Author: kids
Date: 1/14/2019
If it weren't for the need, who would bother to store breast milk? Breast milk is the most natural, safe, and complete natural food for infant growth, containing all the nutrients and antibodies an infant needs. However, many mothers may need to go back to work or have too much milk, or in cases where newborns have high jaundice or illness requiring hospitalization, and the mother cannot leave the house due to postpartum confinement. These situations can be managed by expressing and storing breast milk to continue feeding, but storing breast milk is not easy! **To ensure precious breast milk is not wasted, store it using scientific methods — don't let incorrect methods ruin your baby’s precious food supply.** **Reasons for storing breast milk** 1. Some mothers experience painful engorgement, and their babies are not yet ready to feed, so they must express and store the milk to relieve the discomfort. 2. Pregnant women with strong lactation reflexes may involuntarily leak milk upon seeing their babies, so they must express and store it. 3. Mothers with abundant milk flow and rapid let-down may risk choking their babies during feeding, so they must express and store it. 4. Working mothers, due to travel or other reasons, cannot feed their babies immediately, so they must express and store the milk. **Breast milk storage at room temperature:** Colostrum (milk expressed within 6 days after childbirth): can be stored at 27–32°C for 12 hours. Mature milk (milk expressed after 6 days postpartum): can be stored at 15°C for 24 hours; at 19–22°C for 10 hours; at 25°C for 6 hours. **Stored breast milk will decompose, forming two layers — water and fat — appearing slightly blue, yellow, or brown — all normal. Before feeding, mothers must shake the milk thoroughly to mix the layers together.** **Scientific breast milk storage methods** **1. Prepare in advance — adjust feeding schedule and accumulate milk** Mothers should start preparing 1–2 weeks before returning to work. Adjust the baby’s feeding schedule according to the mother’s work schedule, giving the baby time to adapt. If the workplace is nearby, feed the baby fully before work, feed once during lunch break, feed again after work, and add several nighttime feedings to meet the baby’s needs. If the workplace is far, mothers can pre-express and store milk, have family members feed the baby 1–2 times, and feed again after returning home at night. It is recommended to pre-express 1–2 weeks’ worth of milk and store it in containers for freezing or refrigeration. Use a good breast pump to quickly and conveniently collect breast milk **2. Practical operation — tools, storage, thawing** **Prepare tools:**Prepare a breast pump and storage containers — preferably use plastic containers suitable for freezing and well-sealed, such as breast milk storage bags; secondarily, glass containers; avoid metal containers, as active factors in breast milk may adhere to glass or metal, reducing the nutritional value of breast milk. **Expressing milk:**You can express milk the day before work or before work, and label the container with the date and time of expression. This helps you clearly understand the storage duration of the milk, avoiding contamination or expiration leading to bacterial growth and digestive diseases. Even if you're busy, mothers should ensure they express milk every 3 hours to effectively prevent engorgement and reduce milk supply, allowing breastfeeding to continue smoothly. The expressed milk can also be stored for the baby to consume, relieving concerns about not having enough milk. If your workplace lacks refrigeration, prepare a mini refrigerator to temporarily store the milk, and return home promptly to feed the baby or refrigerate it immediately. **Storing:**Containers for storing breast milk should leave some space — do not fill them too full or seal them too tightly — to prevent bursting due to freezing and ice formation. It is best to divide the milk into small portions (60–120 ml) for freezing or refrigeration, making it convenient for family members or nannies to feed the baby according to his/her intake, avoiding waste. Label each container with the date. **Thawing:**When thawing frozen milk, first rinse the sealed bag with cold water, gradually add hot water until the milk is completely thawed and warmed to an appropriate feeding temperature, or place it in the refrigerator to thaw slowly. Do not directly heat the milk using a stove or microwave, as this will destroy the nutrients in breast milk. After thawing, you can directly pour the milk into a baby bottle for feeding. Thawed milk must be consumed within 24 hours and should not be refrozen. It is best not to feed leftover milk to babies. The storage duration should be adjusted according to specific circumstances; in summer, at room temperature, milk generally spoils within 2 hours. **This breast milk cannot be fed to babies:** 1. Any leftover milk after feeding should be discarded and not reused; 2. Any breast milk that has turned sour should be discarded; 3. Thawed and warmed milk that has been left out for more than 2 hours should be discarded. #母乳喂养注意啥