When it comes to taking care of a newborn baby, any experienced edamommy can tell you that it’s a challenge. There’s just so much that you have to watch out for and look after that sometimes you can end up feeling overwhelmed. However, despite how complicated things can get, there are ways to navigate the responsibilities of caring for a newborn baby. For example, having the proper knowledge and know-how regarding certain things can make tending to your baby much more manageable.
Fortunately, that’s what we at edamama are here for! We’re here to be your guide and partner through all things that have to do with motherhood. With that in mind, one thing we believe is essential to know about is how to handle the breast milk for your newborn baby. As it’s the sole source of nutrition for your baby, knowing how to handle it is essential to ensure your baby gets breast milk that is nutritious and safe to consume.
More specifically, knowing how to store your breast milk properly can help ensure that it’s as quality as it can be and it’s safe to consume. So, in this article, we’ll teach you how to store and handle your breast milk so that you can be assured your baby gets fed safely.
Getting Your Breast Milk
Before we talk about how to store your breast milk properly, it’s essential to know how you’re getting your breast milk. You might think it’s a silly question to ask, mainly because it’s your baby, so it should only come from you. However, not everyone can produce their own breast milk.
If you can produce it, you can use a breast milk pump and store it for later use. However, if you can’t produce breast milk or pump out small quantities, you can also get breast milk elsewhere. For example, if you have friends who are lactating mothers with some to give, you can ask them for some breast milk. There are also milk banks that can help provide you with breast milk should you need it.
Breast Milk Storage
Once you have your breast milk, now it’s essential to know how to store it. However, before we get to that part, it’s vital first to understand the shelf life of breast milk. That way, you can also understand how different storage methods can affect your breast milk’s shelf life.
You see, when you just pumped a fresh batch, breast milk shelf life at room temperature is good up to 4 hours. Anything beyond that, and the milk might do your baby more harm than good, as it will spoil. Knowing this, there are several ways to store your breast milk to avoid spoilage and waste. After all, breast milk is essentially like liquid gold for babies as it has all the nutrients they need to help them grow properly. So, what other ways can you store your breast milk?
Refrigeration
Much like any other beverage you have, storing breast milk in the refrigerator is one good way to help extend its shelf life. However, it’s worth noting that the shelf life of breast milk in refrigerator isn’t as long as you’d expect it to be. Unlike any other dairy or beverage you can keep in your fridge, breast milk is only good for four days. After that, it will be spoiled.
With that in mind, you should only keep breast milk in the fridge if you plan on consuming it within that 4-day window. So, if you pump big batches of breast milk and have a baby that goes through it like it was nothing, you could keep the rest in the fridge. That way, you have some milk ready if they need to be fed.
Freezing
Another option you have when it comes to storing your breast milk would be to freeze it. Like putting it in a fridge, freezing the breast milk will help extend its shelf life. However, putting breast milk in a freezer will prevent it from spoiling for a much longer time. Frozen breast milk can be good to consume within six months but can sometimes still be good for about 12 months. By freezing your breast milk, you can at least be assured that this will be kept spoilage free for much longer.
Freezing your breast milk is a good option if you want to have an emergency supply ready should you need it sometime later on. It’s also an excellent way to store your breast milk if you plan on taking a trip with your baby, as keeping it in a cooler will ensure it’s still frozen and will last long enough while you’re traveling.
However, while keeping the breast milk frozen will extend its shelf life for months, that all changes when you thaw it. The shelf life of thawed breast milk goes down to between 2 to 24 hours. If you thaw it until it’s at room temp, it’ll be good for 2 hours. On the other hand, it’s good for 24 hours if you thaw it in the refrigerator–that’s as soon as it’s completely thawed. So, choose your thawing method according to your baby’s needs.
Got Milk?
Your breast milk is the sole source of nutrition for your newborn for the first six months of their life and the main component of what they consume up until they are 2. So, it would make sense to ensure that you do your part to give them breast milk that’s the best quality. This entails ensuring that you provide them with something that isn’t spoiled.
With that in mind, knowing how to store your breast milk properly is crucial in ensuring that it’s kept spoilage free and safe to consume for them. With this article, you can safely say you know how to store your breast milk and what methods to use according to your needs! That makes for one less thing to worry about when caring for that newborn!
