Breast Milk Storage: Learn the major Do's and Don'ts

Many women breast-feed their kids and need to go to their work too. During such cases, it becomes essential to store the breast milk so that their babies can be given the timely feed while they are away. However, there are several important do’s and don’ts that must be followed if you are considering the idea of breast milk storage.

Choose the Right Container

Before expressing breast milk, wash your hands carefully. Then, store your breast milk in a clean and capped glass bottle made of hard plastic. One must always pick a BPA-free container for storing milk.

Learn How to Store Milk 

Mothers must use waterproof labels and ink so as to label the containers with the date you stored the milk. If you leave your baby at a day care, do not forget to mention your baby’s name too on the bottle. Always place the milk bottles in the refrigerator or in an insulated cooler if refrigerator is not available. Also, remember that breast milk expands on freezing, so avoid filling the bottles to the brim. 

 Adding Fresh Expressed Milk to Already Stored one

Yes, you can always add fresh breast milk in the one refrigerated in the fridge. However, it is important to cool the freshly expressed breast milk before adding it to the previously chilled or frozen milk. Adding warm breast milk can make the frozen milk partially thaw.

Use Only Sanitized Breast Pumps

For breastmilk storage, use only sanitized breast pumps to avoid adding germs to the milk. You can sanitize the pump at home as well by keeping it in hot water for some time.