One of the advantages of breastfeeding, besides its undoubted usefulness, is the lack of the need to prepare and store food for the baby! The “product” is always with itself, always has the right temperature and consistency, and there is no need to talk about its freshness. But quite often, breastfeeding mothers, for one reason or another, need to express and store breast milk. And at the same time with this need, a lot of questions arise about how to store it, how much breast milk is stored, etc.
For those who have never expressed and never expressed expressed breast milk, their appearance may seem strange. The thing is that human milk differs from cow's milk that is usual for us not only in its composition and properties, but also in appearance. Some time after decantation, breast milk is divided into separate layers, the fatty part emerges, forming the upper layer, and it may seem that the milk has disappeared. However, if you mix it, it again becomes homogeneous. If the storage of breast milk is carried out continuously, therefore, it is expressed at different times, and may also differ in appearance, since it has different fat content. Milk, expressed before feeding or at the very beginning, looks more "low-fat" in comparison with milk, which is expressed after feeding.
Storage of breast milk in the refrigerator should be carried out in a sterile, tightly closed container, it is better if it is glass, but it is allowed to store breast milk in a plastic food container. An important quality of the container in which breast milk is stored is the ease and convenience of its use. So, glass containers are suitable for boiling and steaming, but quickly breaks and takes up a lot of space in the refrigerator. Plastic containers are difficult to break, they are lighter, but you can not boil them.
There are a number of rules that must be observed when storing breast milk:
1. At temperatures up to +22 ° C, expressed milk can be stored for ten hours, avoiding direct sunlight.
2. In the refrigerator, expressed breast milk can be stored for up to two days, in the freezer for up to three weeks, and in the freezer with a temperature below 18-20 ° C for up to 3 months.
3. In order to avoid absorption of odors by milk, it is recommended to store breast milk in a special tight container or in a tightly closed container.
4. When freezing, milk increases in volume, so you should not fill the bags for freezing completely in order to avoid rupture.
5. Each container must be signed, indicating the date and time of decantation in order to avoid confusion.
6. Thawing breast milk is recommended in a water bath to maintain the integrity of its components, or after leaving it in the refrigerator for several hours and then heating it in a container of warm water (max. 37 ° C).
Proper storage of personal milk and proper hygiene of breast milk is the key to your baby’s health, therefore it is better not to freeze the milk that you plan to give your baby in the next two days to preserve the immune factors of milk. Thawed breast milk is not subject to repeated freezing and storage. Before expressing milk, be sure to treat the breast pump and wash your hands with soap. Before use, all components of the breast pump, milk collection containers and containers for its storage must be washed and sterilized. Remember that the breast pump is intended for individual use, should not be transferred for temporary use to other mothers.
Breast milk is an ideal food for babies and no artificial mixtures can replace it. Only it contains all the necessary substances for the maturation of the nervous system and the brain of the child, only it helps the formation of all functional systems, protects the baby from diseases and guarantees the formation of strong immunity, so you need to make every effort to maintain lactation.