How do I store my Breast Milk?

 Naturally the best way to remove milk from your breast is by feeding your baby, but there may be occasions when this is not possible and you need to express your milk; perhaps

Your baby is premature or unable to suck well

• Your baby is in hospital and you can't be there for every feed
• You are in hospital and your baby can't be there for every feed
• You have returned to the paid work force, study or other commitments
• You are leaving your baby with a sitter while you are out, or
• Your breasts sometimes feel too full and uncomfortable.

There are several techniques you can use to encourage your milk to let down while expressing.

Consciously try to relax, using whatever method suits you. Try to express in a quiet, warm, relaxing area, away from distractions. While expressing, breathe slowly and deeply. You could express in the place you usually sit to feed. Some mothers have a warm drink first or listen to soft music. . Warmth (expressing after a warm shower, warm face washers on the breast for a few minutes before starting) may also help.

Massage Methods

Try a variety of methods to find one that works best for you. 

Fingertip massage

Use two fingers,

Press fingertips lightly onto breast,

Make small circles,

Start from the back and move towards the areola,

Cover your whole breast, and

Massage firmly, but gently.

Diamond hand position

 Support your breast with both hands, thumbs on top, fingers below, and

 Press gently as you move towards the nipple.

Parallel hand position

Place one hand above, one below,

Gently press towards your nipple, and

Rotate your hands as they move forward.

Warm washcloth massage

Wet washcloth with warm water, and

Press firmly on your breast, from back to nipple.

Hand expressing is more like breastfeeding than pumping. When you use a pump, you draw the milk out of your breast. When you hand express, you compress the milk ducts, which is what your baby does while breastfeeding. It often takes some practice to get milk out at first, so be patient with you. Some women find hand expressing better than other methods. It is also cheapest, because it requires no special equipment.

Remember that the milk must be gently squeezed from the milk ducts behind the nipple.

Storing the milk 

You can fill your sterilized storing bottle (or plastic bag) with the amount of expressed milk you estimate your baby will need for each feed. This may require slowly banking small amounts of milk, adding it to other milk you have expressed previously. You can do this:

	Expressing the first amount of milk and placing it into a sterilized plastic bottle, or milk expression bag.
	Label the bottle or bag (by sticking on some masking tape and writing on it) with the date and time of the first milk expression. (If you are taking your milk to the hospital for your baby, you may also need to include your baby's name etc.).
	Place the expressed milk in the fridge to cool. If you intend to freeze the milk, then you should wait until it cools before placing it in the freezer.
	When you next express more milk. Place the amount you expressed in the fridge to cool. Once it is cold, it can be added to the other cooled, or already frozen milk.
	You can continue to add to the previously frozen milk for up to a week. If you are expressing a small amount over a longer period than this, start a new storage container a week from the first expression.
6 to 10 hours at room temperature (less than 26o Celsius).                However, it is always recommended you store                expressed breast milk in the fridge if one is available.
	3 to 5 days in the back of the body of the fridge (under 4o Celsius). Not the door of the fridge, which is warmer.
	2 weeks in a freezer compartment inside a fridge, (which is a common design in smaller fridges).
	3 months in a separate freezer section of a fridge (with its own door).
	6 months in a deep freezer (less than 0o Celsius).

Breast milk that's been frozen or refrigerated may look a little different from fresh breast milk, but that doesn't mean it’s gone bad. It's normal for early breast milk to look kind of orange and the mature milk to look slightly blue, yellow, or brown when refrigerated or frozen. And it may separate into a creamy looking layer and a lighter, more milk-like layer.