Is it possible to store breast milk in the refrigerator: storage rules and terms

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Every newborn baby needs quality breast milk. Such nutrition is considered as adapted as possible for a newly born baby. He needs to learn to get used to the environment, so proper nutrition is the key to his well-being and he alth. Thanks to breast milk, his immune system is strengthened and maintained. This means that the newborn will be more protected from various infectious and bacterial diseases.

However, it is not always possible to immediately feed the baby with fresh breast milk. Some young mothers decide to express it and store it in the refrigerator or even freezer for a certain period of time. There are also opponents of this practice. Therefore, it is worth understanding in more detail whether it is possible to store breast milk in the refrigerator. How to do it right? Consider further.

Can I store breast milk in the fridge

Since we are talking about very important nutrition for the baby, the mother shouldtake the process of pumping itself, as well as storage, with all seriousness. This practice is indeed allowed by experts. However, when it comes to whether breast milk can be stored in the refrigerator, there are a few important guidelines to keep in mind.

Before starting the process of pumping or using a breast pump, a woman should wash herself thoroughly. It is best to use boiled water for this. After that, it is imperative to prepare only a sterile container into which milk will be expressed. To date, pharmacies sell a huge number of relevant products made of plastic or glass. To store breast milk in the refrigerator, it is best to purchase a specialized container. Such products should be carefully studied and familiarized with their characteristics. In the description of the product, the shelf life of milk in such a container must be indicated. The marked period of time should not be exceeded.

What is important to keep in milk

You need to understand that during storage it is necessary to make sure that all the necessary microcomponents and substances that the child needs are preserved in the liquid. This means that natural nutrition should not change its structure, so it is important to clarify how to store breast milk in the refrigerator.

Proteins are of particular value. As a rule, their greatest amount is contained in the so-called colostrum. This fluid is released in the very first days, immediately after childbirth. It is in colostrum that contains up to 14%proteins, so this component is considered extremely important.

In addition, milk should contain immunoglobulins, hormones, antioxidants, carbohydrates, fats and water. The latter, as a rule, contains up to 80% in dairy products. Based on this, it must be borne in mind that all these components should in no case be damaged or disappear during the storage of breast milk in the refrigerator. It is important that the baby gets the whole complex of vitamins.

Which milk can be saved in this way

Can breast milk be stored in the refrigerator? First of all, you need to understand that the composition of natural baby food is constantly changing. It depends on the he alth of the woman. In addition, you need to know that foremilk and the so-called hindmilk are significantly different. These meals will contain varying amounts of water and carbohydrates. Hindmilk tends to be dominated by fats. By the way, this is why many experts recommend letting your child suck every last drop so that he can get both kinds of food.

Based on this information, it is easy to guess that the expressed fluid can vary greatly. For storage, a composition from white to light yellow can be used. Perhaps the milk will be a little pinkish. This is due to the fact that microcracks often form on the nipples of a woman, from which a small amount of blood is released.

If you leave such a natural food for a while, then gradually it will begin to delaminate. Upperpart of the milk will become thicker, and the lower part will become transparent. However, this does not in any way mean that the food has deteriorated. The process of stratification is considered quite normal and occurs almost immediately. In this case, it is enough to shake the bottle and only then send it for cooling.

How to understand that the food has not deteriorated

If we talk about how to evaluate the quality of milk after it has been cooled, then first of all you should pay attention to the characteristics of the liquid. Quality food should have a sweet flavor. However, in this case we are talking about fresh milk. If it has been subjected to a defrosting and freezing process, the flavor may change. Sometimes milk starts to smell like soap after cooling. This does not mean that it has deteriorated and should not be given to the baby. However, it should be borne in mind that, most likely, most of the useful properties in such a liquid are lost. Therefore, it is best that after pumping, the food does not stand for a long time at room temperature.

Storage containers

As mentioned earlier, in pharmacies you can find a huge number of specialized containers. Each container has its own characteristics. However, there is a general characteristic that must be indicated in the description of absolutely any container. In this case, we are talking about sterility.

It is better that there is a special place for inscriptions on the container. Then it is very convenient to indicate the date of pumping with a marker or pen.

If we are talking about packages, then they are used for the freezer. Such products occupy a minimum amount of space in the compartment. However, according to the experience of many mothers, the packages are very often torn, and as a result, the milk spills all over the freezer.

Glass bottles are the most in demand. However, there are supporters of the theory that they are not suitable for storage in the refrigerator. Some believe that during operation, the glass begins to release harmful components.

Doctors also recommend the use of plastic utensils, which has a special spout that is connected to the breast pump. In this case, it will not be necessary to transfuse the food, respectively, less bacteria and harmful components will get into it. The plastic container is suitable for both refrigerator and freezer storage.

Storage Features

It is worth considering that the choice of freezing or simple cooling depends on the shelf life of breast milk in the refrigerator. As a general rule, if food needs to be used after eight days, it is recommended that the freezer be preferred.

If there is too much breast milk in storage, it is very easy to get confused and miss the moment when the product has already gone bad. Therefore, do not be lazy to indicate the date of pumping.

Also, doctors do not recommend mixing different portions of the product. This is due to the same different composition. It is best to prepare containers of different sizes in advance, taking into account how often and how much the baby eats.

Freezing breast milk

If speechSince we are talking about long-term storage, in this case it is best to give preference to freezing. However, in such situations, certain conditions must be observed. First of all, you need to express absolutely all the milk to the last drop. After that, it is necessary to mix the foremilk and hindmilk. At the next stage, the bottle is thoroughly shaken and sent for freezing.

Breast milk in the refrigerator: shelf life under different conditions

If we talk about the temperature regime, then at +25 ° C, the liquid can be stored for no more than 6 hours. When the temperature drops by 3-4 °C, the shelf life increases to 10 hours. At a temperature of +15 °C, milk can retain all its properties during the day. If you lower the temperature conditions to 0 or -4 ° С, then the food will remain suitable for the 8th day.

Based on this, it becomes obvious that it is far from necessary to use a freezer. Knowing how much to store expressed breast milk in the refrigerator, you can safely leave it in the cooling chamber for 1 week. However, in some situations, it happens that too much of the necessary nutrition for the child is allocated, and, of course, you don’t want to lose it. In this case, it would be most rational to freeze it and use it in the following days, when lactation is disturbed or the woman does not have time to perform the pumping procedure.

Helpful

Many young mothers begin to wonder if frozen milk can harm their child. In fact, it can't do any harm. MoreIn addition, all the useful components that a newborn baby needs do not disappear in frozen products. But at the same time, you need to know how to heat breast milk from the refrigerator. If done incorrectly, the liquid will lose vitamins.

How to defrost milk properly

Breast milk after the refrigerator should never be warmed up artificially. Therefore, you need to forget about the microwave and other household appliances that can heat up the liquid in a matter of seconds. If you start heating milk in this way, it will lead to the destruction of proteins, vitamins and beneficial trace elements.

It is best to move the food container from the freezer to the refrigerator for 12 hours. After the milk has frozen, it can be stored in the refrigerator for another 24 hours.

In order to defrost it and not disturb the composition of the liquid, you can simply leave the bottle in the room for several hours. Some use a water bath. However, the water temperature should not exceed the room temperature. But if breast milk is stored in a refrigerator in a glass container, then in this case this method should be abandoned. The glass heats up too quickly, which causes a large difference between the temperature of the liquid and the container itself.

How much can you keep in the freezer

In this case, everything depends on the temperature set in this compartment. If the mode is from -18 to -19 ° C, then in this case milk can be stored for up to 6 months and evenmore. However, you need to understand that standard household refrigerators are not able to maintain the same temperature regime throughout the entire storage time. At home, the freezer door is constantly open, and at the same time, warm air from the room enters it. Accordingly, the temperature rises slightly temporarily.

If we talk about long-term storage (up to six months), then in this case we are talking exclusively about specialized full-fledged refrigerators that do not need to be opened unnecessarily or they maintain a constant temperature. Of course, almost no one has such equipment. In a household freezer, the liquid will retain all its beneficial properties for up to two weeks.