Breast Milk Storage Rules

Long gone are the days when you would have to be with your baby round the clock in order to breastfeed. Breastfeeding has become quite convenient these days due to the emergence of breast pumps. It permits a mother to give her baby the added benefits of a mother's milk even if she must work or go somewhere else.

A breast pump is a device designed to help you express milk to make breast milk easily available anytime for your child. There are many models to choose from in order to suit the needs of a modern working woman. One can choose from manual pumps to battery, or electric powered types. Females have various preferences, but whatever you choose is fine, for as long as it works in expressing your milk.

Though it will take only 15 to 20 minutes to pump milk, time should also be allocated in adequately storing it so that all the important nutrients will not be lost. To maintain its freshness, breast milk ought to be refrigerated immediately after pumping. If one can not do so, it is important to know as to how long it can last in the environment that you are in. In a cool environment of under 60 º F, breast milk can last up to 24 hours without refrigeration. If the temperature rises between 66 º and 72 º F, it can only remain fresh for 10 hours. Having said that, if temperatures go higher than 79 º F, your milk may only last for 4 to 6 hours. Ice packs are required at high temperatures in order to keep the milk fresh.

The quality of breast milk is finest when it is fresh. It is advisable that moms use only stored milk as a back-up option. If breast milk is frozen, it can lose up to about 40% of its immune components necessary to fight off diseases. A good amount to store in the fridge is a day's supply. If it is not possible, frozen milk still has far more added benefits as compared to commercial formula. Frozen milk can last to a number of months depending on where it is stored. If it is stored in the freezer door, it can only last to two weeks. However if it is stored in another compartment inside the freezer with a temperature of zero degrees, your milk can be kept from 3 to 6 months.

The right way to thaw breast milk is by permitting it to stand in the refrigerator, or by placing it on a bowl of warm water. Microwave ovens should certainly not be used to defrost milk simply because it can kill some of its nutrients, and it may only put your infant at risk for scalds. Breast milk is alsovery best stored in containers with tight fitting lids, nursery plastic bags or commercially available milk storage containers. Regular plastic bags and formula bags should in no way be used. It is also wise to store only an enough volume of milk in one container to decrease the chance of wastage. Two to four ounces is perfect simply because it may be enough for one serving. One can adjust the amount as your child will need a lot more milk after every month. Any remainder milk from a feeding should be discarded and by no means mixed with fresh ones or saved for a later feeding.

Many commercial formulas can be bought in the market, yet not one of them has ever matched the overall amount of nutrients that breast milk has. It may take more effort for a mom to continually breastfeed her child, but it is surely worth it because its health advantages can potentially be life saving.