Frozen breast milk is the opportunity for mother to go off on business, but do not deprive the baby of the most nutritious and right food for his age. Especially the actual frost of milk can be for a working mother, or mother, who often goes away on business trips. Even if you just sometimes go to a store or a cafe, frozen milk can come in handy. The main thing is to know how to properly collect and store it.
How do I express breast milk for freezing?
If you plan to freeze 1-2 packets of milk just in case, then you can express your hands in moments of tidal milk, you can additionally drink more liquid to quickly express the required amount of milk. Before decanting, it is necessary to hold the breast toilet, as well as wash your hands thoroughly. If you use disposable sterile bags, then you do not need to prepare them. If you reuse cups for freezing, then they must be sterilized. Milk can not be filled up to the top edge of the glass or package, it is necessary to leave 1-2 centimeters, as the liquid will expand during freezing. If you want to freeze a sufficient supply of milk, or regularly express milk for a baby, it is better to purchase a manual or electric breast pump.
Breast milk storage bags
For freezing, special packages for collecting breast milk are most suitable. They have a number of important advantages:
- Packages do not take up much space in the freezer, thanks to their compact size;
- Packages are sterile, so you do not need to boil them to collect milk;
- packages have special incisions that allow you to estimate the volume of milk;
- on the bags you can write with a conventional pen, so you can easily put the date of collection of milk;
- packages can be easily used both for milk collection and for subsequent defrosting and feeding.
However, today not only packages for freezing breast milk are available to mothers, but also special containers that also have a number of advantages, but differ, in fact, only in their form. They can be used several times, however they require sterilization. In addition, they occupy more space in the freezer, which must be taken into account when buying. Some containers can be connected directly to the breast pumps, which also makes pumping easier and more convenient.
Packages for breast milk - shelf life in the freezer
Using disposable packages for breast milk, remember the shelf life of milk in the freezer. If you store the milk in a separate freezer in a normal compartment, then you can store it for up to three months, if your refrigerator has a special compartment for deep freezing, which keeps the temperature down to -20 degrees, then you can store milk in it for up to 6 months. Packages must necessarily be marked - put a date when you collected and frozen milk. This will allow you to monitor the validity
Freezing breast milk, especially if you have a lot of milk, and often there are hot flashes - is an opportunity to make a milk supply in case of emergency, when you, for example, have to go on business or, for example, start taking medications that are not compatible with breastfeeding. This will provide the baby with useful milk, and you will perform the necessary tasks. In addition, milk freezing is an opportunity for a working mom to keep lactation and enjoy the usual feeding of the baby in the evening and on weekends.