"Breastmilk is the normal food for babies; God designed babies to need breastmilk. Breastfeeding helps them to grow strong physically and emotionally. "

I noticed that I never write before how I store my excess breastmilk after latching on and when I started going back for my work and the rules when come to giving expressed breastmilk. And will like to share what I enforce when I breastfeeding my girl. And like to share it with my friends. Those experience mommy or professional, do correct me if I am wrong. Or do share with me your opinion or what other impt thing I have missed out. Thanks!

I make sure the proper way of storing and handling breastmilk.
1. warming up the breastmilk
- cannot heat the breastmilk till very hot, it will destroy all the vitamin in the breastmilk though the antibodies is still there.

2. storing the breastmilk
- store it in clean and sterile bottles with screw caps, hard plastic cups that have tight caps, or nursing bags (pre-sterilized bags meant for breast milkair tight)
-Make sure the fridge and freezer is always clean, free from meat.
-Milk from different days or pumping sessions may be combined; the milk should be cooled in the refrigerator before it is combined. Milk that is warm or refrigerated should not be added to frozen milk. The milk should be labeled with the date the oldest milk was pumped. The oldest milk should be used first.

You can store it at room temperature:
- for i think up to 4 hours (at no warmer than 77 degrees Fahrenheit, or 25 degrees Celsius) for freshly pumped milk only.
I never keep the breastmilk in room temperature for so long before. Once pumped I will keep in the fridge or freezer immediately if not let my girl consume immediately.

You can store it in the refrigerator:
- I only stored in fridge for up to 48 hours at 32 to 39 degrees Fahrenheit (0 to 4 degrees Celsius)

You can store it in the freezer (be sure to leave about an inch of space at the top of the container or bottle to allow for expansion of the milk when it freezes):
I read that it can be stored
- for up to 2 weeks in a freezer compartment located inside the refrigerator

- for 3 to 4 months in a freezer that's self-contained and connected on top of or on the side of the refrigerator (but be sure to store the milk in the back of the freezer, not in the door).
I am using this kind of freezer. But I suggested to store max 6 weeks

- for 6 months or more in a deep freezer that's always 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-17.8 degrees Celsius)

Don't freeze milk you plan to use within three to five days because freezing destroys some of the antibodies. (However, frozen breast milk is still healthier than formula.)

But in reality there are no absolute guidelines for breast milk storage. The many variables include the type of freezer you have and how well it works.

3. time to finish the milk upon warming up.
- Have to finish the breastmilk within 1 hour upon warming up.
- And don't save milk from a bottle that your baby already drank out of.
- If I thaw frozen milk, I will refrigerate it and use it within 24 hours, but do not refreeze it.

4. To help pumped milk stay fresh longer,
- wash your hands and breast before pumping
- make sure the pump and collection bottles are very clean. I sterilised after each use.
- Refrigerate or freeze it soon after pumping — it will spoil faster if you keep it at room temperature.

Things to take note, do avoid herb and medication while breastfeeding.

Extensive research, especially in recent years, documents diverse and compelling advantages to infants, mothers, families, and society from breastfeeding and the use of human milk for infant feeding. These include health, nutritional, immunologic, developmental, psychological, social, economic, and environmental benefits.
Human milk is uniquely superior for infant feeding and is species-specific; all substitute feeding options differ markedly from it. The breastfed infant is the reference or normative model against which all alternative feeding methods must be measured with regard to growth, health, development, and all other short- and long-term outcomes.
Epidemiologic research shows that human milk and breastfeeding of infants provide advantages with regard to general health, growth, and development, while significantly decreasing risk for a large number of acute and chronic diseases.

So do try to total breastfeeding for half a year and continue till at least 12 months.
Do support Breastfeeding just like me.

Labels: Breastfeeding