- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- babies today articles
- babies today q&a
- toddlers today articles
- toddlers today q&a
- breastfeed.com articles
- breastfeed.com q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Expressing and Storing Breastmilk: A Working Mother's Guide
Message boards and e-mail lists for nursing mothers who work outside the home are wonderful resources to gain input on which pumps work best. Is there a better way to get the details on a pump than from a person who has used one? Advice from a consumer often goes farther than a paid advertisement.
Pumps manufactured by formula companies are not a top choice. Formula companies may not provide nursing mothers with the encouragement and aid they need to pump successfully. They ultimately do not want nursing mothers to succeed with breastfeeding because they are their target market. They want to sell formula. Formula companies make far more money via formula sales than they ever would selling breast pumps.
- Refrigerator (32-39 degrees): up to 8 days.
- Freezer compartment inside a refrigerator: 2 weeks.
- Freezer compartment with a separate door: 3 to 4 months.
- Separate deep freeze at 0 degrees: 6 months or longer.
Breastmilk can also be stored temporarily at room temperature for 24 hours at 60 degrees, 10 hours at 66 to 72 degrees and 4 to 6 hours at 79 degrees. Breastmilk cannot be stored at room temperatures of 80 degrees or more.
Do not add freshly pumped milk to already frozen breastmilk. The new warm milk may thaw the top layer of frozen milk when they come in contact with each other. Small Ziploc freezer bags are ideal for storing breastmilk. Plastic or glass bottles can be used as well. Be sure not to fill a freezer bag or bottle to capacity, as the milk will expand when frozen. Also, never use a permanent marker to date milk as it can seep through the plastic and taint the milk. Instead, use a ball point pen on sticky labels.
