If you are a nursing mother and intend to resume work, storing milk can prove to be really helpful. This means pumping and freezing breast milk for later use. All you need is a breast pump and a refrigerator.
Follow the steps below to learn how you can build up your breast milk storage:
Start Several weeks in advance
Start pumping milk 3 to 4 weeks before you resume work. If you’re breastfeeding exclusively on-demand, you should invest more time to accommodate the additional pumping. A working mother typically misses about three breast-feedings every day. So, make sure you pump enough
Schedule morning and evening sessions
You will often experience milk supply early in the morning. There is still some milk left after feeding the baby first thing in the morning. If a baby has a set sleep routine, pump on one side before the baby wakes up and then nurse on the other side. Even though it may feel like milk supply is low in the evening. Adding an evening pumping session will increase supply rapidly. Remember to pump the breasts for 20 minutes, even if milk does not come out. Don’t keep pumping to get used to the schedule
Storing milk
Milk should be stored in a freezer bag or a freezer baby bottle, 30-120 ml per container. All packets should be marked by date and the oldest should be stored at the top.
You can combine milk from multiple feeds, provided they are within a 24-hour window period.
Do not freeze breast milk for more than 6 months.
Stored milk can be thawed before use by running hot water over the freezer pack/bottle until it reaches room temperature. It is important not to heat the thawed milk or you use it within the next 24 hours.