Mother's milk is the most useful source.nutrients and trace elements that the baby needs immediately after birth. That is why all pediatricians recommend feeding the child not with mixtures, but exclusively with breast milk. Of course, if there is such an opportunity.
There are situations when mum should leave onsome time and leave your child in the care of other family members or nannies. And for this you need to be able to decant and store milk in order to preserve all its beneficial properties.
How to store expressed breast milk?First of all, the tank for decanting should be used either glass or made of food grade plastic. In the modern world there are many special tanks for this purpose, which can be purchased with a breast pump. As a rule, they are produced by companies for the manufacture of products for mother and child.
Proper storage of expressed breast milkimplies full tightness. It is forbidden to use open containers or other devices for this. You can use special packages that are very convenient for pumping. Some mothers, leaving for a short period of time, freeze milk in ice bags for storage.
If you went to work, and the child is stilleats your milk, you can use a portable cooler bag for storage or freezers that are designed specifically for storing breast milk. Thus, you can decant it at any time and in any place you need.
Regarding how to store expressed breast milk, there are several practical tips:
- If the container contains expressed milk, it is not recommended to add new portions to it. Of course, this option is not excluded, however, it is better to use a new container for a new portion.
- Milk portions should be fractional (up to 100-120ml) So it is stored longer and better. If necessary, it is better to warm two portions. When storage is done in large volumes, the portion of liquid that is not eaten enough should be poured. And it is irrational.
- On each tank with milk, the date of expression should be indicated so that the person replacing the mother can quickly find out which portion to heat first.
- Defrosting can be done either in a water bath, or under running warm water, or the milk can be thawed at room temperature (if you are not in a hurry).
- It is forbidden to heat the milk in the microwave.
Sometimes, not knowing how to store the expressed breast milk, mothers start doing stupid things: choosing the wrong dishes, defrosting them incorrectly or storing them at high temperature.
There are certain temperature parameters that indicate how much expressed breast milk is stored in certain conditions:
- from 5 to 15 degrees - no more than a day;
- from 15 to 19 - no more than 9 hours;
- from 19 to 22 - no more than 11 hours;
- 25 degrees - about 5 hours;
- from 0 to 5 - 8 days
If you store milk in the freezer:
- Freezer with a separate door - about 4 months;
- Deep freeze freezer without refrigerator - six months or up to 8 months.
After defrosting milk can getspecific soap smell. This is not a bad thing, it can be eaten. If the acquired smell is sour, this product is spoiled and unsuitable for use. Also the heated milk can exfoliate. In this case, you just need to shake it up.
Milk can not often be heated or frozen. It may lose its properties or simply deteriorate.
Often, the milk after cooling takes on a specific shade: blue, yellowish or just pale. Such a change depends on its chemical properties and is therefore quite natural.
How to store expressed breast milk, and under whatconditions, each mother chooses independently. But be sure to remember that a child should receive a high-quality and balanced food product, which only mother's breast can provide with one hundred percent probability!
