All mothers know that the best food for a baby is breast milk. This is the most convenient way of feeding, when you do not have to warm up food and sterilize the dishes. But the situation in life is different, and some women are forced to decant and give the baby milk after a while. It can be, when the mother or the child is in the hospital, when a woman needs to go out to work or stay out for a long time. Therefore, every mother should know the shelf life of breast milk, which can be kept just in the refrigerator or frozen. In any case, even if it loses some of the nutrients due to the low temperature, it will be more beneficial for the baby than the infant formula.
How to express the milk correctly?
In breast milk contain special substances that protect it from damage. Therefore, it can be stored at room temperature for several hours. The expiration date of expressed breast milk depends on compliance with certain rules:
- always wash your hands well and pour boiling water on the dishes you will use for milk;
- use only special bags or containers, it is possible to store milk in glass bottles;
- containers placed in the refrigerator must be sealed;
- it is undesirable to add a fresh portion to the already stored milk.
How can I store milk?
If you feed your baby more than 4 hours after pumping , then you need to put milk in the refrigerator, but not on the door. Use for this purpose only sterilized, hermetically sealed containers. Many doctors recommend different storage times for expressed breast milk. Usually it is from two to seven days. If you keep milk for feeding your baby after many days, it's better to freeze it. The shelf life of breast milk stored in a separate freezer can range from 3 to 6 months. If the freezer opens often, try to put the bottle closer to the back wall. The shelf life of breast milk in this case is about two weeks. Do not re-freeze it after thawing or use milk with a sour smell.