Until six months of age, breast milk is the best food for a baby. For this reason, it is important to know everything about breastfeeding, especially when it comes to preserving milk in optimal conditions. ¿00?
Breast milk is a very noble but also very delicate food and that is why an error in the storage conditions can turn into a health problem. Remember that we are talking about very young babies and very sensitive to any alteration.
Breast milk care
La preservation of breast milk It has been extensively studied due to the risks that deterioration in the state of milk entails. Due to the current pace of life, it is common for mothers to express their milk to give to babies when they are absent. In these cases, it is best to freeze or refrigerate breast milk after expressing.
How to achieve a correct conservation of breast milk? Once the milk has been extracted, it will have to be poured into transparent bottles with a pink lid or into airtight containers. Pre-sterilized breast milk bags are sold on the market and there are also brands dedicated to the world of the baby that sell receptacles for expressing milk.
An important point for correct conservation of breast milk It is to name the milk in order to avoid forgetting it. Use labels to indicate the date of the extraction and the child's name if there is more than one baby to avoid confusion. Remember that the shelf life of breast milk is much shorter.
Storage times
If the idea is store breast milk In a freezer-type freezer, it can last from 3 to 6 months, as long as it is kept at a temperature of at least –18 ° C. If the freezer maintains a temperature of -20 ° C or more then you can store it for up to 12 months.
Avoid storing milk in the freezer door as the heat when opening the door can affect it. So that the preservation of breast milk is correct, it is best to do it at the back of the receptacle for freezing food.
If you would like to preserve breast milk at room temperature, remember that its useful life is between 6 and 8 hours, as long as the ambient temperature does not exceed 25 ° C. If instead the temperature is up to 9 ° C, it extends to five days. In a common freezer - located inside the refrigerator - milk can stay good for up to two weeks.
Storing and thawing breast milk
Another important question is the amount of milk expressed and how to store it. Although you can add milk to a container, for a correct preservation of breast milk always add less or the same amount of milk that is already in the container, never more. Also, avoid adding the milk without having previously cooled it in the fridge and remember to add the new extraction date on the label.
For defrost breast milk, one option is to put it in the refrigerator a day before so that it then defrosts naturally and then reheats it in lukewarm water. In that case, the milk must be used within 24 hours and it will spoil you. If the milk must be used urgently and is frozen, then it should be thawed immediately by placing the bag or container in warm water. Or use a pot with hot water and place the bottle in it, taking care that it does not get too hot.
Avoid using the breast milk bottle in a microwave oven because it creates differentiated heat zones. For a correct conservation of breast milk, remember not to freeze it again and use it within an hour after rapid thawing.
Finally, remember that the frozen breast milk it may change color but this is normal as the natural fat in milk condenses.