Breast milk - how to manage and store it

Breast milk is precious stuff. It's hard to make extra; and so if you do manage to, or you decide to express for any reason, one of the most important things is storing it correctly.

 

I think it's most breastfeeding mothers' dream to have a freezer full of breastmilk, to allow them an afternoon or a day away, or even to make the transition back to work a little easier. The main thing to know is that breast milk is different to cows milk or formula. It is usually thinner in appearance and can vary in colour from a rich, creamy colour to a blue-white colour. If left sitting, it will generally separate into layers, with the creamy milk rising to the top. This is all-important to know, as to an untrained eye a perfectly fresh batch of breast milk may look odd or off.

 

So, firstly, when it comes to storage, you need to think about what you're going to store the breast milk in. You can collect expressed milk throughout the day and add it to one container, which you should keep in the fridge - any clean, sterile, sealed bottle will do. At the end of the day, you should decide if you are going to use that milk in the next few days; if not, just freeze it. Consider putting it into one- to three-ounce portions, in breast milk storage bags (I never once experienced Lansinoh leaking, so I am happy to recommend them) if you are going to freeze it. Follow the instructions on the bag to put the milk in, having previously labelled and dated the bag; then, you can store it in accordance with the following storage guidelines. Freshly expressed milk can be kept at:

 

To use frozen breast milk, you can leave it to defrost in the fridge for up to 24 hours, or else leave it at room temperature for one hour. If you want to use it urgently (let's face it, who is organised enough with a baby around to have the gift of foresight? Not me, anyway!), then you get the freezer storage bag and sit it in a cup of warm water until it is warm enough to give. You can give it at room temperature or body temperature, so never boil it! Another handy trick I relied on was leaving it under a running tap of warm water, as this seems to do the job quicker, but with the new water charges you might as well try to be prepared!

 

One thing to note is, that once you have defrosted breast milk you can only keep it in the fridge for 24 hours, and you can't refreeze it. In this case, you would actually be better off giving the defrosted milk to your baby, expressing more, and putting that in the freezer - waste not want not when it comes to breast milk! Any milk which is put in a bottle and offered to your baby cannot be saved for a later feed if they have sucked on that bottle, so only add two-ounce portions to a bottle at a time, and then add more if, after winding, they will take more; this way, you don't have to ever discard more than an ounce or so. 

 

When heating fresh breast milk, you can just put it into a bottle and sit that bottle in a large cup of warm water until it is at the desired temperature. Never use a microwave to defrost or heat breast milk, as it can change the composition of breast milk and cause hot spots in the milk which can burn the baby's mouth.

 

When storing breast milk in the fridge, make sure not to place it in the door; place it towards the back of the fridge where the temperature is more consistent. Milk which has been stored in the fridge or freezer will need to be swirled to mix the layers back together - this is important, as shaking can cause changes in the composition, so really it's important to stick to the swirling!

 

I hope this helps you breastfeeding mums and can act as a reference for expectant mums. Breastfeeding is amazing, but it's important to make it work for you; after all - a happy mummy has a happy baby! Please feel free to contact me through the WonderBaba Facebook page (www.facebook.com/wonderbabacare ) or at  Milltown totalhealth Pharmacy in Dublin 6 on 012600262.