Breast milk is the best food your baby can take when you're not by his side. So How can you store and use your milk safely?
We answer the most frequent doubts about its conservation, so you don't lose any of your magical qualities.
When to extract the milk?
Take out the milk and keep it for someone to give it to your baby when you can not breastfeed, it is a good and frequent option in breastfeeding. You can do it manually or using a breast pump.
In Babies and more Breastfeeding beyond six months: these are the short and long term benefits for the health of the baby and the motherIf you are going to return to work or have to leave home a few days, it is advisable to start pumping a few days before and store it in the freezer. But another option may be to extract it at night and store it in the refrigerator, so that the person who will take care of your child while you are not there, can offer it.
And while it is true that the extracted milk retains most of its benefits, it is also true that for that it has to be properly preserved and have adequate hygiene to ensure that it is safe for your baby.
What is the best method to store breast milk?
Breast milk is better for your baby than formula milk; Freshly extracted breast milk is preferable to chilled, and chilled is better than frozen.
According to Medela, it is because freshly extracted milk offers the best antibacterial properties and has higher levels of antioxidants, vitamins and fat than refrigerated or frozen milk.
What initial precautions should be taken?
According to the International Milk League:
It can be stored at home to be offered to healthy, full-term (non-premature) children.
You have to wash your hands with soap and water before pumping the milk.
Use containers that have been washed with hot soapy water and rinsed.
All milk must be labeled before storage, with the amount and date of extraction and freezing. So we can defrost the oldest milk.
How long can I store it?
If you have extracted breast milk in a clean and safe way, you can store it at room temperature, in the refrigerator or freezer, depending on when you want to use it.
These are the recommendations of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP):
Colostrum
At room temperature 27 - 32 degrees, from 12 to 24 hours.
Breastmilk
At 15º C: preserved 24 hours
At 19 - 22º C: 10 hours
At 25 ºC: from 4 to 8 hours
Refrigerated between 0 and 4 ºC: from 5 to 8 days
Frozen milk
In a freezer inside the same fridge: 2 weeks
In a freezer that is part of the refrigerator but with a separate door (combi type): 3 -4 months.
In a separate freezer, commercial type with constant temperature of -19º C: 6 months or more.
What type of packaging is better to use?
The AEP recommends always using containers intended for food use: glass, hard plastic (transparent or opaque) or soft plastic bags designed for this use.
He explains that milk bank associations advise using hard containers because "They cause less loss of milk defensive factors during storage, and close them with a hardcover."
Soft plastic bags are practical and inexpensive, but they spill and break more easily.
And he adds that these hygiene and conservation standards must be maintained:
To maintain maximum hygiene, it is not convenient to touch the inside of the container in which the milk will be stored, so that bacteria do not enter.
The container must be closed immediately after feeding the milk.
It is recommended to store, in each container, small amounts of milk (60-120 ml) without filling it completely, to allow the milk to expand when frozen.
Can I add more milk to a container that already has more frozen?
As explained by the League of Milk, it is possible, but you have to cool the fresh milk in the refrigerator at least half an hour before adding it to the frozen container, and it is less quantity than the frozen milk, so that, when mixed, the Fresh milk does not melt the top layer of frozen milk.
How much milk should I pump?
It is not necessary to remove all the milk that is intended to be left for the baby at once.
Nor is it necessary to keep separate the different amounts that are extracted throughout the day.
Provided that the previously extracted quantities have been kept at a temperature between 0 and 15 degrees, the mother can use the same container to store the freshly extracted milk, for a maximum period of 24 hours and then follow the storage recommendations according to the date and time of the first extraction. That is to say:
If the previously extracted milk has been kept between 19 and 22 degrees, the total storage time should not exceed 10 hours from the first extraction.
And if the previously extracted milk has been kept at 25 degrees, the total storage time should not exceed 6 hours from the first extraction.
Offered by Chicco Tips for storing breast milk in summerHow to keep breast milk in the fridge?
Cool breast milk as soon as possible after extraction.
Store breast milk in the coldest part of the refrigerator: in the back, on the shelf above the vegetable compartment.
Do not store in the refrigerator door, where the temperature is less consistent.
How to store breast milk in the freezer?
Freeze breast milk as soon as possible after extraction.
Check that your breast milk storage containers can be used in the freezer.
Do not fill bottles or bags more than three quarters of their capacity, since breast milk expands when frozen.
Store frozen breast milk in the back of the freezer, where the temperature is most constant.
Keep it away from the walls of freezers with a defrost function.
How to use frozen milk?
Do not let it thaw at room temperature.
It can be defrosted in the refrigerator in about 12 hours.
The best method is to place the container under the cold water stream and let the water run out progressively hotter (up to a maximum of 37º C) until the milk is defrosted and reaches room temperature.
It can also be defrosted by placing the container in a saucepan with warm water and then warmer, but without putting it on the fire.
Never thaw or heat frozen breast milk in the microwave or in boiling water. This could damage its nutritional and protective properties, and create hot spots that could burn the baby.
It is not necessary to warm breast milk: just bring it to room temperature, which is how it leaves our body.
Once the milk is thawed, how much time do I have to consume it?
"If the milk has been frozen and thawed, it can be refrigerated up to 24 hours for later use, although it should not be frozen again ", explains the League of Milk.
How to get the right amount to take?
It is difficult to calculate how much milk you are going to drink, so in order not to waste it, it is convenient to keep it in a different container from the one the baby takes to the mouth.
Start by offering the baby small amounts in a glass, with a spoon, a syringe or a bottle) and you fill in as you ask for more.
In this way, you can save what the baby has not taken for the next dose, since the defrosted milk can be kept refrigerated for 24 hours, provided it has not come into contact with the baby's saliva.
How to make good use of stored milk?
Medela explains, that "Stored breast milk tends to separate into layers and that fat (cream) remains on top."
Therefore, it is advisable to gently move the bottle to mix the layers before feeding the baby.
And, for hygiene, it is necessary to discard any remaining milk in the glass or bottle after one or two hours after the start of the taking: bacteria from the child's mouth can end up in the milk naturally.
What if it smells when you take it out?
You may occasionally notice that your chilled or thawed breast milk has a stale smell. As explained by the AEP, it is due to the action of an enzyme called lipase, which breaks down fats and releases fatty acids, a process that helps prevent the proliferation of harmful bacteria.
This transformation of fat helps the baby to digest milk and is not harmful, but it can cause him to reject it because of its taste. If not, you can offer it, as long as you have stored it safely.
Can I take it out and keep it?
Many mothers need to express their milk at work and are entitled to it. If you have to transport your breast milk between work and your home or daycare, it is recommended that you carry it in a portable refrigerator with ice packs.
