milk can also be incorporated into solid foods even after weaning for a nutritional boost! Simply sprinkle a little on your child's favorite foods, and mix in. Here are a few tips:

Each ounce of frozen breast milk will yield approximately 0.1 oz (2 teaspoons) of breast milk powder.
Make sure that the powder is mixed in thoroughly to the food to prevent accidental powder inhalation.
After you open a bag of your breast milk powder, remember to re-seal the zipper! The powder will rapidly start to attract moisture if left unsealed, which can lead to bacterial growth as your milk was not pasteurized during the freeze-drying process. For this reason, once the bag has been opened, it should be re-sealed and used within 5 days.

About Your Pouches

For Milkify Singles:

Each lactation bag of frozen breast milk you provide to Milkify turns into its own powdered pouch. When we receive your milk, the starting volume of frozen milk in each lactation bag is recorded. The instructions on the back of each barrier bag of powder you receive will indicate how much water to add back to the breast milk powder. This rehydrates the milk to its original consistency. Please note that the volume in your bottle will be about 10% larger once the water is added to the powder.

For Milkify Saver:

With the Milkify Saver service, each big bag of powder you receive back will make about 30 to 50 total ounces of milk. There is a detailed table with instructions on the bag for accurate rehydration. When using a scoop to measure the powder, be sure that it is tightly packed and leveled.

Milkify Singles Instruction Label Guide

Your name will appear here on the label

The amount of water to add back for a bottle prep (if using whole bag of powder) will appear here
*note that the total volume of the bottle will be about 10% larger than this once the water is added to the powder

If you recorded the date you pumped/froze your milk, it will appear here

The expiration date is three years from that date of freeze-drying

Any other notes you recorded on your bag will appear in this section - if you did not have anything written, it will be blank

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