Whether you’re getting back to the office or planning a dinner date with your friends, most new mamas eventually need a break from breastfeeding. This is where breast pumps come into the picture.
They allow new mums the freedom to feed the baby on demand, even when they are back to their routines and away from the little one. More importantly, effective and safe storage of breast milk ensures that only the best is given to your baby.
And if you’ve been using the traditional method of storing your breast milk in multiple packets, there is some good news for you.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated breastmilk storage guidelines. According to the new guidelines, milk pooling is now allowed.
This means breast milk pumped over a course of 24 hours is not required to be separated into multiple bags. Instead, it can be separated into amounts that the baby can consume at one feeding.
Milk Pooling Now Allowed, As Per New Breast Milk Storage Guidelines
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The new guidelines state that milk pooling can be done throughout the day. To simplify, this would mean that as mothers pump their milk, they can add an afternoon session to a morning session of pumped milk. So, when breast milk is used later in the day or at a later date, the composition will become more nutritious.
This is because over the course of the day, the nutritional value of breast milk changes.
There are several resources that claim milk pooling cannot be done with chilled and freshly pumped breastmilk. This may give rise to bacterial growth.
However, AAP now notes that warm and cold milk can be mixed with the milk that is pumped in sessions within 24 hours. They can be combined without any problem.
Common Recommendations On Breastmilk Storage You Can Avoid
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Considering the amount of information on breast milk storage available online, it can be confusing for mums to know what is accurate and what is outdated.
Most of the common recommendations available are not evidence-based and practical. They differ for a term and preterm infant and can lead to families wasting their precious milk.
- One of them is storing two to four ounces of breast milk and refrigerating and storing them in a bag. This advice may be effective for those who have newborns. But, for older babies, who need more than two to four ounces in one feeding, this might not work. The reason is simple. By transferring the milk multiple times, not only is the nutritional value being lost, but bacteria can build up as well. Therefore, milk should always be stored in amounts appropriate for the baby.
- Another common recommendation states that you need to freeze the breast milk as soon as it is expressed. But, AAP states that breast milk can be frozen after four hours at room temperature or as long as four days in the refrigerator.
What Are The Correct Breast Milk Storage Guidelines?
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Containers
Mums should aim for cleanliness. But at the same time also realise that milk is a biologic substance and it is full of probiotic and commensal bacteria.
It is therefore, recommended that methods of frequent hand washing, using clean containers, and minimising milk transfers, and pumping directly into storage containers is followed.
Plastic or glass containers are also fine, and there is no evidence that supports one over the other.
Cold storage
Milk has a feature that leads it to maintain its nutrient value. It also discourages the growth of bacteria when kept at temperature or in the refrigerator.
After four hours at room temperature or four days in the refrigerator, it may be best to freeze milk for long-term usage.
Milk is usually considered safe for feeding for up to 12 months of freezer storage. Plus, it can be stored better in a deep freezer than the door of the standard freezer.
Free fatty acid build-up
Human milk contains lipases that may break down triglycerides even in frozen milk. These fatty acids can give the milk an unpalatable taste. While it won’t cause any additional bacterial growth or altered nutrition, some babies may reject the taste of the milk.
Keeping the milk colder may actually help to slow down the process. So you can consider a scald step after expression, and before freezing the expressed milk.
While heating may alter some of the biological makeup of the milk, it is better than your baby rejecting the milk due to taste alone.
The new breastmilk storage guidelines give mums who pump their milk a little more freedom when it comes to storage.
This not only leads to reduced loss of breast milk but there is less stress on storage. If you are a pumping parent, this news is sure to cheer you up!
Source: AAP
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