Breast Milk Storage Guide: How to Safely Pump, Store, and Feed

存储指南

How you store breast milk has to do with the temperature of storage and whether the milk is freshly pumped or previously frozen.

Following these guidelines, which we’ve compiled from the 疾病预防与控制中心 ， 这梅奥诊所，和 妇女健康办公室 ，将确保您的牛奶不会含有可能使您的婴儿生病的细菌。它还确保您保留牛奶中含有的营养素。

Fresh milk can actually stay out at room temperature for a while after pumping if you plan to use it or store it soon afterward. After that, you’ll need to pop in in your refrigerator or freezer for long-term storage.

What about thawed milk that was previously frozen? Different rules apply:

无论您如何储存牛奶，都应该在宝宝结束后2小时内从喂食中丢弃任何剩菜。

Bear in mind that the timelines above are intended for full-term babies. If you’re pumping for a preterm baby, first of all, good for you! Research shows that human milk for preterm babies can be incredibly beneficial for their growth and development.

这 time frames 但是，对于新生儿（尤其是在出生后住院）的情况下，要短一些。如果这适用于您，请与认证的哺乳顾问或您的婴儿护理提供者联系以获取更多详细信息。

Related:10 ways to increase breast milk supply when pumping

安全处理母乳

Always wash your hands with warm, soapy water before handling pumping supplies and breast milk. If you can’t find soap, be sure to use a hand sanitizer that’s at least 60 percent alcohol.

抽水的提示

• Check over your pump before using it. Look for any damaged or dirty parts, like tubing, that may contaminate your milk.
• Once milk is pumped and in a storage container, clearly mark the number of ounces and the date and time for your reference. You might consider using a permanent marker so it doesn’t wipe off if it gets wet.
• 始终彻底清洁泵的零件，并在储存之前使空气干燥，以防止霉菌和其他细菌堆积。
• On most electric pumps, the tubing itself should never get wet. It’s too hard to ever get it dry again, which can lead to mold growth.

Tips for freezing

• 如果您不立即使用新鲜表达的牛奶，请务必及时冷冻它以保持最佳质量。
• 尝试以较小的含量（例如2至4盎司）冻结母乳。这样，您不会浪费宝宝没有完成的牛奶。（如果需要，您总是可以得到更多。）
• 冷冻时，在容器顶部留出一英寸的空间，以腾出空间。并等待拧紧容器的帽子或盖子，直到牛奶完全冷冻后。
• Store milk in the back of the freezer, not in the door. Doing so will help protect your milk from any temperature changes.

Tips for thawing and warming

• Always use the oldest breast milk first in your rotation.
• Simply thaw milk overnight in your refrigerator. You do not have to warm it up for baby unless that is their preference.
• If you’re warming the milk, be sure to keep the container closed during the process. Hold it under a stream of warm water (not hot) from your faucet. Alternatively, you may place it in a bowl of warm water.
• 请勿使用微波炉加热牛奶。这样做可能会损坏牛奶，并在牛奶中产生“热点”，从而有可能燃烧您的宝宝。
• Always test the temperature of the milk on your wrist before feeding it to your baby. If it feels hot, wait to feed until it feels comfortably warm.
• Don’t shake milk to mix the fat with the more watery portion. Instead, swirl the milk gently to incorporate.

Related:为宝宝抽母乳的完整指南

存储选项

在冰箱和冰箱中储存母乳时，有很多选择。您选择的是您的偏好和预算。

Storage baggies

Single-use storage bags are handy because they can freeze flat and stack to take up less room in your freezer. Good bags are made from food-grade,BPA- and BPS-freematerial that are pre-sterilized and leak resistant. You can also write any dates or other information directly onto the bag.

市场上的许多选择使您可以直接抽入袋子，以消除污染的机会。储物袋的潜在缺点是，它们比储物瓶更有可能被刺穿。

Options for storage bags include:

• Lansinoh Milk Storage Bags让您直接泵入袋子。他们具有双层拉链密封件和加固的侧接缝，以防止泄漏。
• Medela Milk Storage Bagshave a self-standing design or can lay flat to take up less space. They’re also made from a double-layer material that resists leaks.
• Kiinde Milk Storage Poucheshave a screw-top design much like food pouches. You may even feed directly from the baggie using aspecial nippleand bottle system that can be purchased separately. Bonus: These baggies are recyclable.

You may even want to invest in a freezer storage organizer, like theMilkies Freeze。This small unit sits on a freezer shelf and allows you to place your most recently pumped milk on top (to freeze flat). When it’s time to feed your baby, simply grab the baggie at the bottom, which helps you use the oldest milk first.

Storage bottles and cups

如果您有更多的空间，则在瓶中存放可能是您的可靠选择。如果您想减少浪费，则可以重复使用瓶子。

You can even pump into the bottle, store in the fridge or freezer, and then warm your milk and feed directly from one container. Bottles can also go in your dishwasher for easy cleaning.

选项包括：

• Medela Milk Storage Bottlesare compatible with Medela breast pumps and nipples for feeding. They include volume marks to show the number of ounces you have in each bottle. And they’re also BPA-free and dishwasher safe.
• 兰西诺牛奶存储瓶连接到任何Lansinoh吸奶器和乳头进行进食。它们还具有体积标记，最多可容纳5盎司的牛奶。像Medela一样，它们是无BPA和BPS和洗碗机安全的。
• Matyz Milk Storage Bottles由硼硅酸盐（冰箱和沸腾的安全）玻璃制成。与塑料瓶相比，用玻璃制成的瓶子可能更少，气味少。
• Philips Avent Storage Cupscan be used alone or in conjunction with an adapter that lets you pump, store, and feed from the cups. Their screw-on lid resists leaks and they are also BPA-free and dishwasher safe.

如果您和瓶子一起去，请考虑获得一些可重复使用的标签to clearly write the date of when your milk was expressed on your bottles.

Storage trays

You may also want to use a tray that’s similar to an ice cube tray to store smaller amounts of breast milk. Simply pour your milk into the tray and freeze. Pop out cubes as needed.

Look for trays made from silicone or other BPA- and BPS-free, food-grade material. Trays should also have lids to protect milk from freezer burn.

选项包括：

• 牛奶托盘are made from food-grade plastic that’s also BPA-free. They allow you to freeze your milk in 1-ounce sticks. The frozen cubes fit into most bottles for thawing and reheating. You can then re-use the tray over and over again.
• 发芽杯also hold 1-ounce portions of breast milk or baby food. Instead of stick form, they’re in cubes. These trays stack for compact storage and the silicone material makes popping the cubes out super easy.

此选项的不利之处在于，跟踪何时抽牛奶可能很棘手。您可能会考虑弹出立方体并将它们存储在密封的food-safe storage baggieand labeling that way.

What not to use

您不应该只是将牛奶存放在任何旧容器或冰块托盘中。无论您使用什么，都应由不含BPA和BP的食品级材料制成。如果您的容器上有一个回收号7，则意味着它包含BPA，不应使用。

确保玻璃或塑料盖紧紧。如果您使用的手袋，请检查以确保已正确密封。并且不要将母乳存放在适合一些瓶子的塑料衬里中。拉链顶三明治袋也是如此。这些并不是要长期存储。

As a note, if your baby is sick, you may want to use fresh milk instead of frozen temporarily. Pumped and stored breastmilk retains health benefits for baby, but certain cells may start to break down over time.

Additionally,fresh breast milkmay contain antibodies that help prevent illness to which your baby may have recently been exposed. For this reason, you will get the most immune benefits for a sick baby by using fresh breast milk instead of frozen.

Related:11 lactation-boosting recipes for breastfeeding moms

Takeaway

通过足够的练习，您将成为这种牛奶储存事物的专业人士 - 无论您在下一室还是晚上和朋友一起出去，您的宝宝都可以享受母乳。

选项仍然有点不知所措吗？您可能需要在库存之前尝试一些不同的存储容器。花一些时间看看什么对您的预算有效，抽水收集过程以及宝宝的喂养程序。您可能会发现各种选项可为您提供最佳的灵活性。