How much breast milk is stored after the refrigerator. How much and how can expressed breast milk be stored in and out of the refrigerator? Specific dates, storage tips

10.09.2019

Breastfeeding your baby is one of the most enjoyable activities for many women. However, sometimes there are situations when you need to express a certain amount of milk. Perhaps, it is worthwhile to immediately make a reservation that there are few such situations, and regular pumping after each feeding does not make sense if the mother and child are not separated, both are healthy, and feeding is carried out on demand.

You have to strain in the following situations:

the birth of a premature baby who is temporarily weaned from the mother due to the need for treatment (or is with the mother, but cannot adequately grasp the nipple and suckle the breast);
the birth of a child with any disease requiring medical intervention and / or disrupting the sucking process;
separation of a mother from a child for any reason (illness of a mother or child, mother's going to work, etc.). In this option, pumping is necessary both to meet the needs of the baby and to maintain the mother's lactation. If mom goes to work and is pumping regularly, it is worth leaving morning, evening and night feedings if possible;
a feeling of fullness in the mammary glands. This happens more often in the early stages of lactation. It is optimal in such situations to attach the baby to the breast. If this cannot be done for some reason, you can express a little milk (only until the discomfort disappears, but not all the milk that can be expressed);
in the early stages of the introduction of complementary foods (when preparing porridge in breast milk).

Optimal supply of nutrients and immunoglobulins to the baby is ensured when feeding with recently expressed milk (for example, if the mother goes to work and is expressing regularly, the baby can receive milk that was expressed yesterday).

Long-term storage of milk (for several months) no longer satisfies all the needs of the baby, since the composition of breast milk changes from month to month, adjusting to the needs of the baby.

In this regard, if a mother, for example, is about to be hospitalized, it is better to express the required amount of milk a few days before hospitalization than to gain a large “strategic supply” in advance. Obviously, there are emergency cases when it is not known in advance that the mother and the child will have to part. In these situations, it is important to remember 2 points:

it is better to give your baby breast milk that has been stored for 6 months than formula;
if, in unforeseen circumstances, it was necessary to separate from the child, and there is no breast milk left at home, a disaster will not happen if the child eats formula for several days. In such a situation, it is fundamentally important for the mother to express regularly to maintain lactation (with a successful combination of circumstances, you can transfer this milk to the child, if unsuccessful (the use of a number of drugs), you will have to pour out the milk, but this is extremely important to preserve breastfeeding when reuniting with the baby).

If you still have to pump, you need to adhere to a number of rules.

Rules for expressing breast milk:

Remember to wash your hands before expressing milk;
When expressing, use special bottles that fit snugly into the breast pump. Do not express directly into plastic milk storage bags (or any other container that is not intended for expressing);
Expressing is possible only after feeding the baby. If a woman is breastfeeding from one breast at each feed, it is possible to express the other breast immediately after breastfeeding. If a woman feeds from two breasts at each feeding, pumping is possible during the break between feedings (ideally, if there is a long night break, pumping in the middle of this break will allow you to get the most milk and "not deprive" the baby);
After expressing, milk can be transferred to special milk freezer bags and placed in the freezer. It is imperative to sign the date when the milk was received. Before freezing, milk can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated within the time frames shown in the table below;
Do not add new expressed milk to previously frozen bags;
Do not use for freezing and storage milk from a bottle from which the baby has already drank (if it is left after feeding).

Breast milk storage

Storage conditions	Temperature	Duration	Comments (1)
On the table	Room temperature (up to 25 ° С)	6-8 hours	The container with milk should be tightly closed and placed in the coolest place
Cooler bag	-15- 4 ° C	24 hours	It is imperative to use ice packs, which should be in direct contact with the container with milk.
Fridge	4 ° C	5 days	Place the container with milk as close to the back of the refrigerator as possible
Freezer			Place milk as close to the back of the freezer as possible. Milk that has been stored longer than indicated in the table is safe for the child, but does not meet all of his needs due to the destruction of lipids.
Freezer inside the refrigerator (no separate door)	-15 ° C	2 weeks
Freezer with separate door	-18 ° C	3-6 months
Separate freezer	-20 ° C	6-12 months

Thawing breast milk

To defrost milk, you just need to get the bag of milk out of the freezer in advance or place it in a bowl of warm water;
Do not refreeze milk. If milk remains in the bag (after defrosting you only poured part of the milk into the bottle), it can be kept in the refrigerator for 5 days. If milk remains in the bottle from which the child drank, further storage is not allowed;
Using the microwave to defrost breast milk is not recommended because:

overheating milk can lead to the destruction of some nutrients, thereby reducing the value of the milk;
when heated in a bottle, they can "explode" if you forget to take milk out of the microwave on time;
The microwave does not heat the liquid evenly, and therefore some portions of milk may be too hot or cold.

Sources:

Academy of Lactation Medicine Recommendations (2004);
American Academy of Pediatrics;
www.cdc.gov.

Greetings, dear parents!

You all know perfectly well that there is no more wholesome food for a baby than mother's milk. If the baby receives it directly from the mother's breast, this is optimal, but not always possible.

Mom can leave somewhere, be busy at work when leaving the decree early, but you never know what reasons can lead to the need for the preparation and storage of breast milk.

Remember - fresh milk is better than chilled milk, which, in turn, is better than frozen. And even the last option is an order of magnitude superior to the mixture.

Therefore, it is necessary, if possible, to provide breast milk feeding, because it is not only nutritious, but also has protective properties due to immunoglobulin A, which helps the child's immune system and regulates the colonization of his intestines with normal microflora.

When cooled, and even more so when frozen, these beneficial properties weaken, but are not lost, and our task is to preserve them to the maximum. Today we invite you to figure out what is the expiration date of expressed breast milk.

How to express for storage?

You can do it with your hands, but better with a breast pump, especially since you can attach a special container for the expressed product - a container or a dense plastic bag to it.

Breast pumps and milk containers produced by the same company must be compatible with each other, and if the manufacturers are different, then it is unlikely.

Which container to choose?

Glass bottles are fine for storing in the refrigerator, but when freezing, it is better to use plastic containers or special disposable bags designed specifically for breast milk.

Conventional food bags are not suitable for this purpose. When using bottle liners, it is best to nest one inside the other in case it bursts when frozen and spills out when thawed.

And in general, this is not the best option. Please note that the container for storing milk must be sterile and tightly closed, because if the product has come into contact with the external environment, it is not suitable for feeding the baby. By the way, to prevent the glass bottle from bursting, do not refill it to the top.

How do we store it?

Often mothers wonder how long expressed breast milk can be stored without a refrigerator? Colostrum (the first 6 days after birth) can be kept at room temperature for up to 12 hours, and milk for up to 10 hours. We consider the room temperature to be 19-22 degrees, if it is hotter, then we reduce the shelf life to 4-6 hours.

It is best to keep the milk in the refrigerator. If this is an ordinary household refrigerator, then the cooling temperature is from 0 to +4 degrees - the storage time should not exceed 5-8 days.

Only we keep the milk not on the door, but on the shelf, and better deeper - there will be less temperature fluctuations.

If this is a thermal bag, it is also a cooler bag, then the cooling temperature is 10-15 degrees, and the shelf life of the product is 24 hours.

The shelf life of frozen milk is completely different. In the freezer inside the refrigerator, which does not have a separate outer door, it can be stored for up to 2 weeks. If the freezer compartment is arranged separately, the refrigerator is two-chamber, then we store it for up to 3-4 months.

In the event that you have a stationary, that is, a stationary freezer with a deep freeze function (temperature -18 degrees and below), the shelf life is 6 months or longer. According to technical conditions, milk can be kept in this way for up to 1 year, only such a shelf life is hardly needed.

Freeze according to the rules

In order for breast milk to retain its unique beneficial properties and not deteriorate during storage, you need to know how to freeze it correctly. It is not necessary to sterilize it, but the container must be sterile. The strained product is first cooled in the refrigerator for 1.5-2 hours, and only then placed in the freezer.

Be sure to label the product - we set the freezing date!

If you need to add a portion to an already frozen one, it must also be pre-cooled so that the previously prepared portion does not melt. Choose the right amount of servings for you.

This is either the amount for 1 feeding - 120-150 ml, or for additional feeding - 30-60 ml. Only small “doses” can be prepared, and if necessary, you will defrost several of them.

How to defrost?

If time is running out, defrost the milk in the refrigerator, and then reheat it to body temperature - 36-37 degrees. If you need to quickly, place a closed container of milk under a stream of warm water. For defrosting, do not heat expressed milk in a saucepan on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Note

These and many other aspects can be studied in detail thanks to the video course All About Breastfeeding, we recommend it to you as a source of information on this issue.

Remember - proper nutrition from infancy is a guarantee of health!

Until next time! Follow our updates and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with the latest developments.

Convenience is one of the many benefits of breastfeeding: in most cases, milk flows directly from the “producer” to the “consumer,” and there is no need to worry about collecting, storing, preparing and freshness of the “product”.

However, for one reason or another, many mothers express and store milk for their babies: some occasionally, others day after day. This article has put together useful information on what expressed milk looks like and how to store it. All of the following guidelines apply to milk storage for healthy term babies. ... If your baby is in the hospital, or if you are interested in how to properly store donor milk, the list of recommendations may be different.

What expressed milk looks like

Those who have never expressed breast milk before may be surprised to find that expressed breast milk looks very different from regular bag milk. Unlike homogenized commercial cow's milk, breast milk separates into layers when left to stand. The fatty part floats up and forms the top layer. This does not mean that the milk has spoiled: if you shake the bottle slightly, it will become homogeneous again.

Milk expressed at different times can also look different, as many factors affect its content and even its color. The fat content of milk can vary from day to day, or during a single pumping session. Milk expressed at the beginning of a feed may appear "skimmed" compared to milk expressed at the end of a feed, when the milk-pushing reflex causes the milk to flow into the teat with higher fat.

The color of human milk can also vary. Colostrum is most often yellow or yellowish orange. The process of transition of colostrum into "mature" milk can take about two weeks. During this period, the color gradually changes and becomes bluish-white. Even the color of mature milk can change depending on what the mother eats and whether she is taking any medication. If the mother's diet contains carbonated or fruit drinks, dessert jellies, then food coloring additives can change the color of milk to pink or pinkish-orange. Greenish milk can mean that mom drank green drinks, ate seaweed or green vegetables in large quantities. Frozen milk may be yellowish in color.

Milk that is pinkish may also mean that blood has leaked into it. Cracked nipples are often the cause of the pink tinge of milk, but blood in the milk can appear even if it isn't cracked. If it seems to you that blood is in milk, you need to heal them from cracks in the nipples. The blood in the milk will not harm the baby and you can continue to feed. If there is still blood in the milk two weeks after giving birth, the mother should see a doctor.

The smell of expressed milk

Usually, fresh breast milk has a delicate, slightly sweet odor. Occasionally, defrosted milk can give off soap, and the child does not want to drink it. In Breastfeeding: A Handbook for Healthcare Professionals, Dr. Ruth Lawrence states that if milk is stored in the freezers of non-defrosting refrigerators (“self-defrosting” freezers), the fat content of the milk can change due to the freezing and thawing cycles that constantly alternating in such freezers.

Some mothers say that their milk starts to smell like soap as soon as you cool it, regardless of whether it is frozen or not. Dr. Lawrence writes: “When mothers heated their milk to a very hot (but not boiling) state, and then quickly cooled and freezed it, the soapy smell was not so noticeable, and the children agreed to drink heated milk, processed in this way. The above process killed lipase (an enzyme that breaks down fat), and stopped the process of breaking down fats. "

However, heating milk to such high temperatures can negatively affect the levels of nutrients, one of which is ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

If, judging by the smell, the milk is sour, heating will no longer affect the taste or smell. If by the smell it seems to you that the milk has gone bad, most likely it is so, and such milk must be poured out.

How to choose a convenient container for storing milk

The milk must be expressed into a clean container. A container for long-term storage of milk must be tightly closed. The container can be either glass or plastic - there are disagreements as to what kind of material should be made of a container for storing milk, so that the beneficial substances and immune factors contained in it are preserved in the best possible way. According to the latest research, milk can be stored in both plastic and glass containers without compromising its quality composition. The Breastfeeding Answer Book recommends the following procedure for choosing utensils for storing breast milk.

In the first place are glass vessels, in the second place are vessels made of transparent hard plastic (polycarbonate), and in the third place are opaque plastic (polypropylene) vessels. If the baby only occasionally drinks expressed milk, the material from which the container for storing milk is made does not matter so much, because in this case, even if the type of container has a negative effect on the composition of the milk, in total it is negligible.

Ease of use is one of the important factors when choosing a container for storing expressed milk. Plastic bags, for example, take up little space and connect directly to some breast pumps. The bags intended directly for storing milk are made of dense material. They are easy to seal and are sold sterilized. These bags usually have a special place where you can write the date of pumping and the name of the baby. It is not recommended to use disposable plastic liners in bottles - they are not suitable for storing milk. The seams on these bags can break when frozen and the contents of the bag can leak out when thawed. If you have to use such bags, pour the milk into two bags, inserting one inside the other to create a double layer of polyethylene for strength. Long-term storage of milk in disposable plastic bags is not recommended.

Chilled milk can be combined with another portion of cold or frozen milk, provided that the volume of added milk is small enough to not defrost a previously frozen portion. It is better to freeze small volumes (2 to 4 ounces - 60 to 120 ml) so that you don't have to pour out unused defrosted milk - it's a pity to transfer such a valuable product.

If your milk will be stored in the refrigerator or freezer with milk for other babies, label the container: include the date of expression and the name of the baby.

If you don't have a refrigerator at hand

If a nursing mom goes to work and wants to continue feeding, even if there is no refrigerator at work, there are ways to keep the milk expressed during the day. Studies have shown that human milk has an amazing ability to inhibit bacterial growth and may not spoil at room temperature for up to 10 hours after expression.

One famous study on this topic was published in 1987 in the International Journal of Childbirth Education. Mature milk was expressed into clean but not sterile vessels. The milk was divided into two portions: one portion was left at room temperature (19-22 C, or 66-72 F), and the other was placed in the refrigerator for 10 hours. After 10 hours, a bacterial analysis was carried out for both portions. No statistically significant difference was observed in the levels of bacteria in milk from different portions stored at different temperatures.

If there is no electric refrigerator nearby, you can get out of the situation using small refrigerator bags with freezing elements (there are even refrigerators designed specifically for storing expressed milk) or ordinary thermoses. The thermos can be filled with ice before leaving the house to cool the inner chamber, and then pour the ice immediately before pouring the expressed milk into the thermos. (Translator's note. If you do not use tap water as drinking water, consider using boiled water to make ice for safety reasons).

How long can expressed milk be stored? The table "Recommendations for the storage of breast milk" at the end of this article is based on the latest research on this topic. If not yourself, but someone else will feed the baby with your expressed milk, it makes sense to acquaint this person with this table.

The milk you are going to give your baby within 8 days of expressing is best kept in the refrigerator rather than in the freezer. Firstly, it does not have to be thawed, and secondly, the immune factors contained in milk are better preserved chilled rather than frozen. If milk has to be stored for more than 8 days, it is better to freeze it.

Remember that the composition of breast milk is ideally suited to the needs of the baby and his stage of development at the time the milk was expressed, and try to use the freshest portion possible.

Storing milk outside the home

A breastfeeding mother should have the right to store milk outside the home, for example at work, or in the baby's refrigerator in a nursery. There is no need to take any special precautions that are usually associated with the storage of bodily fluids in public places. In a 1997 article in The Journal of Human Lactation, Laurie Nommsen-Rivers advises that if employees complain about keeping breast milk in a shared refrigerator, you can avoid unnecessary talk by placing a container of expressed milk in an extra opaque container.

Breast milk storage information:

Whose children are born full-term
- who will feed expressed milk at home and not in the hospital
- who wash their hands before expressing
- which wash the vessels and containers with hot soapy water and then rinse them thoroughly

Breast milk containers intended for long-term storage must be marked with the date of expression.

Colostrum (expressed within 6 days of delivery):

12 hours at room temperature 27-32 C (80.6-89.6 F)

Mature milk:

at 15 C (59-60F) - 24 hours
at 19-22 C (66-72 F) - 10 hours
at 25 C (79 F) - 4-6 hours
refrigerated at 0-4 C (32-39 F) - 8 days

Frozen milk:

Freezer shelf inside the refrigerator, no separate door - 2 weeks
Freezer compartment with separate door - 3-4 months (temperature varies due to frequent door opening)
Stationary (separate) deep-freezer at -19 C (0 F) - 6 months or longer.

Where to store breast milk:

in tight plastic or glass containers
in special bags for storing frozen milk
it is not recommended to freeze milk in disposable bottle bags
before adding a new portion to the already frozen milk, it must be chilled

How to heat milk

In order to defrost or heat milk, you need to place the container under a warm stream of water from the tap. Do not heat milk until it boils; shake the container before determining the temperature of the warmed milk; never heat breast milk in the microwave.

Defrosted milk

Frozen milk that has been reheated can be left in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Do not re-freeze such milk.

Nature has endowed women with the ability to continue the human race. This is not only the birth of children, but also their subsequent feeding with breast milk. Human milk contains most of the nutrients that are so necessary in the first months of babies' lives. Therefore, moms care about how to store expressed milk so that it will help the baby grow healthy.

Why Express Breast Milk

Before moving on to storage, you need to understand why you are expressing breast milk. Inexperienced mothers ignore advice on expressing, but it helps to establish lactation (the formation of milk in the breast of a nursing woman and the receipt of nutrient fluid by the baby). True, pumping must be stopped as soon as milk begins to arrive in sufficient quantity to saturate the baby during each feeding. If initially there are no problems with lactation, you should not torment yourself once again.

Sometimes a nursing mother may develop lactostasis - the process of milk stagnation in the excretory ducts of the mammary gland. It is provoked by improper attachment of the crumbs to the chest, tight clothing, sleeping on the stomach and psychological stress. Usually, this pathology is accompanied by a deterioration in the well-being of the mother. Often, the temperature rises to 40 ° C, pain from touching one's own skin. Subsequent feedings are difficult because clogged nipples prevent milk from entering the baby's mouth. Both mothers and hungry children suffer. It is better not to bring your body to such a state, but if a trouble happens, expressing is one of the methods of resuming normal lactation. Do not self-medicate, but seek medical attention.

10 years ago, lactostasis caught me suddenly. Literally two hours in two digits on the thermometer jumped from 36.8 to 39.6 ° C, chills and a terrible pain in the chest began. My son was hungry, but the milk did not come out, making my chest harder than stone. I will not describe the process of treatment, but previously expressed milk helped me a lot, and my son, and my husband, who ran between us, trying to help.

In case of excess milk production, a manual breast pump can be used, in other cases its electric version

Have a supply of breast milk at home just in case. This is very helpful in unforeseen situations and allows mom to be absent if the need arises.

A friend of mine praised herself a thousand times for her prudence, having ended up in the hospital with an attack of cholecystitis, when her 3-month-old daughter was left at home. First, the grandmother, looking after her granddaughter, used previously expressed milk. Secondly, the medicines used in Tanya's treatment did not reach her daughter.

It is no secret that many modern mothers do not sit on maternity leave for a long time, and in this case, the issue of preserving milk is especially acute. Employers are not particularly eager to let their subordinates go to feed their children several times a day. It is wrong to transfer the baby to artificial nutrition if there is milk in the mother's breast.

If there is a need to express during the working day, it is better to cool milk in a portable thermal bag or in a shared refrigerator. To avoid conflicts with colleagues (not everyone likes this neighborhood with their products), additionally put the container with your breast milk in an opaque container. And don't forget to sign with your last name.

Another friend of mine, who already has four children, immediately after maternity leave starts working as an economist at a large enterprise. She expresses milk in the morning and works fruitfully, knowing that the nanny will give the youngest son a milk portion in time.

Video: what a newborn is deprived of without breast milk

In addition to all this, mom can set aside time to meet with friends or go shopping. And dad - to talk to his baby in private.

How to express breast milk

Our mothers and grandmothers expressed milk with their own hands, sometimes for several hours. You and I are much more fortunate. Breast pumps sold in special sections of children's stores and pharmacies are easy to use and do their job in minutes.

The main thing is to maintain sterility:

wash your hands thoroughly before and after expressing;
treat the breast pump with soapy water, rinsing carefully so that soap does not remain on the device;
collect milk from high-quality plastic (from medical polypropylene, sold in pharmacy chains);
do not forget to put marks on the milk container with the date and time of expression.

The container with breast milk should be placed against the back of the refrigerator and do not forget to sign

Storing expressed breast milk

If we compare the qualitative composition of breast milk and adapted milk formula, it becomes obvious why breastfeeding should be maintained as long as possible. The storage of breast milk directly depends on how soon it will be used. If you plan to consume it for several days (up to 8), it is better to simply refrigerate than freeze. With prolonged exposure to cold, the content of nutrients that affect the formation of the immune system of children decreases. However, frozen breast milk is more effective than formula for fighting many infections.

In what container should expressed milk be stored:

containers made of high-quality plastic or glass with dense walls;
specialist. milk storage bags sold in pharmacies.

Do not use disposable dishes, plastic bottles for juices or drinks, and containers intended for everyday household needs (cups, mugs, ladles, plastic bags, etc.) for storage. You should not fill the container to the very top, because according to physical laws, when freezing, milk can break the container from the inside, increasing in volume.

Comparison of the composition of breast milk and adapted milk formula

How to store breast milk at room temperature

Expressed breast milk can be stored at room temperature for up to 6 hours. However, it is considered optimal to use it within 4 hours of expressing. If the room is very warm, it should never be stored longer than 3 hours. As a result of research, scientists have determined the ability of human milk to cope with the growth of bacteria and not deteriorate for a long time after expression.

One famous study on this topic was published in 1987 in the International Journal of Childbirth Education. Mature milk was expressed into clean but not sterile vessels. The milk was divided into two portions: one portion was left at room temperature (19-22 ° C or 66–72 ° F) and the other is refrigerated for 10 hours. After 10 hours, a bacterial analysis was carried out for both portions. No statistically significant difference was observed in the levels of bacteria in milk from different portions stored at different temperatures.

How to store breast milk in the refrigerator

This storage method allows you to postpone the use of breast milk for up to 8 days. But it is better not to leave it in the refrigerator for more than 3-5 days from the moment of expressing, but to use it earlier. You cannot store containers with breast milk in the side compartment (on the door); it is better to put them in a cool area of the refrigerator - to the inner back wall.

After pre-cooling for 30 minutes, you can add a little milk to the previous batch, making sure in advance that it does not melt already cooled one. It should be no more than half the volume to which it is added. And the time from the first expression in this container should not be more than a day.

Table: Recommended storage conditions for breast milk for term babies

Milk type	Storage conditions
	Temperature	Storage period
Colostrum expressed no later than the seventh day after delivery.	26–30 ° C(room).	up to 12 o'clock, do not freeze
Mature milk.	up to 15 ° C	24 hours
	19–22 ° C	until 10 o'clock
	26 ° C	5-6 hours
	0–4 ° C(fridge).	up to 8 days
Frozen milk.	Up to 2 weeks on a fridge freezer shelf (no separate door).
	Up to 4 months in the freezer compartment with a separate door. Frequent opening of the freezer causes the temperature to change constantly.
	From six months and longer in stationary freezers at constant -19 ° C

How to store breast milk in the freezer

Before being placed in the freezer, the milk must be cooled first at room temperature, then in the refrigerator. It is not recommended to freeze freshly expressed, like any warm product.

At very low temperatures, milk remains usable for up to 12 months after it has been expressed. But it is advisable not to store it for more than six months. And be sure to pay attention to the dates on the container, which one to use first.

Special bags for storing breast milk in the freezer

Please note that with each freezing day, the vitamin content in breast milk decreases. And with age, the child needs a new high-quality composition of milk. That is, feeding a half-year-old toddler with milk expressed a month after his birth, you will not give him the necessary substances for development and growth.

An isolated case of such a replacement for fresh milk is not scary, but the systematic feeding of long-frozen food raises concerns. Although I have never heard of women who are so inattentive to the health of babies, I consider it my duty to warn.

There is no point in filling the chamber with your milk, 5–6 servings are enough for unforeseen situations. It is preferable to place milk in the freezer in special storage bags, they do not take up much space.

Video: how to store breast milk

Warming up chilled or frozen breast milk

Breast milk from the freezer is usually thawed in the refrigerator and stored there for up to 12 hours. It can also be defrosted by placing the container in a container of hot water (maximum 60 ° C, never boiling water).

Re-freezing of breast milk is prohibited! Pour out the leftovers not eaten by the child without regret.

Resist the temptation to reheat or microwave. This method is bad in that it is rarely possible to do without overheating, but the lion's share of useful components is guaranteed to be lost. If you need milk urgently, defrost it under cool, then warm running water, or place it in a bowl of warm water.

If fat delamination is found, do not shake the container with milk, but shake it slightly and everything will return to its place.

Dr. Komarovsky on pumping milk by breastfeeding mothers

The famous pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky is an authority for many mothers. His opinion is appreciated, and advice is listened to. In the program devoted to breastfeeding, the doctor simply could not get around the topic of expressed milk, answering questions from the studio guests. Evgeny Olegovich said that correctly expressed and stored milk does not lose its beneficial properties. At the same time, I noticed that you still don't need to rush to go to work while breastfeeding. The storage recommendations voiced by Komarovsky are the same as those listed by me above.

Video: Dr. Komarovsky talks about the properties of expressed milk

As you can see, there is nothing difficult in preserving the beneficial properties of expressed milk. But your children will receive from it what they need to help them grow and develop, just like those who drink milk from their mother's breast.

Collection of breast milk

Today everyone knows that the most useful, the best nutrition for a newborn baby and a baby is breast milk, so mothers do everything to prolong lactation and feed the baby as long as possible. But there are times when a young mother does not have the opportunity to breastfeed her baby and experts recommend feeding the baby with expressed milk.

The main reasons for complicating the feeding process associated with the mother are:

anomalies or irregular shape of the nipples, which makes it difficult to capture them with a crumb;
pronounced abrasions and cracks in the nipples and areola, which make the act of sucking extremely painful;
galactorrhea (spontaneous flow of milk from the breast);
mastitis;
hypogalactia;
"Tight breasts", in combination with organic diseases of the baby (perinatal pathology, prematurity, malnutrition);
serious diseases of the mother - psychoneurotic pathology, endocrine disorders and heart defects in the stage of decompensation.

Difficulties and on the part of the baby arise:

with defects and diseases of the nasal cavity and mouth;
with habitual regurgitation;
with severe diseases of the child (intracranial birth trauma, pneumonia, sepsis, deep prematurity).

What expressed milk looks like

Expressed breast milk looks very different from regular bag milk - if left to stand, it separates into layers. The upper layer of breast milk forms its fatty part, and when you shake the container, it becomes homogeneous again. Also, breast milk expressed at different times will look different, due to the fact that many factors affect its quantitative and qualitative composition and even color - nutrition, drinking regime of a nursing mother.

Both colostrum and "mature" breast milk contain a large number of antimicrobial factors, which allows it to remain fresh for a long time, even without freezing. But even if it is necessary to freeze breast milk, losing some of its beneficial properties, due to its unique composition, it remains better adapted mixtures.

The color of breast milk can vary.

Colostrum has a yellow to yellowish orange color, a salty taste and a slightly slimy appearance.

After its transformation into "mature" milk, which takes place within two weeks and its color gradually changes from yellowish to bluish-white.

Also, the color of breast milk may change depending on the mother's diet, medication, food dyes.

Fresh breast milk usually has a slightly sweet, delicate odor.

Breast milk storage tanks

Expressed breast milk is stored in special containers made of food grade plastic or glass containers, hermetically sealed, which are produced by firms that produce breastfeeding accessories. They are compact and easy to use, convenient and do not need special processing, and milk can be expressed directly into them. For convenience, some types of bags can be attached directly to the breast pump. Various bags and containers are used to store milk. Each type of container for storing expressed milk has certain advantages and disadvantages.

When choosing utensils for storing expressed milk, experts recommend:

In the first place, use glass vessels.
On the second - containers made of polycarbonate (transparent hard plastic).
On the third - opaque polypropylene plastic vessels.

Containers for storing expressed breast milk, if the baby rarely drinks expressed milk, then the vessel can be made of any material - both glass and plastic, it is important that all its beneficial substances and immune factors are preserved, so they must be clean, dry and close tightly.

Ease of use is considered one of the important factors when choosing a container for storing expressed milk.

Bottles for breast milk must be purchased at pharmacies - this means that this type of container for collecting and storing expressed milk is of high quality, has passed all tests and is airtight. Avent products have good recommendations from specialists. There are several types of bottles:

Glassware, which is better for storage, but can be damaged by sudden changes in temperature - cracks and damage are possible.
Plastic bottles are slightly inferior in storage to glassware, but are more practical and resistant to temperature extremes.

Breast milk storage containers

Today, the pharmacy chain offers a wide range of various special containers for storing and freezing breast milk. These sterile containers do not require additional processing. Breast milk containers are special plastic jars with a hermetically sealed lid. They also have a special graduation with which you can determine the volume of expressed breast milk (number of milliliters).

The most commonly used containers are the Philips AVENT storage system.

Breast milk storage bags

Breast milk collection bags are sterile plastic containers that are closed with a clasp or tied with strings, with a place to record the date of collection of breast milk and a special graduation to determine

Share the volume of expressed breast milk.

They take up little space and can be directly connected to breast pumps. Milk storage bags are sold sterilized and are easy to seal. Long-term storage of frozen breast milk is not recommended in disposable plastic bags.

Tanks for storing expressed breast milk should hold from 70 to 120 grams of milk, which is the average volume required for one feeding of the baby, so as not to constantly open sterile dishes, so it will deteriorate faster. And so you will be sure that the rest of the milk is safe and sound. It is important to label your breast milk container so that you know the exact time and storage time.

Breast milk storage rules

The shelf life of expressed breast milk at room temperature (23-25 C) is no more than four hours, at a temperature of 19 to 22 C - no longer than 10 hours, and from 15 to 18 C - no more than a day, then the milk must be poured out.

Storing milk in a cooler bag depends on the quality and ability to keep the temperature, but not more than 24 hours.

Milk is stored in special sterile tight plastic or glass containers or special bags for freezing breast milk. It is not recommended to freeze breast milk in disposable bottle bags, and refrigerate the new portion before adding a new portion to the already frozen milk. A new portion of chilled milk can be added

drink with another portion of frozen or cold milk, provided that the amount of added milk is small enough and cannot defrost the previously frozen portion. But it is better to freeze breast milk in a small amount (60 to 130 ml).

Expressed milk, which must be given to the baby within 5 days after expressing, is best stored in the refrigerator without freezing, so that the vitamins and immune factors contained in it are better preserved and even partially do not lose their properties, unlike frozen milk. But if it is necessary to store milk for more than 8 days, it is better to freeze the product.

Thawed milk can be left in the refrigerator for 24 hours, but this portion must not be re-frozen.

Storing breast milk in the refrigerator

In a refrigerator with a temperature regime of 0 to -4 degrees, containers with expressed breast milk can be stored for no more than 4 days, and at a temperature of -5 (-6 C) - no more than 5 days.

Storing breast milk in the freezer

The shelf life of expressed breast milk depends on the type of freezer, the frequency of its opening, the storage location of the container with milk and its temperature regime. In a freezer with a temperature of -20 degrees, if the refrigerator is not self-defrosting, the shelf life is up to 6 months, in a freezer with a separate shelf - no more than 3 months. If the freezer compartment has a separate door, the shelf life of frozen breast milk is no more than 3-4 months, due to the fact that the temperature can vary due to the frequent opening of the door.

Frozen milk on a freezer shelf inside the refrigerator that does not have a separate door should be stored for no more than two weeks. When storing expressed milk in a separate stationary deep-freezer with a constant temperature of -19 C - shelf life can be 6 months or more.

Shelf life of breast milk

The shelf life of expressed breast milk depends on the temperature:
outside the refrigerator: indoors at a temperature of 23-25 C - no more than four hours, from 19 to 22 C - 10 hours, and from 15 to 18 C - no more than a day;
in a refrigerator bag - no more than a day;
in the refrigerator - from four to five days (depending on the constant temperature inside the refrigerator);
in the freezer - from three to six months.

How to properly defrost or heat expressed breast milk

To defrost or heat milk, place the container in warm water. Do not heat milk until it boils and do not heat breast milk in the microwave.