How to store expressed breast milk? ?

Many mothers have to express and save breast milk for their babies during breastfeeding for various reasons. For example, if the mother has to take medicine in the next few days, she can express and save the breast milk in advance. For example, if a mother has too much breast milk one day, she can squeeze some out and store it. The most common situation is that when mothers have to go to work, what should they do if they are worried that their babies will be hungry? You can also squeeze some out to feed your baby, so how do we preserve the expressed breast milk? Here are some tips on how to preserve breast milk.

1. Sealed, hygienic baby bottle

If you use a baby bottle or a glass bottle, the first thing you need to ensure is that it is airtight and hygienic, so you must sterilize it with high temperature before use. You can put it in the microwave for one minute to sterilize it, or boil it in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes. Or we can choose disposable breast milk storage bags, which do not need to be sterilized, but are not environmentally friendly.

2. Expressed breast milk can be stored at room temperature of 15℃ for 24 hours; at room temperature of 19℃-22℃ for 10 hours; and at room temperature of 25℃ for 6 hours.

3. If you are not sure, you can also store it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for 8 days in the refrigerator at 0-4℃.

4. If we want the storage time to be longer, we can even choose to freeze it. If it is a freezer separate from the refrigerator, but the door is opened and closed frequently to take items out, the shelf life will be 3 to 4 months. If it is in a deep freezer, the temperature is kept below 0℃ and the door is not opened often, the shelf life can be more than 6 months. Isn’t it amazing? Hehe~

5. Breast milk taken out from room temperature or the refrigerator must be heated with warm water at about 40 degrees before it can be given to the baby. When thawing frozen breast milk, you should first rinse the bottle with cold water, and then gradually add hot water until the breast milk is completely thawed and reaches a temperature suitable for feeding, or place it in the refrigerator to slowly thaw and defrost.

6. Thawed breast milk must be consumed within 24 hours. It cannot be re-frozen or reheated.

Milking method

1. Prepare the equipment

Prepare a breast pump and milk storage utensils - it is best to use plastic products that are suitable for freezing and have good sealing, such as breast milk storage bags, followed by glass products. It is best not to use metal products, as the active factors in breast milk will adhere to glass or metal and reduce the nutrients in the breast milk.

2. Breastfeeding

You can express and store breast milk the day before or before going to work, and label the date and time of expression on the outside of the container. This way you will know the shelf life of the breast milk to avoid uncleanness and expiration that may lead to bacterial growth and digestive tract diseases. No matter how busy a mother is, she must ensure that she expresses milk every 3 hours. This can effectively prevent breast engorgement and a decrease in milk secretion, allowing breastfeeding to continue better. The expressed milk can also be stored so that the baby does not have to worry about not having breast milk. If the workplace does not have refrigeration equipment, the mother can prepare a mini refrigerator to store the food temporarily. When returning home, the baby should eat the food as soon as possible or put it in the refrigerator for refrigeration.

3. Storage

Leave some space in the container containing breast milk. Do not fill it too full or close the lid too tightly to prevent the container from freezing and bursting. It is best to divide breast milk into small portions (60-120ml) and freeze or refrigerate them to make it easier for family members or nannies to feed the baby according to the baby's appetite and avoid waste. The portions should be labeled and the date should be recorded.