Breast Milk Storage: Do’s & Don’ts

Expressing and storing

Tips for expressing breastmilk

• Make sure any equipment you use has been thoroughly cleaned and that your hands are washed well.
• Set yourself up in a private and relaxed place. Think about your baby and have a photo to look at to help your let-down reflex work.
• Sit in a comfortable position and be as relaxed as possible.

The two main methods are:

Hand:

• This is a skill that is easy to learn, gentle, cost-free, and convenient

Pump:

• In the hospital, you may have used an electric breast pump. If you need one at home, hire of these larger pumps can generally be arranged – ask one of the nurses at the hospital.

There is a range of smaller pumps, hand-operated and electric, that you can buy too.

Tips for storing breastmilk

• When freezing breastmilk, leave some space at the top of the container (it expands as it freezes).
• Freeze in small amounts to avoid wastage eg 50 mL.
• To defrost frozen milk, either put it in the refrigerator overnight or place it in a bowl of warm water (not hot) and gently move it about.
• If breastmilk is left standing, the fat will separate

Storage of breastmilk for home use