These are general recommendations for handling human milk storage at various temperatures. How long human milk can be safely preserved depends on a number of factors. These elements include the amount of milk produced, the temperature at which it is expressed, temperature variations in the refrigerator and freezer, and environmental cleanliness.
Before Expressing and Handling Breast Milk
The most important thing is that the mother washes her hands well with soap. If you are unable to wash your hands, then you would need to use an alcohol-based sanitizer. This is to ensure the proper quality of the milk and that it is not exposed to any bacteria.
If you choose to use a pump instead of a manual then it would be required to clean the pump thoroughly to avoid moldy tubing.
Storing Breast Milk after Expression
Knowing how to store the milk that you have expressed is important. This would mean that you need to know to store it in glass or plastic. For plastic bottles, avoid using the ones with the symbol 7 on them which indicates that they would contain BPA-containing plastic.
Knowing the best way to store breastmilk in freezer is vital because of the number of details and thoughts that must be put forward before even storing the milk because of the many factors that could affect the quality of said milk. If kept in a freezer, the milk would be best for up to 6 months.
Tips for Storage
- Labeling the breast milk with the date of expression is important in order for you to know how long should the milk be kept before needing to dispose of it.
- The location of where you store the milk in the refrigerator or freezer is also important. Breast milk should not be stored in the refrigerator or freezer door. This will protect the breast milk from temperature fluctuations caused by the door opening and closing.
- If you do not anticipate using freshly expressed breast milk within four days, freeze it immediately. This will aid in preserving the quality of breast milk.
- Warmed breast milk should be used within 2 hours and never refreeze after thawing.
Expressed Breast Milk
Breast milk can be consumed without being warmed. It could be consumed at room temperature and even cold.
When heating up breast milk is it important not to warm it too much until it boils. Instead, you should keep it in a sealed container and submerge it into a container or bowl of warm water for a few minutes. The most common way that mothers use to test the temperature of the milk before feeding their baby is by putting a few drops of it on their wrist.
Another step is to swirl the breast milk before feeding to mix the fat and milk. If your baby does not finish the milk, and 2 hours have passed, then you should discard the milk.
Closing Words
With the presence of a baby in your life, comes great sacrifice and great responsibility. As not just the mother but as the parents, must both work together to make sure that the baby grows up getting the best that they deserve. Therefore, putting in the effort along with the time and energy to care for your baby will be tiring but definitely worth it in the end.