Mother’s milk is very important for the overall development of the child, not only this, it also protects the child from many diseases. But nowadays it is not possible for working mothers to breastfeed their child full time. However, after knowing the benefits of breastfeeding, every mother would like to feed her own milk to her child and this is now possible with the help of breast pump.
Breast pump is an effective way by which you can store breast milk for your little one. Many times, when you are not able to breastfeed your baby directly, in such a situation a breast pump proves to be very helpful.
If you want to use a breast pump, it would be better for you to start practicing with it a few weeks in advance so that your baby can easily learn to drink milk from the bottle. There are many benefits of a breast pump, by using it you can easily feed your baby breast milk. If you are not present at home, a family member or the child’s caretaker can provide your milk to the child with the help of a bottle.
We know that many questions might be arising in your mind and even if it is so, after all the question is about the health of your child. We will answer all your questions through this article. So let us know in detail about breast pumps and storing breast milk.
1. For how long can expressed breast milk be stored?
2. How to warm frozen breast milk
3. What is the right temperature for breast milk?
4. Things to keep in mind while using expressed milk for children
1. For how long can expressed breast milk be stored?
Expressed breast milk can be stored in a feeding bottle made of glass or plastic.
Make sure to close the lid of the bottle properly so that the milk remains completely fresh. Most breast pumps are available with a storage container. You can also use plastic bags because such bags are specially made for storing milk.
Once you express milk from your breast, then after a certain period of time you can feed this milk to your baby. If this breast milk is kept at room temperature, it will remain fresh for at least 6 to 8 hours.
You can feed your baby fresh milk (if stored in the main part of the refrigerator) within five days.
Another good option for storing breast milk is to store it in the freezer. In such cases, milk can be stored frozen for at least two weeks. If your freezer compartment has a separate door, milk can be stored in it for at least three months and in a deep freezer (-4 degrees Fahrenheit) the milk will remain good for up to 6 months.
However, some doctors forbid using the milk left in the bottle after feeding the baby. Some doctors consider such milk to be safe because it is properly refrigerated and can be used within the next four hours.
2. How to warm frozen breast milk
The method we will tell you to melt and heat stored milk is completely safe for newborns or children. If your baby is premature and has a weak immune system, then it would be better to get information about storing and using breast milk from your doctor.
You can defrost milk inside the refrigerator. For this, take out the milk from the freezer and keep it in the main place of the fridge for some time or you can also melt the milk by keeping it in a bowl filled with hot water. Do not use the microwave even by mistake or keep milk in water while it is on the gas. This will cause the milk to overheat and may even get spoiled.
Once the milk is defrosted, you can heat it till room temperature or body temperature. If you want to warm your breast milk, then keep it in a bowl filled with hot water for a few minutes. Another option is to hold the milk over water while opening it for some time.
When you store milk, it gets separated into many layers. Once you defrost or heat the milk, stir it slowly so that all the layers get mixed together before feeding it to the baby.
Before feeding breast milk to your baby, it is important to check the temperature of the milk properly. For this you can try putting a few drops of milk on your wrist. You will know whether the milk is lukewarm or at room temperature. This means that the milk should neither be too hot nor too cold.
3. What is the right temperature for breast milk?
One thing that should be kept in mind is that when breast milk is heated, its entire nutritional value should be preserved. Therefore over heating should not be done. You should warm the breast milk to just below 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), which will be like lukewarm water, not very hot.
4. Keep these things in mind while using expressed milk for children
Be sure to tell your baby’s caretaker how you are warming your breast milk. You should explain to them well that the milk should be lukewarm and not hot.
Whenever you put the milk from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw it for feeding your baby, try to let it defrost on its own. But, if you need milk immediately and you only have frozen milk, then the best option is to keep the milk in a bowl of hot water.
When you express your breast milk for storage, first wash your hands thoroughly. Follow the instructions given properly for cleaning the pump. If you want to give expressed milk to your child, then you will have to take special care of cleanliness. Clean the breast pump and the container you are using for milk properly so that your baby does not get any kind of infection.