Leave freshly pumped breastmilk at aircon temp for next feed or refrigerate then warm for next feed?

Question

#firsttimemom I’m exclusively pumping, not sure if it’s ok to just leave freshly pumped breastmilk at aircon temp for baby’s next feed. Read online that room temp milk can be used up to 4 hours but best within 2 hours. Is it better to refrigerate first after pumping then warm it up when need to use? Or is it ok to just leave it outside until baby gets hungry for next feed?

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Hello, Im exclusively pumping too - I usually put it out at room temp / in aircon room and finish within 4 hours (but usually within 2 hours). While it is to my knowledge that refrigerating breast milk preserves nutrients, I realised that my baby seemed to have a lot more gas, spit up and vomiting when I heated up refrigerated milk - even when I dont go past 24 hours of storage. So I just stopped doing this. For breast milk left at room temp, I also just make sure to smell if Im unsure - just in case milk has gone bad then it should smell sour!