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7. Breastmilk Storage: An alternate for Breastfeeding

On World Breasting Week, Mrs. Joyce Jayaseelan, Lactation Consultant, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, shares tips on Breast milk storage. A mother waits for 9 months to hold the bundle of joy in her arms, she decides everything beforehand, the clothes, the pram and even the colour of the bedroom. But it doesn't end here, the mother becomes more responsible and starts creating her own environment where she can keep the baby protected and safe. To begin with, the safest and healthiest food for a baby is the mother’s milk.   A newborn should be breastfed within an hour of delivery. It is not only good for the baby but can also improve the bond between the baby and the mother, and increase the confidence as a parent. It creates an emotional and skin-to-skin contact between the little one and the mother.   For the first six months, only exclusive breastfeeding is required, no other food is recommended but for the new age women who are hooked up with household chores and their careers, they face difficulty in feeding enough breast milk to their baby so many of them opt for formula milk which does not give the same protection against infection as breast milk. Babies who are fed formula milk have high risk of diarrhea and lung infections. Stored breast milk is another option that a mother can use to feed the baby when she is not around.  What is stored breast milk?  It is hand expression or pumped breast milk, which is fed to baby when the mother is not around. If you are a working woman, or you are heading out for some work, or you just want to get some sleep after a stressful day, you can express your breast milk and store it in a cup or bottle for your baby. However, use a spoon or a palada while feeding the baby. In this case the baby will not miss on any nutrient as breast milk is much healthier than any type of formula. But good hygiene is the vital concern one should maintain to ensure that the stored milk is safe for the baby. It is the best way to keep at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours as mentioned by WHO.    Here are some tips to keep the stored breast milk clean and safe; Breast milk preferably should be refrigerated. A freshly pumped one has best bacteria-fighting properties and is high in antioxidants, vitamins and fat than the milk that has been refrigerated or frozen.

• Refrigerate the breast milk as soon as it is removed or expressed.
• Store the milk in a clean bottle made from BPA(bisphenol A) free materials. 
• Small amount of expressed milk can be added to already refrigerated container, but the milk you want to add should be cooled in the fridge beforehand. 
• Do not add room temperature breast milk to already cooled milk.
• Do not keep it in the fridge door or in the place where it is less cooler. Keep the expressed milk in the coolest place in the fridge. 

How to store expressed breast milk in the freezer 

• Check the container of the milk thoroughly such as glass it they have any crack and storing bags if they are freezing proof. 
• As the expressed milk expands after freezing do not overfill the bottles or storage bags. 
• Store the expressed milk at the back of the freezer where the temperature is most consistent. 

How to use the frozen breast milk  

• Take out the stored breast milk bottle or the bag from the freezer.  
• Hold the container under cold running water.
• Increase the temperature of the running water.
• Keep it at room temperature until is turns into liquid form.   
• Luke warm the breast milk before feeding to the baby.
• Thawed breast milk should be fed to the baby within two hours. 
• Do not freeze the breast milk once it is thawed. 
• Also, shake well before giving it to the baby.

  Make sure you wash the stored breast milk container or bag with soap. Do not use plastic bottles to store milk that is used for normal household use. The bottle should be sterilised and dried thoroughly before every use. These measures are to be followed every time you store the expressed breast milk or remove the expressed milk from the freezer.         Loving the baby and providing the best to him/her is all that a mother desires. For the all the working mothers, breast milk storage is the best way to still provide her child with all the nutritional needs even when they are away from home.   This article is authored by Mrs. Joyce Jayaseelan, Lactation Consultant, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road. These opinions are of the author’s and does not reflect GlobalSpa’s views.