Proper Handling and Storage of Human MilkBy following safe preparation and storage techniques, nursing mothers and caretakers of breastfed infants and children can maintain the high quality of expressed breast milk and the health of the baby.
Safely Preparing And Storing Expressed Breast Milk
Safely Preparing And Storing Expressed Breast Milk
- Be sure to wash your hands before expressing or handling breast milk.
- When collecting milk, be sure to store it in clean containers, such as screw cap bottles, hard plastic cups with tight caps, or heavy-duty bags that fit directly into nursery bottles. Avoid using ordinary plastic storage bags or formula bottle bags, as these could easily leak or spill.
- If delivering breast milk to a child care provider, clearly label the container with the child's name and date.
- Clearly label the milk with the date it was expressed to facilitate using the oldest milk first.
- Do not add fresh milk to already frozen milk within a storage container. It is best not to mix the two.
- Do not save milk from a used bottle for use at another feeding.
- As time permits, thaw frozen breast milk by transferring it to the refrigerator for thawing or by swirling it in a bowl of warm water.
- Avoid using a microwave oven to thaw or heat bottles of breast milk
- Microwave ovens do not heat liquids evenly. Uneven heating could easily scald a baby or damage the milk
- Bottles may explode if left in the microwave too long.
- Excess heat can destroy the nutrient quality of the expressed milk.
- Do not re-freeze breast milk once it has been thawed.
The best options for storing human milk:
- are glass or hard-sided plastic containers with well-fitting tops
- containers not made with the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA)
- are containers which have been washed in hot, soapy, water, rinsed well, and allowed to air-dry before use
- containers should not be filled to the top - leave an inch of space to allow the milk to expand as it freezes
- freezer milk bags that are designed for storing human milk
- put only 60 to 120 ml (two to four ounces) of milk in the container (the amount your baby is likely to eat in a single feeding) to avoid waste