Keeping Mom’s Milk Fresh and Safe
There are a great variety of ways to store breast milk for your baby – from bottles to freezer bags and ice cube trays, it’s becoming easier these days to pump and store your milk so that your baby can still enjoy the benefits of your breast milk even when you can’t be there. It is best to store breast milk in tightly lid glass or plastic bottles to reduce the risk of contamination. You can also use storage bags but occasionally milk sticks in the sides or the bag gets torn when storing milk in the freezer. Remember: all equipment and paraphernalia used in the collection and storage of your breast milk should be properly cleaned and sterilized. Here are some pointers on how to store breast milk more efficiently:
Breast milk should always be stored in storage bottles that can be tightly sealed.
Make sure that the bottles are properly sanitized and sterilized before pouring breast milk.
Don’t over-store. Store only the amount that your baby requires for the duration needed so that milk is not wasted.
The breast milk should not be kept more than 6 hours in room temperature, more than 6 hours in the refrigerator, and six months in standard freezers.
Breast Milk Storage Containers and Bottles
You can effectively store breast milk in bottles that fit directly and snugly on the breast pump that you use. When you finish pumping breast milk from your breasts to the storage bottle, remove the pumping tubes, and then cover the bottles with tight fitting lids. Label the bottles and put them safely in the fridge.
Selecting the Breast Milk Storage Bottles
There’s a plethora of breast milk bottles that you can choose from out there. Select the bottles that will best serve your purpose. Bottles made from glass, stainless steel or plastic are readily available in the market. When selecting breast milk storage bottles, you have to consider how long you intend to store the milk. If you are looking into buying the bottle liners, which are disposable, you may need additional protection to prevent leaking and possible contamination. If you want to store the milk in harder containers, your best option is the glass storage bottle or container. Glass is the least absorbent among the choices because it allows the milk to expand when frozen; thus provide maximum protection.
Plastic Bottles versus Glass bottles
Numerous research and study have been conducted to find out which of the breast milk storage bottles are best – glass or plastic. Most of these studies lay claim to the theory that glass bottles are better for storing breast milk because they provide utmost protection from any conceivable contamination. Next to glass bottles, sturdy plastic bottles follow closely. The third choice are frosted hard plastic bottles.