I am a breast feeding mother but I will be returning to work next month. I want to continue giving breast milk to my baby, and need to know how I can go about doing that. Is it safe if I use a breast pump to store milk and use later? When should I start pumping and storing milk and for how long can I store it?
If you have decided to continue to breast feed your baby it is the best thing you can do. Breast pumps make it very easy for working and busy moms to safely pump and store milk to feed the baby at a later time. Stored breast milk can also be given to the baby by any one at home, like your nanny, baby sitter or spouse.
Breast pumps can be used to pump and store milk conveniently to use later on. If you plan to go back to work, you should start pumping 1 to 2 weeks before. This will let you get comfortable with using a breast pump, and will let your baby get used to taking pumped milk instead of breastfeeding. You should ideally pump milk between your baby’s feeding sessions to store it. During this time, you can also introduce your baby to drink breast milk from a bottle or feeder instead of from your breast.
Breast milk should always be stored in a plastic or glass bottle which is sealable. Sterile sealable bags can also be used. Each bottle which you intend to store should have milk enough for your baby’s feed, so that it is not wasted. Once you pump milk, you should move it to a cool place, preferably a refrigerator or a cooling bag. If you plan to store milk for a longer period of time, you should freeze it. Some general milk storing guidelines are given below:
- Breast milk can last between 4 to 8 hours at room temperature
- When stored at the back of the refrigerator, breast milk can last for 3 to 8 days
- Frozen breast milk can last up to 3 months at the back of the freezer
Make sure you label the bottles or bags in which you have stored breast milk, and use the oldest one always. Frozen breast milk should be moved to the refrigerator 1 day before you plan to use it. This will allow it to thaw naturally. Once thawed, you can use it for up to 24 hours. Breast milk once thawed should not be refrozen.
After removing from the refrigerator, you should bring the milk to room temperature, before feeding to the baby. You can swirl it in a container of warm water to bring it to room temperature. Remember, breast milk should never be heated or thawed in the microwave as it destroys the enzymes and proteins naturally present in human milk.