For infants, breast milk is a priceless source of nutrition that offers a variety of advantages that support their growth and development. To ensure the safety and nutritional value of breast milk, it is crucial to express, store, and handle it properly. We’ll go over everything you need to know about handling and storing expressed breast milk safely in this guide.
Prior to handling or expressing breast milk
It’s essential to practice good hygiene before handling or expressing breast milk to avoid contamination. Take these actions:
- Hand Hygiene: Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. You can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol in place of water.
- Breastmilk Expression Techniques: Mothers can use manual or electric pumps, as well as their hands, to express breast milk. You can gather milk using these techniques to feed animals later.
- Pump Inspection: If you’re using a pump, check the cleanliness of the pump kit and the tubing. To avoid contamination, replace any tubing that appears to be moldy right away.
- Using a Shared Pump: If you’re using a Shared Pump, take extra precautions by disinfecting the countertop, the power switch, and the dials of the Pump before and after each use.
Storage of Breast Milk Expressed
To preserve its nutritional value and stop harmful bacteria from growing, expressed breast milk must be stored properly. Follow these recommendations:
- Storage Containers: Use glass or plastic storage containers with tight-fitting lids or clean, food-grade storage bags for breast milk. Containers with the recycle symbol number 7 should be avoided as they might contain BPA.
- Prevent Using Inappropriate Containers: Never store breast milk in plastic bags or disposable bottle liners that aren’t designed for the purpose.
- Storage Timeframes: Keep freshly expressed or pumped milk in the following ways:
- For up to 4 hours at room temperature (77°F or lower).
- Up to four days in the fridge.
- For up to 12 months (acceptable) or approximately 6 months (best) in the freezer.
4. Labeling: Clearly write the date the breast milk was expressed on each container. You can control its freshness and consumption sequence in this way.
5. Positioning of Refrigerator and Freezer: Keep breast milk away from the refrigerator or freezer door to avoid temperature changes brought on by frequent opening and closing.
6. Freezing Advice
- Freeze breast milk in tiny portions (between 2 and 4 ounces, or the amount given at one feeding).
- Due to the expansion that occurs when breast milk is frozen, allow about an inch of space at the top of the container.
7. Childcare Provider: If you are giving breast milk to a childcare provider, make sure to label the container with the child’s name and go over any special storage needs.
8. When traveling, breast milk can be kept for up to 24 hours in an insulated cooler with frozen ice packs. Use, chill, or refreeze the milk as soon as you get there.
Safe Breast Milk Thawing
Breast milk must be carefully thawed to preserve its quality and security. Observe these thawing instructions:
- Thawing Procedure: To follow the “first in, first out” rule, always thaw the oldest breast milk first. Breast milk’s quality can deteriorate over time.
- Thawing Techniques:
- Overnight in the refrigerator.
- With lukewarm or warm water.
- In warm, flowing water.
3. Steer clear of microwaving: Microwaving breast milk can destroy nutrients and lead to uneven temperature distribution.
4. Use of Thawed Milk: Breast milk should be used within 24 hours of being fully thawed if it is being thawed in the refrigerator. Use the milk within two hours of it being warmed or brought to room temperature.
5. No Refreezing: After breast milk has thawed, it should not be refrozen. Use any thawed milk that is left over within the time period given.
Expressed Breast Milk Feeding
There are a few crucial factors to take into account when feeding your baby expressed breast milk:
- Serving temperature: Breast milk can be served either cold or at room temperature. Warming is not required.
- Warming Advice
- Maintain the container’s seal.
- In a bowl of warm water or under lukewarm running water, rewarm the sealed container.
- Before feeding, check the milk’s temperature on your wrist. Avoid direct heating on a stove or microwave.
3. Mixing Fat: To ensure an even distribution of nutrients, gently swirl the breast milk to mix any separated fat.
4. Leftover Milk: Use the remaining breast milk within two hours of the end of the feeding if your baby doesn’t finish the bottle. To maintain the safety and quality of the milk after this time, dispose of any leftovers.
You can make sure that the breast milk you express, store, thaw, and feed to your baby is clean, wholesome, and free from contamination by adhering to these instructions. One of the most important aspects of giving your baby the best care for their health and wellbeing is how breast milk should be handled.