Express and store breast milk

Expressing breast milk is usually done when a mother can not breastfeed directly. Could be because the mother is sick, need a break, she can not be with the baby because the mother had to go. For example, working in an office, There is a need to out of town. But she still wanted to get her baby the best nutrition from breast milk.There are two ways of expressing breast milk: 

  

1. Expressing breast milk by hand 

Support your breasts with one hand then massage from the top of the breast toward the nipple. Sort thoroughly, including the underside.

• Now, slowly press on the area behind the areola (the dark skin surrounding the nipple) between thumb and forefinger. 
• Pinch two fingers together and press toward the top of the nipple to remove your milk. Be careful, it can spray in all directions.

2. Expressing breast milk with a breast pump.

Breast pump can facilitate breastfeeding for mother blush unusual milking by hand. Breast pump there are 2 kinds of Breast pump manual and electric breast pump. Relax the muscles and ducts in the breast milk mother by placing a warm towel over the breasts or massage beforehand. Make sure the pump and bottle storage is clean and sterile before use. Milking breast milk, it should take 15-45 minutes and cause no pain. For more complete discussion of Breast pump , u can read my article about Manual Breast pump Vs Elektric Breast Pump.

Storing breast milk

• Containers / bottles to hold the milk must be clean and preferably sterile, use the bottle tightly with a lid made of plastic or heat resistant glass.
• We recommend using a bottle whose volume according to the needs of the baby for a drink, for example 125 ml.
• Breastmilk can survive in open air for 6-8 hours.
• In the refrigerator / freezer endurance of milk can be stored for 24 to 36 hours.
• In room freezer (freezer) milk can be stored up to 6 months.
• Whenever possible, store milk in the refrigerator the middle, or in the deepest part of the freezer, because these locations have cooler temperatures and constant.
• Do not store milk in a rack attached to the refrigerator door because the temperature in this place is easily changed when the door opened and closed.
• Label each container of breast milk with date and hour of expressed . Use principle of FIFO (First In First out )
• Do not fill a container full of milk containers, because the milk will expand when frozen. Leave approximately ¼ section blank.

There are several things you need to consider in storing breast milk:

• Keep in mind, which has been warmed milk should not be cooled again to be given to infants at the time of the next drink.
• Freezing a long time (more than 6 months) can alter the chemical composition of breast milk, such as the decomposition of some compounds occur in fat and loss of several compounds that function against harmful organisms. The risk of contamination is also high, if a sudden power outage so that fluid milk and frozen again.

How to handle the frozen milk

Soak the milk in hot water until melted completely. Check the temperature of the milk before giving to baby . After that, give breast milk as soon as possible.Keep in mind, do not thaw or warm breast milk in the microwave or direct heat on the fire because it can damage the nutritional content of breast milk. Because many important substances in breast milk will be destroyed.

If you are at home, feed the baby immediately.