For a newborn is more ideal nutrition than breast milk just can not find. Milk contains proteins, fats, vitamins and trace elements. When the baby feeds the baby, it immediately comes from the nursing mother to the baby. At the same time the milk is already the right temperature, sterile and has all the biological benefits. However, often a woman has to feed her baby with expressed milk. Therefore, in order not to harm the health of the child, it is necessary to know the storage conditions of breast milk.
What to consider when storing expressed breast milk
The storage conditions of expressed breast milk are determined by its quantity. The storage and collection of breast milk requires a certain amount of care and knowledge from a woman. You can store mother's milk in different ways. It depends on how long it takes to keep the expressed milk: for a couple of hours or until the next feeding, or you want to keep it for a long time. From the storage of expressed milk depends on the storage conditions. Another condition for storing breast milk is properly selected dishes.
What kind of container should I choose for storing expressed breast milk?
First of all, the milk must be decanted into a clean container. The container must be tightly closed. Based on recent research, the storage capacity of breast milk can be plastic or glass. In such containers, breast milk can be stored without compromising the quality of its composition.
But in the first place are all the same vessels of glass, then of solid transparent plastic (polycarbonate) and at the last - polypropylene (opaque plastic). If a child drinks expressed milk occasionally, then it does not really matter what material the container is made of. In this case, the type of container does not adversely affect the composition of the milk.
An important factor in choosing a storage capacity for breast milk is ease of use. For example, plastic bags take up little space and can be connected to some breast pumps. However, when freezing, the seams on them can burst and the contents of the package may leak out during thawing. Therefore, long-term storage in polyethylene disposable bags is not recommended.
Breast milk storage rules
To the storage conditions of expressed breast milk, the requirements are quite high. Milk is an excellent medium for the development and growth of pathogens. Therefore, it is necessary to protect your baby from intestinal infections. To do this, you need to know and follow the rules for storing expressed milk. They are as follows:
- use milk, which is expressed by a sterile breast pump;
- the packaging must be tight (milk can not be stored in an open container);
- the shelf life of breast milk at room temperature is 6 hours, and in the refrigerator can be stored for 48 hours (only not in the refrigerator door);
- shelf life in the freezer, which is inside the refrigerator and does not have a separate door - 2 weeks;
- in the freezer with a separate door - up to 4 months (depends on the frequency of opening the door);
- in a separate deep freezing freezer and at a constant temperature of 6 or more months;
- freeze milk immediately after decantation, store in the depths of the freezer and on the container should be labeled with a date when the milk was expressed;
- before freezing for an hour (or 2), you need to cool the milk in the refrigerator;
- store milk in the refrigerator after defrosting can be up to 24 hours, but can not be frozen again;
- Store unused heated milk once (and even more so use) can not be;
- To add expressed warm milk to a cold one should not be, first cool it and then drain it;
- Do not freeze milk, which will be stored no more than 8 days after decantation, store better in the refrigerator (so you keep the maximum of useful substances).
If the milk does not comply with the rules and storage conditions - ruthlessly pour it out. Without regret get rid of dangerous microbes.
If the conditions of milk storage are respected, the baby will always be provided with precious mother's milk. And this guarantees the child excellent health and normal development.