Storing Your precious liquid!

Storing and Handling Mother’s Milk

QUESTION: What do I need to know about storing my milk?

ANSWER: In addition to the milk storage times (see chart below), it also helps to know these points:

•  Glass or hard plastic containers can be used.

•  Milk freezer bags are also an option.  Ameda Store and Pour are perfect for this. You can pump directly into the bag and the write the date and put in your fridge or freezer directly. No muss no fuss!

•  Avoid thin bottle liners. These are meant to be used as feeding bags, but not for freezing milk. They can split when frozen. 

•  Store your milk in the smallest amount your baby might take. When your baby takes a bottle, her saliva mixes with the milk. You can always add milk to it, but don’t save leftover milk after it’s been fed.

•  Write the date and time on your milk container with a sticky label or non-toxic marker. Add your baby’s name if she is in daycare or in the hospital.

•  You can combine milk pumped at different times. When combining milk from different days, write the date of the oldest milk on the container.

•  If you plan to use your milk within 8 days, you can keep it in the fridge. Otherwise, plan to freeze it in the coldest part of the freezer. Avoid storing in the door, the deeper into the freezer the better.

• You can add fresh milk to cooled milk. And you can add fresh milk to frozen milk if it’s  cooled first and there is less fresh than the amount frozen.

• Before freezing large amounts of milk. Freeze a batch or two, then thaw and smell it. Some mothers make milk high in lipase, an enzyme that digests fat. When thawed, the frozen milk of these moms has a strong, soapy smell. If this happens and the baby refuses this milk, deactivate the lipase before freezing it by scalding the milk first. (To scald your milk, heat it in a pot on the range until bubbles form at the edges, then cool and freeze.)

• If you follow the times on the chart below, you can keep your milk at room temperature, then refrigerate it, and then freeze it.

QUESTION: Why do some milk storage guidelines differ?

ANSWER: Why can’t the experts agree? First, research confirms that your milk will not spoil before the times in the table below. But the longer your milk is stored, the more vitamins and antioxidants are lost. That’s why some breastfeeding books list shorter storage times. Those experts prefer you to use your milk sooner rather than later. But this doesn’t mean that your milk will spoil if you wait longer.

It’s never a bad idea to give your milk as soon as you can after pumping. But what should you do if you find some stored milk in the back of the fridge that has been there for up to eight days? When in doubt about the freshness of your milk, smell or taste it. Spoiled milk will usually smell spoiled.

QUESTION: Why do I need to warm my milk before feeding it to my baby?

ANSWER: An older, larger baby can handle drinking chilled milk. But milk needs to be warm for a tiny baby. If a newborn is fed cold milk, it can bring down his body temperature. For a younger baby, warm your milk to between room and body temperature.

QUESTION: What should I know about warming and thawing my milk?

HERE ARE SOME POINTERS:

•  Whether warming chilled milk or thawing frozen milk, keep the heat low. High heat kills the live cells in your milk that help keep your baby healthy.

• Warm your milk to between room and body temperature under cool then warm running water. Keep warm water away from the bottle lid so that it doesn’t mix with the milk. 

•  One way to do this is to put a bottle in a bowl with the sides lower than the bottle’s lid. Run warm water in the bowl. The warm water against the sides of the bottle warms the milk.

•  You can thaw frozen milk in the refrigerator.

•  Your milk is not “homogenized” like the milk in the store. So it may separate into layers. If this happens, just gently swirl it to mix.

HERE ARE SOME “DON’TS” TO KEEP IN MIND:

•  Don’t warm milk in the microwave. It changes the milk and causes hot spots that can burn your baby’s mouth and throat.

•  Don’t heat the milk in a pot on the stove. High heat can make the milk too hot for your baby, and it destroys the antibodies your baby needs.

You know how much your milk matters to your baby. That’s why you make the time to pump and store your milk.

Ameda Personal Breast Pumps

Help! My breast are engorged!

Many woman who are breastfeeding experience this and it is normal for your breasts to become larger, heavier, and a little tender when they begin making more milk. Sometimes this fullness may turn into engorgement, when your breasts feel very hard and painful. You also may have breast swelling, tenderness, warmth, redness, throbbing, and flattening of the nipple. Engorgement sometimes also causes a low-grade fever and can be confused with a breast infection. Engorgement is the result of the milk building up. It usually happens during the third to fifth day after birth, but it can happen at any time.
Engorgement can lead to plugged ducts or a breast infection, so it is important to try to prevent it before this happens. If treated properly engorgement should resolve,  usually in a couple of days.

Now what?

Breastfeed often after birth, allowing the baby to feed as long as he or she likes, as long as he or she is latched on well and sucking effectively. In the early weeks after birth, you should wake your baby to feed if four hours have passed since the beginning of the last feeding.  (This opinion varies, you know your baby best and if they need to sleep longer, use your "mom instincts".  They are ususally right!) 

Make sure you have a good latch. If you are having trouble or you feel things are not going well,you can contact your nearest Lactation Consultant or La Leche League. 

Breastfeed often on the affected side to remove the milk, keep it moving freely, and prevent the breast from becoming overly full.

Avoid overusing pacifiers and using bottles to supplement feedings.

Hand express or pump a little milk to first soften the breast, aereola and nipple before breastfeeding, or use an electric breast pump if you have one, but not for too long. Remember more milk out means more milk you will make! Your body is trying to adjust and make the right amount for your little one.

Massage the breast. This works really well in a nice warm shower. Don't be surprised if you notice milk leaking out if you do this. This is normal and probably will provide some relief.

Use cold compresses in between feedings to help ease pain.

If you are returning to work, try to pump your milk on the same schedule that the baby breastfed at home. Or, you can pump at least every four hours.

Get enough rest, proper nutrition, and fluids.

Wear a well-fitting, supportive bra that is not too tight. Use some breast pads if you feel that you might leak!

These things should help and engorgement usually doesn't last more than a couple of days. Once your body adjusts to the demands of your baby, you might have some leakage and a bit of soreness but it should go away. If you are still having pain or engorgement, it is important that you contact your local breastfeeding support person.

When Do You Need a Hospital Grade Pump?

There is a lot of information about pumping out there these days. Many moms are even putting breast pumps on their baby registry. How do you know what your breastfeeding experience will be before your baby even arrives?  What if your baby is premature?

 It also depends on your goal. Is your goal to breastfeed your baby or feed your baby breast milk? Purchasing a breast pump is something that you should think about and be prepared for , but you can wait until after the baby is born.

If your goal is to breastfeed, you may only need a manual pump for occasional expression. If you are planning to feed your baby breastmilk and not actually breastfeed then you will most likely want (and need!) a double electric pump. If your baby is premature or you have problems with low milk supply then you will most likely need a hospital grade pump, and a lactation consultant.

Hospital grade breast pumps provide top of the line pumping technology. This type of pump is the ideal choice for mothers of multiples or pre-term infants. Hospital grade pumps are also the best pump option for mothers who need to initiate lactation or increase milk production.

Hospital grade pumps are available as rentals from hospitals, health units and some pharmacies.  Each mother will need her own milk collection kit to use with the hospital pump.

This is a great way to get started with pumping. You may not need to pump long term, or you may need the functions that a hospital grade pump can offer such as more cycle speeds and more options for increasing the milk. Once you have your milk supply established you can move on to the next phase.

If you are going to continue pumping you can go to a personal use pump. Some pumps will use the same kits as the hospital grade pumps. For example if you use an Ameda Elite or Platinum pump, your collection kit will work with an Ameda Purely Yours personal use breast pump.

Trying to decide which type of pump you need can be tough, but you do want to take into consideration things like milk contamination, ease of use and comfort while pumping. Talking to a breastfeeding specialist and other moms may give you some help, but you will be the one who knows what kind of pump you will need.  It is a big investment to purchase a double electric pump so you want to make sure you make the right decision.

If you are not sure, then renting a hospital grade pump is your best option. This will help you make the decision if pumping is for you!  Remember breast is best, but sometimes you need an option to help give your baby the breastmilk if you are unable.

Good luck and happy feeding!

Should Pumping Hurt?

Some moms assume pumping should be painful. Not so! “No pain, no gain” does not apply here. Painful pumping means something needs to be adjusted. What causes pain? The two most common causes are: 1) pump suction set too high and 2) flange fit issues.

Pump Suction Set Too High. First, the strongest pump suction does not always pump the most milk. In fact, too-high suction can actually slow your milk flow. Set your pump at the highest suction that feels good…and no higher. (If you’re gritting your teeth, it’s too high!)

Pumping milk is not like sucking a drink through a straw. With a straw, the stronger you suck, the more you get. When pumping, most milk comes only when a let-down, or milk release, happens. Without a milk release, most milk stays in the breast. What is a milk release?

• Hormones cause muscles in the breast to squeeze and milk ducts to widen, pushing the milk out.
• Some mothers feel tingling. Others feel nothing.
  

A milk release can happen with a touch at the breast, hearing a baby cry, or even by thinking about your baby. Feelings of stress, anger, or upset can block milk release.

While breastfeeding, most mothers have three or four milk releases, often without knowing it. To get more milk with your pump, you need more milk releases, not stronger suction. See our Q&A Series sheet Making the Most of Your Breast Pump on the MCP website under the "about breastfeeding tab" for tips on triggering more milk releases during pumping.

Flange Fit Issues. Many mothers pump comfortably with the standard size flange (25 mm diameter nipple opening). But if pumping hurts even on low suction, you most likely need another size. If the standard flange is too small or too large, a better-fitting flange will feel more comfortable and may even pump more milk.

To check your flange fit, watch your nipple during pumping. If you see a little space around your nipple as it’s drawn into the flange’s nipple tunnel, you have a good fit. If your nipple rubs against its sides, the flange is too small (click here to see fit photos). If too much of the dark area around the nipple is pulled in or the nipple bounces in and out of the tunnel, it is too large.

Thankfully, Ameda has seven different flange sizes available, so you can go larger or smaller, as needed. (Click here to see the range of fit options.) Nipple size changes with birth, breastfeeding, and pumping, so the pump flange that fit you well when you started pumping may need to change as you pump more. For that reason, you’ll want to recheck your flange fit from time to time.

Breast or Nipple Issues. There are other possible causes of pain during pumping related to breast and nipple health. If your pain is not due to too much suction or the too-small or too-large flanges, it is time to ask more questions. Do you have nipple trauma (broken skin on the nipple)? Could you have a bacterial infection of the nipple (can occur with a history of nipple trauma)? Do you have an overgrowth of yeast (also known as thrush or candida)? Is mastitis a possibility? Does your nipple turn white, red, or blue after pumping? If so, see your lactation or other health-care provider to rule out Raynaud’s Phenomenon and other possible causes.

Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC, FILCA, Lactation Consultant, Ameda Breastfeeding Products
Coauthor of Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers

Nipple Pain and Trauma - oh what to do!

In the early weeks of breastfeeding you may experience sore or tender nipples. Tender nipples at the start of a breastfeeding are normal during the first week or two. But pain, cracks, blisters, and bleeding are not. Your comfort depends on where your nipple lands in baby’s mouth. And this depends on how your baby takes the breast, or latches on. Learning the correct latch takes practice, and the help of a Lactation consultant is often needed.

To understand this better use your tongue to feel the roof of your mouth. Behind your teeth are ridges. Behind the ridges the roof feels hard. When your nipple is pressed against this hard area in your baby’s mouth, it can hurt.

But farther back in your mouth the roof turns from hard to soft. Near this is the area some call "the comfort zone." Once your nipple reaches your baby’s comfort zone, breastfeeding feels good. There is no undue friction or pressure on your nipple.

To make this happen, let gravity help. Lean back with good neck, shoulder, and back support and your hips forward. Lay your baby tummy down between your exposed breasts. When your calm, hungry baby feels your body against her chin, torso, legs, and feet, this triggers her inborn feeding reflexes. When her chin touches your body, her mouth opens and she begins to search for the breast. In these "laid-back positions," gravity helps the nipple reach the comfort zone.

Image of proper latch. The nipple should be deep and past the hard palate.

In other positions, you need to work harder to help your baby take the breast deeply.

• With your baby’s body pressed firmly against you and her nose in line with your nipple, let her head tilt back a bit (avoid pushing on the back of her head)
• Allow her chin to touch the breast then move away.
• Repeat until her mouth opens really wide, like a yawn.
• As she moves onto the breast chin first, gently press your baby’s shoulders from behind for a deeper latch.

That last gentle shove helps the nipple reach the comfort zone. Breastfeeding tends to feel better when your baby latches on off-center, so her lower jaw lands far from the nipple.

In the process of mastering the latch, you may experience pain, and sore cracked nipples. If you feel nipple tendeness or discomfort,  Ameda ComfortGel pads can prevent clothing friction and sootheand help heal your nipples.  Ameda ComfortGel pads are comfortable to apply and easyto use. Just wear in your bra like a nursing pad. Plus, they do not stain clothing. Each water-based ComfortGel pad may last up to six days, making it an economical and convenient choice. Also, because Ameda ComfortGel hydrogel pads will not absorb any milk you can use them with Ameda No Show premium breast pads against your bra. This is the best moist would healing treatment available today. Ask for them at your pharmacy counter.

　

CNN article regarding Used Breast Pumps

This is written from an unbiased person in the US, who happens to be a medical doctor! Very aware of contamination issues and safety!  Used pumps are popular, just be informed when you are shopping for one.

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/13/is-a-used-breast-pump-safe/

Ameda Product support videos

Well, have you ever had a question about your Ameda pump and our customer service center is closed? Well now you can have access to multiple videos at the click of your mouse!  Want to find out how to put the pump collection kit together? How about checking if your flange is the right size? Now there are some videos online to help you with your questions.


http://www.ameda.com/ameda-products/product-videos

Happy video watching!