Maternity leave is coming to an end. The mother's work place is far away from home and cannot breastfeed the baby in time. Mothers have to become breastfeeding mothers and prepare breast milk for their babies in advance. But sometimes breast milk is expressed, stored, heated, and finally consumed by the baby. The wrong operation of any one step may lead to a decline in the quality of breast milk, which not only fails to provide adequate nutrition to the baby, but also makes the baby sick. Therefore, how to preserve breast milk has become a compulsory course for every nursing mother. Next, let me take a look at how to store breast milk correctly and what to pay attention to.

1. Storage of breast milk at room temperature

Breast milk storage method: The normal temperature should be below 25°, the highest should not exceed 29°, and the best time is 4 hours. Breastmilk for 6-8 hours at a lower room temperature is acceptable if the milking process and the place where breastmilk is stored is clean and hygienic, but if breastmilk is not needed during this time, it is best to refrigerate or freeze it.

Note: Breast milk at room temperature should be covered. If necessary, wrap the bottle in a damp towel to reduce the temperature.

2. Refrigeration of breast milk in the refrigerator

Breast milk storage method: In the refrigerator, the temperature is ≤4°, 4 days is the best, and 5-8 days is acceptable under very clean conditions.

Precautions: Do not put breast milk on the refrigerator door, but deep in the refrigerator; try not to put too many other foods in the refrigerator layer where breast milk is stored; the container for storing breast milk should be sealed to avoid contamination .

3. Freezing of breast milk in the refrigerator

Breast milk storage method: Most families use refrigerators with independent door freezers, the temperature is ≤-18°, and the best time is within 6 months. If it is an independent freezer, the temperature is ≤-20°, and the time can be up to 12 months.

Precautions: Frozen breast milk should be stored in the back of the refrigerator to avoid warming due to frequent opening of the freezer door, and should be kept away from the heater of the automatic defrosting freezer. Containers for storing milk should be sealed to avoid contamination. Do not overfill the milk storage bag, leaving room for the milk to expand after freezing. Do not use glass bottles to prevent freeze cracking. It is generally recommended that 60-90ml/pack be stored separately to avoid waste. You can also store some 30-60ml/bag of breast milk for emergencies. Note: If breast milk is frozen for too long, the fat and protein in the milk will decrease, and the immune cells will break down. If the amount of breast milk is relatively large, it is best to throw away the breast milk that has been too long and give the baby fresher breast milk.

4. Use an ice pack Breast milk storage

Breast milk storage method: Breast milk can be stored in insulated ice packs for 24 hours.

Note: Many guidelines do not clearly state the temperature in the ice pack. Guidelines from the American Society for Lactation Medicine say that studies have found ice packs below 15 degrees to be safe for breast milk for 24 hours. Of course, it would be better if the temperature inside the ice pack could be kept as low as possible. Choose an ice pack with good thermal insulation, minimize the number of times you open the ice pack, and keep the ice pack in a cool place. The blue ice in the ice pack should be frozen in advance, and try to keep the bottle in contact with the blue ice (such as wrapping the bottle with two pieces of blue ice).

5. As long as the refrigerated breast milk does not exceed the storage time, it can be transferred to freezing, but if breast milk cannot be eaten in a short period of time, it is recommended to freeze it as soon as possible.

6. Storage of breast milk expressed multiple times

Yes, milk expressed at different times can be mixed together. However, it should be noted that if the breast milk is expressed on different days, the storage date should be calculated according to the earliest milk expressed.

Note: It is not recommended to add freshly expressed milk to refrigerated or frozen milk, it is better to wait until the milk is at the same temperature before mixing.