A Working Mom's Guide on Thawing and Serving Breast Milk

Most of the thawing and the bottle feeding is actually done by my MIL, my trusted caregiver. I'm away for about 8 hours daily for work, so i make it a point that i personally thaw and prepare his breast milk for the day.

How to thaw breastmilk

• Heat in warm (not boiling) water in pan. To speed up thawing put milk container in pan with warm water, gradually add hot water to speed up melting.


• To slowly defrost milk transfer it to the ref the night before you need it. Milk usually thaws in the refrigerator for 12 hours.


• When thawing don’t  submerge the container in water. This prevents water from seeping into the container


• Never leave frozen milk to thaw at room temperature because this will promote rapid growth of bacteria


• The US FDA warns against using the microwave to thaw milk. The agency says microwaves can cause dangerous hot spots that could burn you or baby.


• Don't boil breast milk. This will destroy the antibodies and other nutrients present in human milk.

Note: You can also serve breast milk cold. I have given baby cold breast milk on several occasions.

Time limits of thawed breast milk

• La Leche League says breast milk at room temperature stays good  for 4 to 6 hours.  During summer in a tropical country like the Philippines, this period is should be shortened. High temperature increases risk of spoilage.  I follow a three hour-rule for breast milk at room temp. The key here is to follow a lower limit, especially for preemies and newborn.


• Thawed breast milk  should be as consumed within 24 hours.


• Breast milk that has completely melted should not be refrozen.

Reusing breast milk

• There are times when baby doesn't  finish the entire contents of the bottle. So moms ask, can i reuse  breastmilk? Actually there are conflicting recommendations on reusing breast milk. Read Kellymom's discussion here.


• As for me, i reuse leftover breast milk. It will be a total waste if i don't! I refrigerate it as soon as baby refuses the milk. Then i just warm it for the next feeding. If he does not finish this, then that's when i throw out the milk.

Preparing baby bottles

• Number your child's breast milk bottles. This is useful if you serve both thawed and cold milk. If you're serving thawed and frozen breast milk during the day, you have to serve the thawed milk first.  Thawed fresh milk has shorter shelf life than refrigerated milk.

• Double wrap the milk in the refrigerator so it won't absorb odors from other stuff in your ref.

[caption id="attachment_3263" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Here's how i put labels on my ebm containers. This is a must so your helper knows which bottles to serve first.[/caption]

 

On BM containers

• Choose breast milk storage that can double as feeding bottles.

• To lessen milk wastage, store in containers that double as feeding bottles. Transferring milk from one container to another encourage milk wastage. I use Avent storage bottles, when serving i just snap off the sealing disc then replace with nipples.

Serving breast milk

• More often, your caretaker will be the one serving the BM so you should leave clear instructions. Let them know about the proper handling milk. Examine EBM before serving.Breast milk could sometimes smell slightly sweet or soapy, depending on mom's diet. Discard milk that smells foul or sour.

[caption id="attachment_3264" align="aligncenter" width="300"] My breast milk: the creamy stuff rises to the bottle's edge. Color and consistency of breast milk varies depending on your diet.[/caption]

 

• Breast milk is not processed like cow's milk. Some cream can separate from the rest of the milk after days of refrigeration. The cream rises near the rim of the container. Just swirl the container to mix the cream and the rest of the milk.


• Always check the milk's temperature. It should not be too hot for risk of burning.

So,  that's how i'm thawing and serving expressed milk to our baby! Hope you find the tips useful!!

***

Building and Managing your Breast Milk Stash

Every working and pumping mom needs to learn how to store expressed breast milk. This is key if you want to feed your little one with your precious liquid gold while you’re at work.

It's every working mama's dream to build up a breast milk stash that could probably last for weeks. To build that dream stash, start pumping 2 - 3 weeks before your scheduled return to work. You'll need to pump to have expressed breast milk (EBM) at this time if you'd like to teach your caregiver how to serve milk to baby.

Here are some tips on storing breast milk:

Know the time limits.

Find out  how long should breast milk should be stored at room temperature, in the refrigerator or in the freezer.

I follow La Leche League's recommendation:

• Room temperature - 4 to 8 hours*
• Refrigerator – 3 to 8 days
• Freezer - 6 to 12 months (at constant temperature)

*Because it's hotter in the Philippines, i follow the lower limit, which is 4 hours at room temperature.

Fridge vs Freezer? 

Some moms are blessed with the problem of having that much milk, they need to decide whether to refrigerate or freeze. I had a fairly abundant supply of milk, especially during the first months. I kept some in the fridge, others in the freezer.  I don't freeze EBM right away.  Since breast milk can last in the fridge up to 8 days, i only freeze EBM that i won't be using within the next week.

According to Dr. Sears, some immunological properties are lost after freezing, so i just try to serve only refrigerated milk for my baby. The frozen milk is for sharing. Frozen milk can come handy for unexpected events, like when you need to be out for longer than usual.

Having cold liquid milk in store is more convenient, since i didn't have to wait for EBM to thaw when it's baby feeding time.

Choose your EBM container.

Know which containers to use and decide which of them will fit your needs.

You can choose from plastic bottles, bags or glass jars as milk containers.

Plastic bottles

• Reusable, so it's more eco friendly
• Hard side plastics are more stable for travel
• Comes with screw caps for secure storage even in transit
• More expensive than plastic bags and glass jars
• The cheapest BPA bottles i found are from Evenflo, at P 399 for 4 pieces of 4 oz bottles

Plastic storage bags

• Cheaper than plastic bottles
• Can be bent or flexed to conform to limited freezer space
• Single use only, produces more waste
• No washing and sterilizing required
• The cheapest plastic bags are from Baby Mama, at P200 per 3o pcs with 7 oz measured capacity

Glass bottles

• Reusable and washable
• Don't contain BPA
• Cheap, i  recycle baby food glass jars as breast milk containers
• Don't use glass jars when freezing EBM, milk expands during freezing.

Store in small quantities to lessen waste. 

Store milk in single serve amounts. 2 to 4 ounces per container might be enough for newborns. For older babies follow an educated estimate, based on his daily consumption. My baby's milk intake dropped a bit when he started on solids.

Like water, breast milk expands at freezing point so do not fill the plastic bag or  bottle to its full capacity.

You can mix expressed breast milk from different days. Cool expressed breast milk so it will have the same temperature with the older breast milk.  When labeling,  follow the date of the older milk.

Label your EBM

Make it a habit to label your milk. Do this right after pumping so you won’t get confused. Use masking tape and permanent marker.

Write these information: date and time the milk was expressed and volume (if using glass or storage bags)

It's hard to write on cold wet surface so label the container first before putting in the milk.

Organize your stash.

Keep milk from the same dates in one portion of the ref so you won't have to dig out your entire stash when looking for the oldest milk.

Use the first in first out rule. Since there are limits to how long your breast milk can last, use the oldest milk first.

Double wrap your breast milk container.

Your ref can harbor a lot of odors from different food for the entire family. If you put the family's foods along with baby's breast milk in the fridge, remember to wrap your milk in plastics or food container. EBM, if stored in the ref or fridge for so long can pick up flavors and odors from other foods stored there.

Keep a small jar of baking soda in the fridge to absorb unwanted odors. Some babies are sensitive to odors. They might refuse EBM that's infused foreign odor.

Always wash your hands thoroughly before handling breast milk. Breast milk is not sterile. Like any food it requires proper hygiene to assure of its cleanliness and freshness.

Read my post on handling breast milk during brownouts.

There you go, just some tips from a working and pumping mama. Good luck building that stash!

***

Breast Milk Storage Tips from a Working Mommy

Every working and pumping mom needs to learn how to store expressed breast milk. This is key if you want to feed your little one with your precious liquid gold while you’re at work.

It's every working mama's dream to build up a breast milk stash that could probably last for weeks. To build that dream stash, start pumping 2 - 3 weeks before your scheduled return to work. You'll need to pump to have expressed breast milk (EBM) at this time if you'd like to teach your caregiver how to serve milk to baby.

Here are some tips on storing breast milk:

Know the time limits.

Find out  how long should breast milk should be stored at room temperature, in the refrigerator or in the freezer.

I follow La Leche League's recommendation:

• Room temperature - 4 to 8 hours*


• Refrigerator – 3 to 8 days


• Freezer - 6 to 12 months (at constant temperature)

*Because of the Philippines' tropical climate, i follow the lower limit, which is 4 hours at room temperature.

Fridge vs Freezer 

Some moms are blessed with the problem of having that much milk, they need to decide whether to refrigerate or freeze. I had a fairly abundant supply of milk, especially during the first months. I kept some in the fridge, others in the freezer.  During the first weeks i froze breast milk right after pumping. But then i'read that  I don't freeze EBM right away.  Since breast milk can last in the fridge up to 8 days, i only freeze EBM that i won't be using within the next week.

According to Dr. Sears,  some immunological properties are lost after freezing, so i just try to serve only refrigerated milk for my baby.  Frozen milk comes handy for unexpected events, like when you need to be out for longer than usual.

Having cold liquid milk in store is more convenient, since i didn't have to wait for EBM to thaw when it's baby feeding time.

EBM container

Know which containers to use and decide which of them will fit your needs.

[caption id="attachment_866" align="aligncenter" width="600"] You can choose from plastic bottles, bags or glass jars as milk containers.[/caption]

Plastic bottles

• Reusable, so it's more eco friendly


• Hard side plastics are more stable for travel


• Comes with screw caps for secure storage even in transit


• More expensive than plastic bags and glass jars


• The cheapest BPA bottles i found are from Evenflo, at P 399 for 4 pieces of 4 oz bottles in most malls

Plastic storage bags

• Cheaper than plastic bottles


• Can be bent or flexed to conform to limited freezer space


• Single use only, produces more waste


• No washing and sterilizing required


• The cheapest plastic bags are Spectra milk bags sold at Baby Mama's online store, at P280 per 3o pcs with 7 oz measured capacity.  (They  increased the price recently. Back then it was only P200 per box)

Glass bottles

• Reusable and washable


• Don't contain BPA


• Cheap, i  recycle baby food glass jars as breast milk containers


• Don't use glass jars when freezing EBM, milk expands during freezing.

Small quantities, less waste. 

Store milk in single serve amounts. 2 to 4 ounces per container might be enough for newborns. For older babies follow an educated estimate, based on his daily consumption. My baby's milk intake dropped a bit when he started on solids.

Like water, breast milk expands at freezing point so do not fill the plastic bag or  bottle to its full capacity.

You can mix expressed breast milk from different days. Cool expressed breast milk so it will have the same temperature with the older breast milk.  When labeling,  follow the date of the older milk.

How to label EBM

Make it a habit to label your milk. Do this right after pumping so you won’t get confused. Use masking tape and permanent marker.

Write these information: date and time the milk was expressed and volume (if using glass or storage bags)

It's hard to write on cold wet surface so label the container first before putting in the milk.

Organizing your stash

Keep milk from the same dates in one portion of the ref so you won't have to dig out your entire stash when looking for the oldest milk.

Use the first in first out rule. Since there are limits to how long your breast milk can last, use the oldest milk first.

Double wrap 

Your ref can harbor a lot of odors from different food for the entire family. If you put the family's foods along with baby's breast milk in the fridge, remember to wrap your milk in plastics or food container. EBM, if stored in the ref or fridge for so long can pick up flavors and odors from other foods stored there.

Keep a small jar of baking soda in the fridge to absorb unwanted odors. Some babies are sensitive to odors. They might refuse EBM that's infused foreign odor.

Always wash your hands thoroughly before handling breast milk. Breast milk is not sterile. Like any food it requires proper hygiene to assure of its cleanliness and freshness.

Also worth reading:

• A working mom's guide to thaw and serve breast milk


• Managing your breast milk stash on brownouts 

***