How to collect Breast milk?
- Before doing this you need to wash your hands with soap or hand wash.
- Clean all the breast pump parts, collecting bottles and other things which that touch your breasts or the milk.
- Clean them with hot water, dishwasher bar or soapy water and rinse carefully. After the wash clean and dry them. In case if your baby is ill or premature, then you need to ask for sterilizing your pump parts.
- To know clearly read the instruction book for pumping and collecting the breast milk. Sterilize your pump parts once a day as described.
- Pumping breast milk should be done when you are at rest when your breasts feel full and do it in a relaxed position.
- You should at least breastfeed your baby once, read the breast milk storage chart and learn how to store breast milk. Use right size breast which fits comfortably.
- If you have any problem regarding breast feeding take help from your health care provider.
How to store Breast Milk?
- At room temperature
Stores safely at room temperature 6-72 degree F heat, 19- 22 degree C for up to 10 hours. Freshly expressed max 4 hours. Previously frozen, thawed in the fridge but not warmed max 4 hours. Previously frozen brought to room temperature feed the discard. Frozen donor milk complete feed then discard. - Fridge Storage
Kept consistently cool in the back of the fridge, not in the door, expressed breast milk is good for three to six days. Store safely in a refrigerator 32-39 degree F, 0-4 degree C for up to 8 days. Store in the back of the refrigerator not in the door. - Freezer Storage
Breast milk should be placed in a special breast milk storage bag or BPA free plastic or glass container or bottle that has been cleaned with hot soapy water, then rinsed and dried, Write the date on the container and leave a little space to allow for expansion. Breast milk can be kept all the back of the freezer for three months. Store safely in a freezer compartment inside a refrigerator. Variable temperature due to the door opening frequently for up to 2 weeks. In a freezer compartment with a separate door opening frequently for up to 3-4 months. In a separate deep freezer 0 degrees F to 19 degrees C for up to 6 months or longer.
Along with these, you can also talk to your health care provider about more conservative storage guidelines if you baby is premature immune compromised or seriously ill, then you should take suggestions from the doctor and move forward.
How to use Breast Milk?
Use the chat sheet to ensure that the breast milk is fresh and safe for your child.
Warming a bottle
Babies don’t require warm milk, but if you want to heat the breast milk, place the bottle in a bowl, mug or small pot with a few inches of hot tap water for up to 15 minutes. Never use the microwave, as it can heat milk unevenly and create hot spots. Before feeding the baby you should test the temperature of the milk on your wrist. If you are warming a bottle of breast milk from your freezer stash, thaw milk in the fridge the night before, and then put out on the counter for 30 minutes to warm at room temperature.
Half finished bottles
Give him an hour to finish up, then dump whatever’s left. Once a baby sucks on the bottle, it is contaminated with saliva and is a breeding ground for bacteria.
Reheated a bottle
Use breast milk, heated or a room temperature within one hour, do not save what is left in a bottle or reheat it.
Room temperature bottles
An untouched bottle of fresh or thawed breast milk can sit out for four to six hours at room temperature.
Do I need to sterilize?
New bottles and nipples should be sterilized on first use. For future feelings of healthy babies drinking expressed breast milk. It is sufficient to wash with hot, soapy water and let air dry or put them in the dish washer.
Taking it to go
Frozen breast milk is safe in a cooler bag with ice packs for 24 hours, thawed breast milk that has not been warned can keep in a cooler for up to four hours.
