2 QUESTIONS ABOUT BREAST MILK!!!

[freepie]

Please can someone answer my 2 questions on breast milk.....

1. When i express milk so that i can go out and about, what can i take it out in to keep it cool? Are there any specific flasks or something? Also, can you warm breast milk up in a microwave?

2. If i express too much and have a few ounces left after a feed, can i pop it back in fridge and reheat for next feeding time?

Thank you!!!

 

[keli]

I don't express but i'll try and answer your questions..

Not to sure about holder for BM maybe pack with ice in carrier to keep cool? They say don't heat in microwave as the milk can get hot spots in so best be popping bottle into pan with hot water to heat up. I def say you can't re-heat your milk so i'd say use less than more then you can heat more up if needed instead of throwing any away xx

 

[LisaJ1986]

Ditto what keli said. Don't heat in a microwave. And you throw away any warmed then wasted.

 

[lfc_sarah]

Ditto what keli said. Don't heat in a microwave. And you throw away any warmed then wasted.

What she said

 

[beanie]

I was a bad girl, I would microwave Seren's bottles of formula and shake them really well - but I would never microwave EBM as it would damage all the good stuff in the milk.I would warm it in a jug of hot water but not till its really hot, just till its warm so the anti-infective properties are left intact

 

[Jollypops]

When i was in hospital they said that breast milk can only be left out for 3 hours, fridge for 24 hours and frozen for 3 months (Nothing should be put back in freezer if it has been defrosted), on this basis i wouldnt take any expressed milk out but express, boobie feed or formula while out and about.

I wouldnt heat expressed milk just served at room temp.

 

[Sherlock]

1. When i express milk so that i can go out and about, what can i take it out in to keep it cool? Are there any specific flasks or something? Also, can you warm breast milk up in a microwave?

Usually change bags have a thermal holder to put a bottle in. I never warm up my breast milk in the microwave. Need to warm up in warm water for a little while.

2. If i express too much and have a few ounces left after a feed, can i pop it back in fridge and reheat for next feeding time?

Nope you cannot. If you warm it up you need to use it within an hour. You need to make sure you keep it chilled or if at room temp that its not kept there for longer than a few hours before you use it.

fwiw expressing feeds in the first 6 weeks isn't advised. It can and probably will mess with building your supply. Your LO will live on your boob to establish the supply.

Also feeding out and about isn't so bad once you get the hang of it. I've fed everywhere from the back seat of the car, in the park, in the waiting room when we went to register LO's birth, sat on a bench, in a restaurant.... Much easier than faffing with bottles if you can manage it. Maybe give it a try a few times and see how your confidence grows. I wasn't keen on it to start with but

 

[Charlie:-)]

According to the National Breastfeeding Network you can leave breast milk out at room temp for 6 hours, my HV gave me some leaflets on this.

Check here for details http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/expressing-and-storing-breastmilk.html

 

[flowergirl]

You can buy insulated bottle bags- I have one made by AVENT I think. It keeps the milk chilled but I also add a small freezer block if I know I'm going to be out for a long time.

 

[maybebaby]

I used to freeze my EBM and put the bags straight from the freezer into his change bag. You can heat it from frozen and it stays fresh for longer. I never actually fed him EBM myself though, I just used to breastfeed if we were out so the EBM was for when I was at work & he was with Grandma.

It can be heated it in a jug of hot water, or a normal bottle warmer if there's one in a parent & baby room.

 

[kalia]

2. If i express too much and have a few ounces left after a feed, can i pop it back in fridge and reheat for next feeding time?

Thank you!!!

If you have the expressed the milk and then offered it to baby and there is milk left over it is fine to put it in the fridge to use later (though I change the bottle top). If you have taken milk from the fridge and heated it then you have to throw out whatever is not used. I have always worked on the basis that heated breastmilk (as opposed to formula which states 1 hour) can be kept at room temperature for as long as fresh breastmilk - which I had assumed was 4 hours.