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Breastmilk is love turned into food

Writer's picture: Bianca TronchinBianca Tronchin

Updated: Aug 16, 2024




Sterilizing, Storing and Feeding


Introduction

Mother's milk is a living fluid, containing a range of germ-killing substances, healthy bacteria, antibodies, white blood cells, antimicrobials, cell wall protectors, and proteins that offer protection against bacteria and viruses. You don’t need a lot of breast milk to help your baby stay healthy – every teaspoon of breast milk has 3 million germ-killing cells in it. Babies have tiny tummies, and breast milk is digested quickly, so a newborn needs to breastfeed at least 8 to 12 times in 24 hours.


Tip:

Collect colostrum (the first milk) by syringe in hospital or at home. When more milk becomes available,

you can use a sterilized jar with a screw-on lid, or breastmilk storage bags. Label the container with the baby's name, date, and time of collection. Protect breast milk from sunlight and phototherapy treatment.


Storage Times for Freshly Expressed Breast Milk:

Room Temperature: Breast milk remains stable for up to 4 hours at 25°C or lower. It’s best to transfer it to a cool place, such as a refrigerator.

Refrigerator: Milk may be stored for up to 4 days at 4°C or lower. If not required immediately, freeze it within 48 hours.

Freezer: Milk can be stored for 3 months in a freezer compartment of a fridge/freezer or 6 months in a chest freezer at a constant -18°C. Store it toward the back of the fridge or freezer for the coldest and most consistent temperature.

Thawed Milk in Refrigerator: Use within 24 hours, then discard any remaining milk.

Reheated Milk: Use immediately for feeding. Discard any unused milk that has been reheated.

Fortified Milk: If the breast milk has had fortifiers added (e.g., for premature infants), use it immediately if possible or within 24 hours.

Milk Separation: Breast milk is not homogenized, so fat will separate. Swirl gently to mix.

Adding Fresh Milk to Stored Milk: Never add fresh warm breast milk to cold or frozen milk. First, chill the milk to be added.

Warming Breast Milk: Stand the container in warm water to warm breast milk. Do not use boiling water, as this will curdle the milk and destroy its anti-infective properties.

The water temperature should be around 36°C to warm the breast milk to 36°C.

Thawing Frozen Breast Milk: Thaw frozen breast milk by placing it in the refrigerator for several hours or standing it in warm water, changing the water several times to maintain warmth.


Note: Never use a microwave to heat breast milk, as it destroys immunological properties, some vitamins, and can cause uneven heating, leading to scalding.


Feeding Baby Expressed Breast Milk:

When feeding a baby, they should be held with their head and shoulders up. They should not be fed while they are lying flat and never prop your baby's bottle. As this can lead to choking. Some options to feed expressed breastmilk to your baby, use a sterilized infant feeding bottle, syringe, spoon or a small cup. Gently swirl the warmed milk, and test the temperature on your wrist, it needs to feel warm, before feeding it to your baby.


Transporting Breast Milk:

Use an insulated container, with an ice pack, to transport expressed milk. If some milk has thawed it needs to be used within 4 hours - do not refreeze it.


Cleaning and Sterilizing Equipment:

Wash your hands before handling any equipment used for storing, feeding, or expressing breast milk. Wash each piece that comes into contact with breast milk in warm soapy water, rinse all parts under cold water, use a clean bottle brush to clean inside containers and bottles.

Tip: Rub teats inside with salt to remove milk traces, then rinse well.

Sterilize plastic containers, feeding, or expressing equipment in sterilizing solution (e.g., Milton's) for 1 hour, sterilizing tablets and solutions are available from pharmacies and supermarkets. Sterilizing solutions can be used for up to 24 hours before needing replacement. (Follow the manufacturer's instructions to prepare the correct strength and soak for the recommended time).

Tip: Another option is to purchase a UV sterilizer machine to sterilize, dry and store baby's bottles, dummy's and pump parts.



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