We all, both nursing mothers and consultants, know that the current recommendations of the World Health Organization, based on numerous studies, state that breast milk is the best food to ensure the healthy growth and development of children.
But what should a mother do if she needs to interrupt her maternity leave and go to work, or undergo treatment and temporarily stop feeding - to wean and transfer to a mixture? It will be better if, with the help of the advice of a breastfeeding consultant, the mother makes an informed and balanced decision on how to act in her particular situation. For now, we can only consider general questions.
If you need to temporarily stop breastfeeding, you can make a supply of breast milk and feed your baby with pumped milk for a while. What is needed for this? Know how to express and store milk properly. Let's talk about storage.
Breast milk, even if not taken directly from the breast, continues to be the most healthy nutrition for the baby. How can breast milk be stored so that it brings maximum benefit? There are several ways to store breast milk: it can be stored at room temperature, it can be refrigerated, and it can be frozen. Depending on the method chosen, its shelf life and composition will change.
If you are going to use the expressed milk in the near future, then it can be stored even at room temperature. At a temperature of 16-26˚C, the ideal time for storing milk will be 3-4 hours. But this does not mean that after 4 hours the milk will deteriorate sharply and it will not be possible to consume it, its protective and antibacterial properties simply gradually decrease. In principle, expressed milk can be stored at room temperature for up to 6 hours (some sources say up to 8 hours).
If you want to use your expressed milk within a week, then freezing it is completely optional and even undesirable. It is better to store it in the main compartment of the refrigerator. One of the Belgian studies showed that in such milk there were significantly fewer pathogenic bacteria than immediately after pumping (!). According to the results of this study, scientists came to the conclusion that if milk is used within 7-8 days, then it should not be frozen, but kept chilled so that the cells (macrophages) that kill pathogenic bacteria begin to work. When frozen, unfortunately, these cells die. So, in the refrigerator in its main compartment at a temperature of 4 ° C, expressed milk can be stored for up to 8 days. This storage method is one of the most preferred for expressed milk. But when choosing this method, it is important to remember that milk must be stored in the refrigerator itself (preferably near the back wall), and not in the door!
In a conventional freezer at a temperature of -13-18˚ C, breast milk can be stored for up to 4 months. In a deep freezer with a constant temperature of -18˚-20˚C, expressed milk is stored for 6 months. and longer. Recall that before freezing milk, it is recommended to cool it in the main chamber of the refrigerator.
A container for storing milk (not freezing) can be anything: glass bottles, dense plastic containers or special bags for freezing milk. Regarding the choice of capacity, there are different opinions. Some experts prefer glass containers, and some prefer plastic ones, but among plastic ones, you need to choose healthy crumbs labeled "BPA free" and without phthalates, i.e. not polycarbonate. Although, if you do not express milk constantly, but from time to time, then the type of container is not so important.
And finally, a few more tips:
Never use a microwave oven to thaw expressed milk;
Before freezing, milk storage containers should not be filled to the top, but about a centimeter of space should be left, because milk tends to expand when frozen;
Be sure to wash your hands before you express;
Don't forget to label the container with the pumping date. For convenience, use containers with an earlier milk collection date first;
Once thawed and used, do not freeze breast milk again.
Summing up, I would like to once again draw your attention to the fact that you should not immediately resort to the use of artificial milk substitutes - mixtures, if you cannot breastfeed your baby for some time. It is better to consult a breastfeeding specialist, who will help you write down a suitable pumping pattern for you, tell you more about storing breast milk and possible ways feeding not from the breast. If possible, you can return to full breastfeeding, which will undoubtedly bring benefits and joy to you and your baby!
Khomenko Yuliya, GW Consultant, Expert of the ProGW Project, member of the JMP
Can breast milk be frozen?
In the life of a nursing mother, situations may occur when, for some reason, it is not possible to breastfeed the baby. For example, you need to leave for a while, undergo a course of treatment with drugs that are incompatible with breastfeeding. What to do? There is a way out: to feed the baby with expressed breast milk.
There are several storage options:
Without a refrigerator at a temperature of 16 - 18 degrees (about 4 hours);
In the general section of the refrigerator (up to 8 days);
In the freezer compartment (up to 4 months).
The choice of option depends on how long you will not be able to breastfeed your baby.
When expressed milk is in the freezer compartment, all nutrients are preserved, provided that a number of rules are followed during the freezing and thawing process.
How to freeze and thaw breast milk
Compliance with hygiene rules when pumping plays an important role in maintaining the quality of breast milk. Before pumping, it is necessary to sterilize the dishes where the milk will be poured (you can use glass, plastic containers). Also be sure to wash your hands, breasts and breast pump under running water.
You can express milk not at once, but for 2 to 4 hours. In between pumping, the container with the product must be placed in the refrigerator.
How to freeze breast milk
Before putting milk in the freezer, it must be cooled in the general section of the refrigerator. The container with food must be marked: sign the date and time of freezing. If there are several containers in the freezer, then milk with an earlier collection date will need to be used for feeding in the first place.
Fill the dishes where the milk will be frozen should not be filled to the brim. It is necessary to leave 1 - 2 cm to the top. This is because milk expands when frozen.
How to defrost breast milk
This is important: you cannot defrost breast milk in the microwave! This kills beneficial microorganisms. Milk cannot be refrozen.
When defrosting breast milk, the following rules must be observed:
Frozen milk should be taken out of the freezer 12 hours before the expected feeding.
Then the food must be put in the general compartment of the refrigerator until the product becomes liquid.
Before the feeding process, milk must be warmed to 36 - 37 degrees. This can be done using a special heating device. baby food. Another option is in the "water bath": required amount milk should be poured into a bottle and put in a saucepan with hot water for a few minutes.
If you freeze and thaw milk correctly, it will not lose its valuable properties.
Frozen mother's milk can be a solution to temporary problems. Don't go straight to artificial feeding if it is not possible to breastfeed the child. There is no good alternative to mother's milk.
There are many theories about how to freeze breast milk, and whether it can be done. But what do experts say about this and how scientific research is confirmed by the practice of nursing mothers?
What to do if the expressed milk needs to prolong the life
Many are familiar with the situation when circumstances force a nursing mother temporarily for various reasons.
Sometimes the early termination of maternity leave or departure makes you think about how to keep the product in its original form, whether it is possible to freeze milk, whether it will lose its properties, whether it will harm the child.
Which breast pump to choose, read the information about mechanical and electrical models.
Three ways to store baby food
There are several options for storing breast milk:
- freezing;
- storage at room temperature.
Each of the methods has its pros and cons.
Frozen milk: a complete nutrition or a health hazard
One of best ways storage experts consider the process of freezing. Many are interested in the question of what will happen if you freeze milk.
Research on this subject has been carried out since 1987. At that time, an article was published in the authoritative printed edition of the International Journal of Childbirth Education on the topic of storing breast milk.
Based on the experience produced by the laboratory of the Lenom Clinic, the article provided evidence that mother's milk is self-sufficient and can prevent the reproduction of bacteria even at room temperature.
However, its shelf life does not exceed 24 hours.. At the same time, immunoprotective components remain stable for no more than 8 hours. What if there is a need for longer storage?
Experts say that the process of freezing milk does not harm its properties.
Preservation energy value composition for a long time, is far from the only plus of this storage method. The microbiological safety of milk, the control of its enzymatic activity and protection against the reproduction of pathogenic flora, guaranteed by the freezing process, are obvious and scientifically proven.
At the same time, the inevitable change in physical properties, such as the rupture of the shell of the fat globule and the deformation of the casein micelle, are still too little studied today.
The shelf life of milk depends on the temperature regime of the freezing process. According to the results of recent scientific research, t -20 ° C is considered to be the ideal temperature for long-term storage.
Answers to more frequently asked questions can be found in this short video:
Freezing Rules
- preparation freezer;
- setting the temperature regime;
- choice of capacity.
The condition of the refrigerating chamber has a great influence on the quality of frozen milk. First, it must be sterile and airtight. Neighborhood with other products is not desirable. In addition, you need to monitor the serviceability of the refrigerator, the tightness of closing, the absence of third-party odors. 
It is more preferable if the freezer is autonomous. When the freezer is located inside the refrigerator, you need to monitor the tightness of the door closing, while the refrigerator should not contain perishable food.
Immediately before freezing, milk should be cooled in the refrigerator. This will help ensure a smooth decrease in temperature, thereby preserving biologically active substances product.
Storage tanks
The composition of the milk also depends on the container in which it will be stored. How can you freeze breast milk?
Glass bottles and plastic containers provide reliable storage.
But, the use of such containers is not always convenient: firstly, it is necessary, and secondly, it is necessary to clearly monitor the portioning of freezing in order to avoid a repeated procedure. Understanding how much product is needed for one feeding, this is not difficult to do.
For greater comfort, containers made of special polyethylene, safe for the composition of milk, have been developed. They are the most convenient and have the following qualities:
- sterility;
- convenient tight lock;
- the presence of a scale.
When choosing a storage container, you need to consider all the pros and cons of each option.
Glassware is considered the safest: it is non-toxic, perfectly tolerates temperature differences.. Among the minuses: sticking of fats to the walls of the container, and as a result, a decrease in the calorie content of the product.
Microbes on dishes - guaranteed dysbacteriosis. Container sterilization rules
Provide neutralization of bacteria using reusable tableware, you can, using the old method, by boiling. But for greater convenience, there are special sterilizers designed for use in microwave ovens.
This device is in great demand in Europe. Among the reviews of our compatriots about the functionality of the device, the following:
It happens that a nursing mother cannot constantly be with the baby “The thing is really necessary, saves a lot of time and perfectly sterilizes all children's accessories.
We even use it to sterilize jars from the kit for making homemade yogurt.
Fits six bottles with lids and nipples, throw more spoons and other little things on top.
Maximum storage time
Another pressing issue for nursing mothers is how long frozen breast milk is stored.
At a temperature of -18 -20 ° C, breast milk can be stored for 6 to 12 months.
It would not be superfluous to mark the date of pumping on the container, this will allow you to monitor the expiration dates of the product. The rules are described in the following article.
Defrost Rules
How to properly defrost breast milk is the next question. This procedure requires no less care.
The first thing to note is that the temperature rise of a product such as frozen milk should be gradual. To do this, it is better to leave the product in the refrigerator first. This method will allow you to save all the necessary trace elements.
The portioning of the procedure is also very important. Do not defrost more product than required for one feeding..
The main rule to consider when deciding how to defrost breast milk from a freezer is as follows: the process must occur gradually and arbitrarily.
Do not boil, do not heat milk in the microwave, but use a special device, or substitute a container under a stream of warm water Never use a microwave oven or other heating devices. This can lead to the loss of properties of the nutritional formula, in addition, there is a high probability that the child may get burned.
Once fully thawed, it is best to heat the milk using a bottle warmer. An electric device will bring the product to the ideal temperature - 37 ° C, which will avoid the loss of milk properties and protect the baby from mucosal burns.
A water bath is a good alternative in the absence of a special device.
Refreeze
Re-freezing milk is highly undesirable. At the same time, its composition changes.
There is no guarantee that the baby will receive good nutrition, in addition, there is a high probability of spoilage of the product.
Freezing Disadvantages
- Long defrost process.
- Minor composition change.
- The need for strict adherence to portioning.
Even having studied all the criteria for how to properly freeze breast milk, many nursing mothers still have doubts about whether to resort to this method:
Should I wean or mix if I have to go to work? You can make a supply of breast milk by first expressing and saving the milk “I doubt whether the milk will remain the same as after pumping or lose its nutritional value?”
Other women who have tried the method believe that this will not affect the child's diet:
“We, due to circumstances, are forced to store milk for several days, freezing is the only way. Either way, it's better than a mix."
Experienced nursing mothers are well aware that milk changes color and smell after defrosting. However, this scares some:
“I once tried to freeze milk (it was necessary to leave), after defrosting it “stratified”, the fat rose to the top, and a liquid similar to whey remained below. Naturally, they didn’t use it, I had to apply the mixture. ”
Many articles have been written about how to defrost breast milk, but the advice of doctors is the most valuable.
Sokolov A.P., pediatrician, Moscow
Under any circumstances, it is necessary to try to provide the child with mother's milk. I think that in the absence of the possibility of breastfeeding, it is better to use a milk bank.
If you use the instruction “how to freeze breast milk and how to defrost it properly”, the product will not lose its quality properties.
conclusions
All doctors unanimously affirm that no other diet, no matter how balanced, can replace the value of mother's milk. Which of the ways of storing it to give preference, everyone decides for himself. The main thing is that the baby in the first years of life receives all the necessary trace elements, because the formation of human immunity occurs during this period.
Let's summarize how to freeze, thaw and store breast milk in this video:
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