Breast Milk Storage Tips For Working Moms

Monday, October 31, 2011, 12:16

Storage of breast milk has made it possible for new moms to get back to work in record time. With the new age of working mothers and short maternity leaves it is a necessary invention. Pumping breast milk and storing it to feed the baby frees the new mother from one of the primary responsibility that kept her at home, breastfeeding. The new age career woman can have a baby and make sure it gets all the nutrition of mother's milk by freezing her breast milk and go back to her career with a free mind.

However, it is important to know the exact details of breast milk storage because any kind of negligence can make the milk toxic for the baby. Here are some tips for the same.

Breast Milk Storage Tips:

One important point of advice before you start pumping out breast milk is that you need to get your baby acquainted with sucking milk from the bottle before you opt for this procedure. Many babies are reluctant to take the bottle in their mouth or do that have sufficient lung power to suck hard.

Also you may not always be pumping breast milk because you are going to work. You can store it to carry along while travelling or just for later use so that it is not wasted.

If you are going to store the milk for good then it is better to store it as soon as you pump it. You can keep breast milk for about 4-6 hours at room temperature before it gets spoiled. Unless you are just waiting for the baby to stop being cranky it is better to store it right away.

If you are freezing the breast milk in the deep freezer then it lasts for about 3 months but whether or not it is advisable to feed 3 month old frozen milk to your baby has to be confirmed by an experienced medical practitioner. Ideally don't let it drag so long.

Keeping the breast milk in the normal refrigerator can be done for 3 days to a week. Keep it in special storage bottles and do not restore it after using it once. If your baby is going to have just 200 ml at a time then store just that amount. It is better to store in different bottles then refreezing the milk again.

Frozen breast milk should never be thawed by putting is hot water; use just about lukewarm water and give it some time. Never ever microwave breast milk as there is a good chance that the vital nutrients will be destroyed by the harsh rays.

Breast milk may look brownish or slightly discolored after storage in the freezer but there is nothing abnormal about it. There might also be some sedimentation as the fats separate, just shake the bottle well before feeding.

Storage of breast milk makes the postnatal period for working moms much easier so use it judiciously.