The right way to store breast milk

 

It is very natural when a new mother enters the breastfeeding phase to not know how to store breast milk. Unlike direct breastfeeding, breast milk is obtained from the process of milking with a breast pump.

Not only working mothers, but sometimes also unemployed mothers, also want to extract milk to store reserves or when their milk production is abundant. One thing is certain, preservative milk must be stored in containers specifically designed for breast milk.

Storing milk properly will ensure that the milk supply is safe and of high quality. Don't let milk be wasted or damaged just because they don't know how to store milk properly.

How to store milk
The first thing to prepare before you know how to save milk is to prepare the ingredients, including:

• Breast pump (electric or manual)
• Glass bottle
• Special plastic breast milk
• Refrigerator to store breast milk

For nursing mothers who are working, the things above need to be equipped with insulated bags, gels, and other equipment such as breastfeeding bags and pump chargers. Also prepare special soaps for rinsing pump bottles or glass bottles after use.

The storage of breast milk in glass and plastic bottles specifically for breast milk is also correct. It's just what choice is more practical. Using glass bottles means washing, but glass bottles can be reused.

But when you store milk with special plastic, it means it can only be used once. Remember that there is no plastic milk that can be used repeatedly. Plastic breast milk must also be very tight and not have a tendency to leak.

Usually, the milk storage plastic is equipped with a double-layer lid and front cover for writing the date and name.

Save by date

After you have finished milking, keeping it does not only mean pouring milk from a pump bottle into a plastic or glass bottle. You must write the date, time, and name before storing it in a refrigerator specifically for breast milk.

Its function is so that you know how long the milk lasts. When you give it to your baby, try to be the first to be traded to prevent breast milk from expiring unnoticed.

For professional storage, there are two choices, namely a low refrigerator (chiller) and freezer. Storage in the refrigerator below is only done if milk will be given in the near future or within 5 days.

However, if you store breast milk for the long term, store it in the freezer, especially for breast milk. If you do not have a refrigerator specifically for breast milk and you must store it with other frozen foods, make sure that the position is fully protected.

You can use plastic containers to protect it from contamination and you should avoid putting it on the door. Remember that the refrigerator door is the most commonly opened lid and is vulnerable to temperature changes.

Endurance of breast milk

It is also important to know how long breast milk lasts in the refrigerator. Different storage locations, different durability.

The guidelines are as follows:

• Ambient temperature: hold up to 4-6 hours depending on ambient temperature
• Insulated bag: hold up to 24 hours (as long as the gel doesn't melt)
• The bottom of the refrigerator (cooler): 5 days, stored in the back of the coldest
• Freezer: 6-12 months

But remember, the longer you store milk, whether it is in the refrigerator or freezer at the bottom, the more likely it is to reduce its nutritional content. Fresh breast milk still contains the most complete nutrition and vitamins.

How to give milk to baby?

After understanding how to store milk, the next thing that is no less important is how to give milk to babies. Only after a series of storage processes that match the process, milk is damaged only because of the wrong fusion process.

The main rule for breastfed babies is to avoid drastic changes in temperature. For example, do not heat milk directly from freezing conditions. The goal is that the antibody content in breast milk is not damaged.

Start by lowering frozen milk from the freezer to the bottom of the refrigerator the day before. So, when given to babies, milk has been thawed and is ready to be warmed. Breast milk should be thawed gradually.

How to warm it can not be arbitrary. The best method is to let the milk melt at room temperature. But if it must be given immediately to the baby, first warm the milk in a bowl of warm water.

After the temperature is warm, transfer to a milk bottle for consumption. It is important to remember that warm milk cannot be returned to the refrigerator. If not consumed within 24 hours, milk must be discarded.

Media for breastfeeding

For mothers who are working or not breastfeeding directly with their children, breastfeeding methods can use a bottle or a bottle of milk. Look for ingredients that do not contain bisphenol A (BPA).

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, BPA can have adverse effects on the brain, behavior, prostate gland, fetuses, infants and children.

That is why it is strongly recommended to choose products for the consumption of children without BPA. Also, if the plastic bottle or glass is broken or broken, immediately replace it with a new one. Damage can be fertile ground for sprouts or, if there is BPA content, food can dissolve.

Mother, no need to worry. Now it's easier to store breast milk in an ideal way with simple technology and sophisticated facilities. If the mother has been facilitated, the "task" of giving the best for the baby becomes more flexible.

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