It’s no surprise that breast milk is the best food to help your baby to grow and develop. It is custom made by each mother for her own baby, and contains the perfect amount of protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins and minerals. According to many researches, breast milk is so important that it is the only food or drink your baby needs for the first 6 months of his life. The World Health Organization (WHO) officially recommends mothers breastfeed until three years of age. (Yes, you did read that right!) Even the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends mothers should breastfeed “at least until one year of age and then as long as baby and mother mutually want to.
But if a mom has to rejoin office or has to travel due to some professional commitments, it becomes very difficult to feed or provide breast milk to baby. Especially if the mom wants to continue to breastfeed. In such scenario, its always beneficial to get into the routine of expressing and storing your breastmilk 2 weeks in advance. This will not only keep your milk supply up, but your baby can continue to get the benefits of your milk from the stored one, even when you’re not with him. And when you travel, then too take the breast pump and bottles along with you and keep up the pumping and storing.
Below are the some tips to store breast milk:
Where to Store
Use sterilized containers . Hard-sided plastic or glass containers with well-fitting tops. It’s important to label and write date on that container. There are many containers such as BPA Free containers, milk bags that are specifically designed for storing breast milk are available in market
Cleanliness
Ensure your breast pump is clean. Wash the parts in hot, soapy water, and rinse them thoroughly before sterilizing. It’s also important to wash your hands before handling breast milk.
How to Store
Cool down the breast milk you pump as soon as possible. You can store it in a refrigerator or in a cooler with ice packs. The milk can also be frozen if you aren’t going to use it right away.
Quantity
Store breast milk in amounts that you use for a normal feeding. Breast milk can’t be re-freeze again, so it’s important to store around 150 ml to 300ml per bottle.
Duration
How you store your breastmilk depends on how soon you want to use it. If you plan to use it within a few days, refrigerating is better than freezing. Freezing destroys some of the substances in your milk that fight infection.
Ensure Extra care
While storing the milk, ensure that containers or bags should not be filled to the top – leave at least one inch of space to allow the milk to expand as it freezes. Label the storage container with baby name and date if your baby is in a group day care setting. You can warm the breast milk by placing the sealed bottle or bag in a bowl of warm water before giving it to baby.
Breast milk provides the ideal nutrition for infants. It has a nearly perfect mix of vitamins, protein, and fat — everything your baby needs to grow. Hence, if you have got the option of storing breast milk, better take it to provide full nutrition to baby. And ensure a healthy diet with food items like these to increase breast milk supply, wherever you go on a business travel or office.
