During breastfeeding, many young mothers face such problems:
- the child refuses to suckle;
- It is necessary to leave often, that does not allow to observe a mode of feeding;
- they are forced to go to work and leave the baby with a nanny.
All these circumstances lead to a search for a solution to the problem: is it possible to store breast milk?
Storage of expressed breast milk
How to store breast milk? In order to preserve expressed breast milk, which can later be fed to the child, you must choose the suitable container for this. The main criteria for choosing it: it must be made of a safe material that fits all the requirements for storing baby food, must be sterile and tightly closed.
In general, there are no particular problems with finding a suitable container for storing expressed milk. On free sale there are special containers of medical polypropylene and packages for breast milk. Special packages are already sterile, unlike polypropylene containers do not require additional sterilization. For both types of breast milk containers, it is possible to mark the date and time of decantation. It is necessary to do this without fail.
How much breast milk can be stored?
Often young moms have a question, but how much breastmilk is stored? First of all, the answer to it depends on the selected storage conditions. If you store breast milk at room temperature, which will be in the range from 19 ° C to 22 ° C, then it can be used for feeding only for ten hours after the moment of decantation. Accordingly, if the temperature in the room is higher, then the possible storage time is reduced to six hours, but provided that the temperature does not exceed 26 ° C.
Shelf life of breast milk in the refrigerator varies from four to eight days. It also depends on the temperature regime supported by the refrigerator, which should be in the range of 0 ° C to 4 ° C.
The conclusion is this: how much to store breast milk is determined in accordance with the conditions in which it is located.
Storage of breast milk in the refrigerator
Keep breast milk in the refrigerator should be guided by certain rules. Do not place it on the shelves that are located on the refrigerator door. Place in the refrigerator containers with a portion of milk for one feeding the baby. Do not send freshly expressed milk to the refrigerator, before it needs to be cooled.
To preserve breast milk, it is not necessary to use a conventional refrigerator. You can adapt a refrigerator bag or a thermos for this purpose, having previously laid ice in it. Only when using such refrigerators should you be convinced of the possibility of maintaining the necessary temperature during the entire storage period.
How to freeze breast milk?
Frozen milk is frozen if there is a need for very long storage. This method of storage can be resorted to in the event of unforeseen situations: the departure of a mother for a long time or her illness.
Many specialists are very skeptical about freezing breastmilk, arguing this by the fact that it
Frozen breast milk can be stored for up to six months in a separate freezer with a constant temperature regime of at least -18 ° C. If this is a normal freezer in the refrigerator, but with a separate door, the possible shelf life will be reduced to two months. And provided that the freezer does not have its own door in the refrigerator, you can store milk for no more than two weeks.
If you have a need to store breast milk, then do it in accordance with all the recommendations.