Question " social life mothers or continuing breastfeeding? " in the age of new technologies has lost its relevance. The world has long figured out how to make sure that no one suffers - neither the child nor the mother. The solution is to create a bank breast milk... How to properly set up the process, our author tells, together with an expert, a breastfeeding consultant.

There is nothing more valuable and useful for a child in the first year of life than mother's breast milk - all pediatricians in the world agree on this. Mother's milk every woman has a special composition, and no infant formula can repeat it, no matter how innovative it is. This is amazing property is determined by the related composition of milk with the child's body. Therefore, in a situation where the mother needs to leave the child for some time, it is more correct to feed the child with expressed milk than with an artificial mixture.

About sterility and safe storage

Expressing and storing milk should be approached with special care - first of all, everything should be as sterile as possible. And a container for milk, and a device for expressing it, and mother's hands.

The choice of containers for milk is a crucial question, not every material is suitable here. Most containers and boxes are now made of polycarbonate plastic, which, as a rule, contains bisphenol A, a phenol group substance that, when heated, can mix with milk and cause Negative influence on the genitourinary system child. Therefore, high-quality baby dishes, such as bottles, must be labeled BpA free.

To create a milk can, you need a breast pump, feeding bottles and special storage containers. It is convenient when all the accessories fit together - besides, it is the easiest way to maintain sterility. A popular brand among Russian mothers Philips Avent offers all the necessary solutions for creating a milk can. The containers are compatible with breast pumps, nipples and other products of this brand, which will make the process of pumping and feeding as convenient as possible. Mothers can be sure that the expressed milk is stored reliably, and the baby, if necessary, can be fed by the father or another family member, and the baby will not give up the breast later.

How much and how to store?

“With a high sterility capacity, breast milk is stored at room temperature three to four hours without losing their properties. Milk is stored in the refrigerator for up to three days, and if the mother has carefully prepared a sterile container, then the shelf life is increased to eight days.

If a woman works full day or goes on a business trip, then it makes sense to stock up on breast milk - in this case, it needs to be frozen. Breast milk can be stored in the freezer for up to six months, provided it is a deep freezer.

Thawed milk can be used within 24 hours and cannot be frozen again.

It is not recommended to defrost milk with microwave oven- it gives an uneven heating, and the baby may burn itself if the milk is not mixed well. It is also not recommended to boil it, because boiling destroys a number of antibodies, maternal immunoglobulins. It is best to reheat frozen milk simply under the hot tap.

In general, freezing and thawing does not change the composition of the milk, only the taste changes slightly. One way or another, it will be the healthiest and most nutritious food for a child. "

When freezing milk in a glass container, you should be careful - when freezing, the glass may crack. If milk is frozen in bags, it is worth considering the fact that the bags sometimes break. However, acquiring special packages for storing breast milk, you can be absolutely sure of their reliability. Usually they are equipped with a sealed zipper, made of a two-layer material that does not contain dangerous components for the health of the baby.

Expressing

How often can you express milk if the mother, for some reason, cannot breastfeed at all? In this case, it is recommended that you pump every three hours on both breasts. It is better if this is complete pumping, that is, the maximum release of the breast from milk.

If the mother is breastfeeding, but she needs to make a supply of milk (for example, she is leaving on a business trip), maximum amount additional pumping will depend on how large a supply of milk is needed.

Mom must understand that her body produces as much milk as the child needs every day, so it will take some time to stimulate the body to produce more.

Galina Valerievna Zemskova, breastfeeding consultant:

“Even if mom starts expressing milk every three hours in parallel with breastfeeding, the result will be small at first, and that's okay. "Acceleration" of lactation is unpleasant because later the mother may face the problem of producing too a large number milk.

Therefore, if a mother knows that she will soon have to leave the baby, she should start pumping in advance and at those moments when milk is most abundant - as a rule, this is in the morning hours. I will note: in order not to provoke hyperlactation, milk should not be expressed throughout the day. This gives a guarantee that after the mother breaks up with the baby, she will not suffer from unpleasant sensations in the chest and congestion.

In general, if the mother's activities are related to regular trips, it is possible to introduce the practice of routine morning expression in order to create a bank of frozen milk. "

It is better to express milk with an electric breast pump - it is gentle, unlike manual way, without injuring the mammary gland, expresses milk.

Using such a breast pump - good prevention lactostasis, in addition, in parallel, it stimulates lactation.

Galina Valerievna Zemskova, breastfeeding consultant:

“I advise you to choose a model that has two phases of expression, that is, it imitates the principle of sucking a baby: a more intense and slower phase, when milk is already coming out of the breast well. With such a breast pump this can be done both at home and at work, and if there is a possibility of quick transportation, then you can feed not with frozen milk, but with the milk that my mother expressed the day before. "

It is also important to maintain cleanliness and sterility when using a breast pump, otherwise the milk will be dangerous to consume. Breast pumps usually have a lot of details and curves - so the importance of sterilization and boiling comes first.

Newest Models electric breast pumps work silently, which allows you to express milk during the baby's sleep, and not to be distracted during the process by extraneous noises and sounds. Modern breast pumps are comfortable and easy to use, they can also be adjusted to different mode pumping.

As for cleaning and storage, these models are easy to disassemble and easy to clean thanks to a small number details. Moreover, such breast pumps come with utensils, so you don't have to guess when choosing containers for storing milk. The bottles are specially designed for a certain model breast pump, they are equipped with a sealed cover, resistant to temperature conditions, and most importantly - absolutely safe for the baby.

Stock up, but don't forget about contact

As you know, breastfeeding is an important intimate process for mom and newborn, which provides close kinship, helps to establish such a delicate and necessary contact.

"Preserving breastfeeding for busy moms working or studying has one big bonus. Both mothers and babies miss each other very much when they are apart, and feeding gives them the opportunity to keep in touch. Babies can often ask for a breast if their mother has been absent for a long time, because they need to make up for this contact. From my point of view, maintaining contact between mother and child through breast-feeding very important, ”says Galina Zemskova.

In general, creating a breast milk bank is far from as difficult and dreary as it is commonly believed. On the contrary, it is a real lifesaver for both busy mothers and those who are fully committed to motherhood. BUT modern technologies always come to the rescue.

There are situations when the mother is not close to the baby: she wants to relax, she has a need to appear in society without a child (go to a concert, visit, to the doctor, to the hairdresser, etc.). Either treatment with drugs incompatible with breastfeeding will be required. That's when it comes in handy " milk bank"- a kind of supply of breast milk for a while.

What is a milk bank?

As you probably already figured out, this is a "strategic" stock of breast milk in the refrigerator or freezer- in case of unforeseen circumstances.

What does mom need to know?

Every mother who decides to create her own "milk bank" should have some knowledge: how to store milk, what it is, how to defrost it, etc.

This is very important, because if the rules are not followed, you can harm the baby.

So let's get started:

How to collect milk correctly?

It is necessary to start accumulating a sufficient volume of milk in advance, and not the day before. You can only express milk after feeding, when the mother is sure that the baby is full.

How to store and how much?

In the refrigerator - 72 hours, in the freezer compartment, with a separate door - 3 months, in the freezer, at a temperature of -18C -20C - up to 6 months.

How to freeze?

In small portions - 30-60 ml. Milk must not be frozen twice.

How to label and use?

Mom should write each bottle with a marker: indicate the time and date of expression. Be the first to use previously expressed milk.

What to store?

Firms producing children's accessories produce special containers and bottles made of food grade plastic for storing breast milk. However, ordinary glass jars or vials with a screw cap, for example, from under baby food.

How to defrost?

Most perfect option defrosting is to move the bottle from the freezer to the refrigerator in advance so that the milk there gradually thaws. However, if time is running out, then you can use a stream of warm water.

How to reheat?

Only in a water bath or under a stream of warm water - up to a temperature of 36.0-36.5C. Do not defrost or boil! In this case, it is better to pour out the milk immediately.

Important! Sometimes, after defrosting, breast milk changes slightly in color (becoming bluish, yellowish, pinkish) and smell (more like soap).

It depends on the composition of the milk. However, this does not mean at all that it is unusable. Breast milk is considered spoiled if it has sour smell.

Well, now you know how to make a breast milk supply. As you can see, nothing complicated. The main thing is to be patient and create the necessary conditions for good nutrition baby. Although, of course, during storage, breast milk loses some of its properties, but even in this form, it will bring more benefits than formula. Surprising - but true!

Valentina, www.site

Most breastfeeding mothers have to express their breasts from time to time. And if the baby does not eat everything expressed at once, sooner or later the question arises - how to store the expressed milk? There are a lot of situations when milk supplies made on time come in handy - if the mother urgently needs to go to work or leave on business, or if she has to take antibiotics that are incompatible with feeding. In the end, this is just useful knowledge, because you never know what will happen tomorrow. Therefore, we propose to learn everything about the preservation of breast milk "for later" from our article, especially since there is absolutely nothing complicated in this process.

How to properly collect and store expressed breast milk

Collecting breast milk

A prerequisite for storing breast milk for a long time and safely is hygiene and sterility.

1. Wash in soapy water all washable parts of the breast pump (if you plan to use the breast pump), sterilize, dry and prepare for use.
2. Take a warm shower to enhance lactation and wash your breasts with soap and water.
3. Wash your hands with soap and water.
4. Express milk in a sterile container in which you plan to store it. (Some breast pump models allow the use of special milk storage bags.)

If you have a breastfeeding problem, find out how regular pumping can help you:

Where and how much can expressed milk be stored?

The storage duration of breast milk is determined by the storage location. Below we will consider all the options:

How long should expressed milk be stored at room temperature?

Expressed breast milk kept long enough even at room temperature, so if you plan to feed your baby with it within 4 hours after pumping, just leave the bottle in a cool place - this way the milk will keep all its beneficial features... Just before feeding, just warm it up in warm water to a temperature of about 37 degrees. Do not heat milk in the microwave! Warming up in it is uneven, because of this, the baby can get burns, and the waves of the microwave oven destroy many important nutritional components of breast milk.

Very often mothers are worried about the question: “Why did breast milk exfoliate after a few hours? Has it really gone bad? " Do not worry, this is absolutely normal, since milk tends to flake - its fatty part rises upwards, while an almost transparent "water" remains below. Just shake the bottle lightly before serving to mix the milk and it will become smooth again.

How long should expressed breast milk be stored in the refrigerator?

Expressed milk can be stored on the refrigerator shelf for up to 5 days, provided that while collecting it, you followed all the rules of sterility described at the beginning of the article.

Milk stored in the refrigerator retains almost all of its beneficial properties and is almost as good as recently expressed.
The best place to store expressed milk in the refrigerator is on the bottom shelf close to the wall. Do not store breast milk in the refrigerator door, as the constant opening and closing does not allow for an even storage temperature.

How long is frozen breast milk stored?

Most optimal way keep expressed milk for a long time - freeze it. Thus, you can create a whole "bank" of breast milk, thanks to which the mother may not worry if she urgently needs to be separated from her baby for a while.

Expressed milk can be stored in the refrigerator freezer for up to 6 months. Some of its components are destroyed by exposure to such low temperatures but even so its nutritional properties are more valuable for the baby than in the adapted mixture.

Most The best way defrosting of such milk is gradual. Leave the container with frozen milk in the refrigerator for several hours in advance, and then warm it up with warm water or a special milk warmer.

What can breast milk be frozen in?

Most convenient option- special plastic bags for storing breast milk. Some breast pumps are designed so that you pump directly into a bag. This option is the most hygienic, but not required. You can pour expressed milk from a bottle into a plastic bag, then remove the air from it as much as possible and close it tightly with a special zipper. provided on it. Be sure to label each portion of the expressed milk, put the date and time of expression, and it will not be superfluous to indicate the amount in milliliters.

You can also store expressed milk in plastic bottles or containers, but in this case, be sure to leave about ⅕ part free space in the container, as the frozen milk increases in size and otherwise the container may burst.

How do I feed my baby with expressed milk?

There are many more articles on breastfeeding from breastfeeding specialists on our portal. More information on the page "Encyclopedia of breastfeeding from the portal" Baby ".

Always label the container of expressed milk and feed the oldest milk first.

To warm it up for feeding, use a container with hot water(but not boiling water!) or a stream of warm water from the tap. You can also use a milk bottle warmer, if you have one. Wait until the milk heats up to a temperature of 36-37 degrees. Be sure to check its temperature before giving your baby a bottle! The simplest and affordable way if you do not have special devices or a thermometer - drop from a bottle on the bend of the elbow or the inner side of the wrist, where the skin is most sensitive to temperature. As we wrote above, a microwave oven is not the best place for heating milk due to the unevenness of this process, in addition, many important components breast milk.

Special device for warming expressed breast milk

Never boil expressed milk! When boiled, most of the beneficial bacteria die in it and nutritional value such a drink becomes highly questionable.

If after feeding you still have milk in the bottle, give it to your baby in next feeding not recommended, as bacteria from the baby's saliva have already got there.

So, we hope that now you know everything about how to store expressed milk and can provide your baby healthy food, even if you need to leave for a while.

Recently I had the opportunity to visit the only donor milk bank in Moscow, and what is there, in all of Russia, and get acquainted with its creators. I will now tell you about how it was created, how and where it functions and who can use the deposits of this bank.

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From time immemorial to the present day

The history of milk donation dates back to ancient times. Then, if a woman did not have the opportunity to feed the child on her own, she resorted to the help of a wet nurse, who could become a relative or just an acquaintance. It is known that similar practice existed in Ancient egypt, Greece, the Roman Empire, and after the XI century, the services of nurses were used by aristocratic and royal families Europe.

The transition from private services to milk collection and processing points began at the beginning of the 20th century. The first such institution was a milk bank, which opened in Vienna in 1909 at St. Anne's Hospital.

In Russia, in 1960-70s, “donor points” operated at children's polyclinics to collect surplus breast milk from nursing mothers and give it to needy babies up to one month of age. Subsequently, these establishments ceased to exist due to difficulties in milk quality control and the development of the infant formula industry.

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Bank opening

In November 2014, a donor breast milk bank was opened in Russia. Pilot project was created to help newborns, children undergoing treatment and rehabilitation in the department for premature and neonatal surgical units of the Scientific Center for Children's Health on Vavilova Street in Moscow.

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Irina Anatolyevna Belyaeva (left), doctor began to collect scientific and practical data on the efficiency and safety of such a structure. medical sciences, head of the department for premature babies Research Institute of Pediatrics FGBNU " Science Center children's health "and Olga Leonidovna Lukoyanova (right), candidate of medical sciences, senior Researcher department of nutrition of a healthy and sick child of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Scientific Center of Children's Health", doctor the highest category... I took the photographs from them. I was so carried away by communication, while in my thoughts I was in a hurry to Varyusha that I did not even think of asking to be photographed with me.

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In the department

The children are in the wards with their mothers. How else? Mom takes care of the baby, learns to use the device for feeding. Premature babies are often absent sucking reflex and they are fed through a tube going into the stomach through the nose.

It happens that the children are alone while their mother is undergoing treatment. But the recovery of a weak body in premature babies is much faster when mom is around. And especially if the mother has the opportunity to feed her breast milk.

But it happens that it is simply impossible to establish breastfeeding. The reasons are different, mainly early childbirth, resuscitation, treatment or stress. Then donated breast milk can come to the rescue.
Indications for donor breast milk

Donated milk is prescribed only by a doctor as food and medicine at the same time. Not all children in a row, there are exceptions. Mom has the right to refuse donor milk and feed the baby with formula for premature babies, but in this department, refusals are very rare. The most valuable thing is at stake - life and health.

For which patients is donor milk indicated in cases where mother's milk is not available? First, premature babies. I saw these kids in cuves. There is a very tiny one, weighing a kilogram and the size of an iPad Mini, or even the palm of your hand. He feeds on donor milk while his mother is undergoing treatment herself.

Milk is also indicated for children with metabolic disorders, after bowel surgery, kidney failure, cardiopathy, immune deficiency and allergies to formula milk.

When formula-feeding, out of a thousand children born with very low birth weight, 21 children die as a result of the development of necrotizing enterocolitis. If such children are fed with breast milk, mortality from this serious illness is 3-6 per thousand newborns.

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How the breast milk bank is tripled

When I began to negotiate the possibility of getting into the breast milk bank, I imagined entering a separate building, a large separate building. In fact, the milk bank in this compartment has an area of ​​twenty meters, divided into three compartments.

Milk is brought into the first compartment of the mother. They can wash their pump right away or take a clean collection container.

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Milk is decanted into such jars. They are reusable and sterilizable.

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A bank employee takes milk for bacteriological testing.

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Then he sends it to pasteurization. The pasteurization technology is very simple: for half an hour, milk is heated in a water bath at a temperature of 62.5 degrees. This allows you to secure it, while protein, fat, carbohydrates, oligosaccharides, linoleic and a number of other acids, vitamins A, D, E, B12 are preserved by 100%. Milk contains 75% folic acid, 65% of vitamin C, up to 70% of immunoglobulin A, 91% of the total antioxidant activity remains.

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The milk is stored frozen, but before going to the freezer, it must cool down.

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In the freezer, it is stored in bags. They are disposable, sterile and just compact. In frozen form, breast milk can be stored from three months to six months.

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Security issue

As I wrote above, the breast milk bank project is experimental. So far, you can't just come from the street to give or get milk. There is not the slightest doubt about the effectiveness of the treatment and nursing of young patients with the help of milk, and the greatest attention is paid to the issue of safety.

Contraindications for donation are not only infectious diseases history, but also, for example, tattoos, acupuncture or dental intervention in the last six months.
Mass donation

Learned one interesting fact about mass donation in Brazil, where it is very well developed. Initially, they gave money for the delivery of milk. Thus, donation was stimulated. But after some time, the reward system was canceled. The fact is that low-income mothers donated all their milk, depriving their own children of the most valuable product.

It is too early to think about when milk donation in Russia will become widespread, says Olga Leonidovna. The bank is already ready to expand and accept those willing to donate milk. Mothers who are not able to feed on their own are not yet ready to accept this very donor milk. And those who feed themselves and have surplus breast milk are advised to create their own bank at home. This requires a breast pump, storage tanks and a freezer. Strained, cooled, then frozen. Within six months after the end of breastfeeding, it will still be possible to make, for example, milk porridge.

More than twenty five years World organization health cares Special attention the importance of breastfeeding for the health and well-being of the baby and mom. Avoiding breastfeeding can lead to a wide variety of negative consequences, among which - an increase in the incidence of obesity, diabetes, developmental disorders. For a baby, mother's milk is especially important in the first six months of life. She spoke about the importance of breastfeeding, expressing and individual breast milk can Olga Koreneva, Breastfeeding Specialist, Department of Neonatology and Pediatrics, N.N. Kulakova, perinatal psychologist.

Breastfeeding in Russia: moms are ready, but little support

In Russia (GV) may differ in different regions and strata of society. The prevalence and duration of breastfeeding is greatly influenced by social and cultural aspects. In large cities, for example, food is less than in the provinces. Often, medical staff are aware of the benefits of breast milk, but they are not always able to support the mother and help her correctly.

WHO has developed programs for hospitals to support breastfeeding, training courses for doctors, there is an excellent WHO / UNICEF initiative called "Baby-friendly hospital", but, unfortunately, this is very little used in Russia. Today there are many scientific research, but Russian recommendations are often based on or personal experience... About 90% of mothers are determined to feed by the time of birth, but not everyone manages to maintain this attitude when faced with the first difficulties and a large number of conflicting recommendations. Over the past few years, statistics on breastfeeding in Russia have not changed, everything remains at a low level.

How to start a homemade breast milk bank

The idea of ​​stocking your own milk is now very popular, many mothers ask specialists about it. If a nursing mother plans to occasionally or regularly leave the house, a so-called "milk bank" can be useful to preserve breastfeeding. This is a supply of frozen breast milk that will allow a dad or another relative who stays with the baby to feed him.

Photo: comzeal images / Shutterstock.com

Stock preparation: From the moment of lactation, express milk 1-2 times a day and freeze it in the freezer. Usually the morning time is good for collecting milk "in reserve" when the breasts are more full after the night, but you can choose another convenient time... You can give one breast to the baby, and express the milk from the other for storage.

Freezing and defrosting: It is advisable to freeze fresh milk as soon as possible after expressing. It is best to refrigerate it before freezing. It is most convenient to freeze in small portions, it can be different, from 40 to 80 ml. Before giving milk to the baby, it is enough to smoothly defrost the milk (at first it is advisable to move it to the refrigerator, you can overnight), and then warm it up in warm water. If time is short, a container with warm water or special heaters will do. But defrosting slowly in the refrigerator results in less fat loss.

Storage: For storage, special bags or containers made of safe plastic are suitable. The shelf life of breast milk is quite long - from 3 to 6 months in the freezer of a two-compartment refrigerator (-18 0 С). On the short term milk can not be frozen, but stored at room temperature (4-6 hours) or in the refrigerator (24-72 hours).

When expressing, it is important to practice good hand hygiene and handle the parts of your breast pump properly. According to many scientific studies, breast milk has a number of properties that protect it from bacterial contamination, allowing it to be stored for a long time. It practically does not lose its properties, with the exception of a slight decrease in the activity of some components.

When expressing is especially important

Modern mothers are active, they do not sit at home, and they do not always have the opportunity to take their baby with them and attach it to their breast. Then the breast pump helps out, which allows you to effectively collect breast milk. But this is not the only situation where pumping may be required. It is important for a mom who is preparing for GV to know in what cases it may be needed.

Popular earlier recommendation pumping after feeding "to the end" is a thing of the past. Modern guidelines prescribe to feed the baby on demand, according to a "free" schedule. By the end of the second or third week after childbirth (maximum by the fifth or sixth), lactation is established in full. The baby and mother adapt to each other, and the woman's body produces as much milk as the baby needs. A fairly stable supply-demand balance is formed.

However, there are times when you need to express your milk. For example, in the case premature birth the baby is born and feeds on expressed breast milk for some time before he can begin to actively suckle. A full-term baby also cannot always be fully fed from the breast, if difficult labor, operations are required, there are various pathologies, etc. Departments of intensive care, surgery and pathology of newborns at the Center. Kulakov are equipped with special pumping rooms, and the ability to express breast milk is a real salvation for mothers of such babies.

Mothers of healthy babies also need to express milk, for example, in the first days after childbirth, when milk "comes". Often women experience discomfort: the breasts are very full, and it is more difficult for the baby to cope. Additional pumping is indispensable even in case of separation after childbirth. Then the breast pump in combination with gentle massage allows you to quickly establish lactation. Breast pumps are becoming more and more modern - they do not injure the breast, they allow you to collect milk directly in a bottle or storage container. Now moms can choose between simpler, but functional manual breast pumps and electronic, imitating the natural sucking process of a baby. These devices include, for example, the Philips Avent Ultra Comfort breast pump, based on research on the physiology of a baby's sucking. When establishing breastfeeding, it is important for a mother to believe in herself and not be afraid of difficulties, seek support and help, and read more about breastfeeding before childbirth. This process is very flexible, and there are no irreversible situations or deadlocks. There is almost always a chance to establish exclusive breastfeeding, even in difficult cases.