Every newborn needs high-quality breast milk. Such food is considered the most adapted for the baby just born. He needs to learn to get used to the environment, so proper nutrition is the key to his well-being and health. Thanks to breast milk, its immune system is strengthened and maintained. This means that the newborn will be more protected from various diseases of the infectious and bacterial types.
However, it is far from always possible to immediately feed a baby with fresh breast milk. Some young mothers decide to express it and store it for a certain period of time in the refrigerator or even in the freezer. There are opponents of this practice. Therefore, it is worthwhile to understand in more detail whether it is possible to store breast milk in the refrigerator. How to do it right? Let's consider further.
Can breast milk be stored in the refrigerator?
Since we are talking about a very important diet for the baby, the mother should take the process of expressing itself and storage very seriously. This practice is really allowed by experts. However, if we talk about whether it is possible to store breast milk in the refrigerator, then several important recommendations should be considered.
Before you start the process of pumping or using a breast pump, a woman should thoroughly wash herself. It is best to use boiled water for this. After this, it is necessary to prepare only a sterile container in which milk will be expressed. Today, pharmacies sell a huge amount of relevant plastic or glass products. It is best to purchase a specialized container for storing breast milk in the refrigerator. Such products must be carefully studied and familiarized with their characteristics. The description of the product must necessarily indicate the shelf life of milk in a similar container. The noted time period should not be exceeded.
What is important to keep in milk
You need to understand that during storage it is necessary to make sure that all the necessary microcomponents and substances that the child needs are preserved in the liquid. This means that natural nutrition should not change its structure, so it’s important to clarify how to store breast milk in the refrigerator.
Proteins are of particular value. As a rule, the greatest number of them is contained in the so-called colostrum. This fluid is released in the very first days, immediately after birth. Colostrum contains up to 14% of proteins, therefore this component is considered extremely important.
In addition, immunoglobulins, hormones, antioxidants, carbohydrates, fats and water should be present in milk. The latter, as a rule, in dairy products contains up to 80%. Based on this, it must be borne in mind that all these components should in no case be damaged or disappear during storage of breast milk in the refrigerator. It is important that the baby receives the whole complex of vitamins.
What milk can be saved in this way
Can breast milk be stored in the refrigerator? First of all, you need to understand that the composition of natural baby food is constantly changing. It depends on the state of health of the woman. In addition, you need to know that the front and so-called back milk are significantly different. Such a diet will contain varying amounts of water and carbohydrates. In back milk, fats are usually predominant. By the way, that is why many experts recommend giving the child suck everything to the last drop so that he can get both types of nutrition.
Based on this information, it is easy to guess that the expressed fluid can be very different. For storage, a composition from white to light yellow can be used. Maybe the milk will be a little pinkish. This is due to the fact that microcracks are often formed on the nipples of a woman, from which a small amount of blood is released.
If you leave such a natural diet to stand for a bit, then gradually it will begin to exfoliate. The upper part of the milk will become thicker, and the lower part will become transparent. However, this in no way indicates that the food has deteriorated. The process of separation is considered quite normal and it occurs almost immediately. In this case, it is enough to shake the bottle and only then send it to cool.
How to understand that the food did not go bad
If we talk about how to evaluate the quality of milk after it is cooled, then first of all it is worth paying attention to the characteristics of the liquid. Good nutrition should have a sweetish aroma. However, in this case we are talking about fresh milk. If it has undergone a process of defrosting and freezing, the aroma may change. Sometimes milk starts to smell like soap after cooling. This does not mean that it has deteriorated and should not be given to the baby. However, it must be borne in mind that, most likely, most of the beneficial properties in such a liquid are lost. Therefore, it is best that after decantation the food does not stand for long at room temperature.
Storage container
As mentioned earlier, in pharmacies you can find a huge number of specialized containers. Each tank has its own characteristics. However, there is a general characteristic, which must be indicated in the description for absolutely any container. In this case, we are talking about sterility.
It is better that the container has a special place for inscriptions. Then it is very convenient to indicate the date of expression with a marker or pen.
If we are talking about packages, then they are used for the freezer. Such products occupy a minimum amount of space in the compartment. However, according to the experience of many mothers, packages are often torn, and as a result, milk is poured throughout the freezer.
Glass bottles are in the greatest demand. However, there are supporters of the theory that they are not suitable for storage in the refrigerator. Some believe that during operation, glass begins to emit harmful components.
Doctors recommend using plastic dishes, which have a special spout that connects to the breast pump. In this case, it will not be necessary to transfuse the food, accordingly, less bacteria and harmful components will get into it. Plastic containers are suitable for storage both in the refrigerator and in the freezer.
Storage Features
It should be borne in mind that the choice of freezing or simple cooling depends on the shelf life of breast milk in the refrigerator. As a rule, if you need to use food later than an eight-day period, then in this case it is recommended to give preference to the freezer.
If too much breast milk is stored, it is very easy to get confused and skip the moment when the product has already deteriorated. Therefore, do not be lazy to indicate the date of expression.
Also, doctors do not recommend mixing different servings of the product. This is due to the same different composition. It is best to pre-cook containers of different sizes, taking into account how often the baby eats a lot.
Breast milk freeze
If we are talking about long-term storage, then in this case it is best to give preference to freezing. However, in such situations, you must adhere to certain conditions. First of all, you need to express absolutely all the milk to the last drop. After that, mix the front and back milk. At the next stage, the bottle is thoroughly shaken and sent to freeze.
Breast milk in the refrigerator: shelf life under different conditions
If we talk about the temperature regime, then at +25 ° C the liquid can be stored for no more than 6 hours. When the temperature drops by 3-4 ° C, the shelf life is increased to 10 hours. At a temperature of +15 ° C, milk can retain all its properties during the day. If you lower the temperature to 0 or -4 ° C, then the food will remain suitable for 8 days.
Based on this, it becomes obvious that it is far from necessary to use a freezer. Knowing how much to store expressed breast milk in the refrigerator, you can safely leave it in the cooling chamber for 1 week. However, in some situations, it happens that too much of the necessary nutrition is allocated for the child, and, of course, I do not want to lose it. In this case, it will be most rational to freeze it and use it on the following days, when the lactation is broken or the woman does not have time to perform a decantation procedure.
Useful
Many young mothers begin to wonder if frozen milk could harm the baby. In fact, it is not capable of harming. Moreover, in the frozen products all the useful components that are necessary for a newborn baby do not disappear. But you need to know how to heat breast milk from the refrigerator. If done wrong, the fluid will lose vitamins.
How to defrost milk
After the refrigerator, breast milk should never be heated artificially. Therefore, you need to forget about the microwave and other household appliances that can heat the fluid in a matter of seconds. If you start to warm milk with this method, it will lead to the destruction of proteins, vitamins and minerals.
It is best to move the powered container from the freezer to the refrigerator for 12 hours. After the milk freezes, it can be stored in the refrigerator for another 24 hours.
In order to defrost it and not disturb the composition of the liquid, you can simply leave the bottle in the room for several hours. Some use a water bath. However, the water temperature should not exceed the temperature indicators of the room. But if breast milk is stored in a refrigerator in a glass container, then in this case, this method must be discarded. Glass heats up too quickly, due to which there is a big difference between the temperature indicators of the liquid and the container itself.
How much can be stored in the freezer
In this case, it all depends on the temperature set in this compartment. If the regime is from -18 to -19 ° C, then in this case the milk can be stored for up to 6 months and even more. However, you need to understand that standard household refrigerators are not able to maintain the same temperature during the entire storage time. At home, the freezer door constantly opens, and with it, warm air from the room enters it. Accordingly, temporarily the temperature rises slightly.
If we talk about long-term storage (up to six months), then in this case we are talking exclusively about specialized full-fledged refrigerators, which need not be opened or need to be maintained at a constant temperature. Of course, almost no one has such equipment. In a household freezer, the liquid will retain all the beneficial properties for up to two weeks.