Breast Milk Storage – Tips & Advice
On this Page:
- Breast Milk Storage
- Always Wash Your Hands Before Expressing And Handling Breastmilk
- Make Sure You Clean Your Breast Pump
- Buy Pre-Sterilized And Reusable Breastmilk Containers For Breast Milk Storage
- Refrigerate And Freeze Breastmilk After Expressing
- Label Milk Bags With The Pumping Dates
- Thaw And Warm Milk Before Feeding
Breast Milk Storage
If you are a breastfeeding mum, you may spend several hours a day expressing your breast milk. But, you may be wondering what's the best method for storing breast milk? Here at Cherub Baby, we understand that you value every drop of your nutrient-filled milk. So making sure that you have a proper breast milk storage system in place is very important.
While the easiest way to feed a baby breastmilk is through breastfeeding, there are several reasons why expressing and storing breastmilk for bottle feeding is a good alternative.
Some mums who breastfeed keep a small stash of breastmilk in the freezer for emergencies. But for most working mums, keeping and storing breastmilk for a longer period of time is important. This helps to keep baby filled throughout the day when nursing is not possible.
The National Health and Medical Research Council recommends exclusive breastfeeding for around 6 months. After this breastfeeding should continue alongside complementary food until 12 months of age and beyond. Or for as long as mum and baby desires.
Here are some tips on proper breast milk storage that every mum should consider following. These tips will ensure the proper storage and handling of your breast milk. This will make sure baby gets the most benefit out of your breastmilk:
1. Alway Wash Your Hands Before Expressing And Handling Breastmilk
Before expressing or handling breast milk, wash your hands with soap and water. Make sure your breasts are clean too. Once done cleaning up, try to relax, using whatever method suits you. Try and express in a quiet, warm, relaxing area, away from distractions.
Start by gently massaging your breasts by stroking down towards the nipple. Gently roll the nipple between your fingers and the milk should flow into the milk storage bag or baby bottle.
2. Make Sure Your Breast Pump Is Clean
If you are struggling to manually pump your breast milk, you might try using a breast pump. An electric breast pump can aid in easy and regular expression of milk. Plus it provides comfort to the nursing mother.
To clean a breastpump, rinse each piece of the pump thoroughly with hot water for 10-15 seconds. Place the pieces neatly on a clean paper towel or in a clean drying rack and allow them to air dry. Avoid using cloth towels to dry your pump parts because they can carry germs and bacteria that are harmful to your breast milk and your baby.
3. Buy Pre-Sterilized And Reusable Breastmilk Containers For Breast Milk Storage
Choosing the right breast milk containers is very important. You want to store expressed milk the right way and have an easy feeding schedule with your baby. When choosing breast milk storage solutions, pre-sterilised breast milk storage bags are a good option for the fridge or freezer.
Cherub Baby breast milk bags are a great buy for every parent looking for an easy solution to store, freeze, warm and serve milk inside a leakproof container. Each breast milk bag can be re-used, avoiding the need to buy large volumes of disposable breast milk bags and containers that create unnecessary waste.
In addition, each bag has a ziplock and is made from 100% BPA Free plastic. They come pre-sterilised so you can start using the breast milk bags straight away after you buy them. Breast milk storage bags allow you to express and store breast milk at your convenience, meaning dad can feed with breast milk and baby never has to go without the natural goodness of antibodies and vitamins in mum’s breast milk.
4. Refrigerate And Freeze Breastmilk After Expressing
Freshly expressed breast milk can only last or up tp 6 to 8 hours in 26ºC or lower environment which is why whenever refrigeration is available, mums should store milk inside the fridge. Refrigerate freshly expressed milk into a closed container for no more than 72 hours. Store the milk bags in the back o, your fridge where it is coldest.
Milk can also be stored for 2 weeks in the freezer compartment inside your refrigerator. Freshly expressed breastmilk should be cooled in the fridge before being added to other chilled or frozen expressed breastmilk. Always remember, do not refreeze breastmilk once taken out of the freezer.
5. Label Milk Bags With The Pumping Dates
As part of proper breastfeeding planning, labeling and placing of dates when the milk was expressed is important. You don’t want to confuse yourself on when you last stored breastmilk in identical milk storage bags inside the freezer. The placement of dates also help you sort and remove milk that are no longer advisable for feeding. Labeling can also help you keep track of how much milk you produce in a day, and plan for the feeding needs of your baby.
6. Thaw And Warm Milk Before Feeding
The ideal way to defrost frozen breastmilk is in the fridge, where it’s possible to store it for up to 12 hours. Do not re-freeze breastmilk once it has thawed. If you need the milk in a few minutes, defrost it under cool, then warm, running water, or place it in a bowl of warm water.
Never use a microwave to heat breastmilk. It can cause hotspots that may burn your babies mouth. Always dry the outside of the container before you open it, and use it straight away.
If your milk has been stored for some time, you may notice that it separates. This is normal, so just give it a gentle shake to mix it up again.
Some babies will happily drink cold milk straight from the fridge, while others like it warmed up. Cherub Baby has the Click n Go Travel Bottle Warmer to make milk drinking a comfortable experience for baby. The Click and Go Travel Bottle warmer is the latest in innovative solutions to baby are. Without the need for a power point or batteries you can heat baby food and milk on the go with the click activated heating system. Simply click the metal disc in the gel container and a reaction will instantly take place to heat the wrap around gel sleeve to use to heat your baby’s food or milk. The sleeve is reusable and can be used for both heating and cooling, depending on your needs.
