Knowing how to store breast milk without losing its nutrients can put the working mothers at ease while they are at office. Health and Medicine has long patronized the importance of giving breast milk to the newborn, and prolonging it at least till the baby is a year old. For those newly delivered mothers juggling home and office, tips on how to store breast milk can take both mother and child, a long way in health and nutrition.

To elaborate further on the importance of breast-milk, let us track on the significance it bears on your infant’s health. This will help you understand the need to store breast milk and nourish your baby, even if you aren’t there to nurse personally.

For a new born, mother’s milk or breast milk not only supplies essential nutrients but also fortifies the immune system by supplying antibodies. As a nursing mother, breast-milk alternatives are only secondary and Hobson’s choice for your baby.

Tips on how to store breast milk:

• To ensure the safety of breast milk, make sure you store it in air-tight and sterilized containers. Prescriptions may differ for storage, depending upon the health condition of your baby. For instance if your baby is premature, you may need to take extra care about the choice of your containers. 
• You can store the milk at room temperature (25 degree Celsius) for up to four hours.
• You can keep it under cold-storage (refrigerator) at 4 degrees Celsius or lower and the milk will last for up to 3-4 days.
• If you want to freeze the milk, you should do so within 24 hours.

Some of the freezing techniques to store breast milk are

• Storing in freezer bags with a nylon covering. You could even opt for double bags (one inside the other).
• In a single-door refrigerator with a separate freezer, breast milk can be stored up to 3 months.
• Under a temperature of -20 degrees Celsius, in a freezer with no defrost cycle; the milk can be preserved for up to six months.
• Your frozen breast milk can also be combined with your fresh milk provided the fresh milk has been cooled at least an hour.
   

It is important to keep in mind that at the time of expressing, your hands should be clean and washed with an antiseptic soap rub. Your breast-pump, nipples and other components should also be clean and thoroughly sterilized. This will ensure that microbes don’t settle down on any of the equipments.

For all nursing mothers, who bid goodbye to their babies, ensconced in their cradles, there is a way to express your warmth still, with our techniques on how to store breast milk.

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