Secrets To Creating Your Milk Bank

We moms, without a doubt, recognize that breastfeeding our children is an act of love that brings countless benefits. So, we want you to learn how to make a milk bank in your own home.

A domestic breast milk bank, is what specialists and supporters of exclusive and continuous breastfeeding call the act of extracting, filling and storing the milk that will serve to breastfeed the baby for the short or medium term.

The interest in learning about the process for storing milk in the refrigerator was very important in several countries over the last decade, due to the need of mothers who need to incorporate breastfeeding into their professional activities in the months after delivery.

A mother’s first concern is to provide her child with the best nutrition. When we talk about it, we understand that  there is nothing more suitable than breastfeeding our little ones. But when the time is not enough or our activities outside the home weigh against this desire, we must plan how to fulfill our goal of continuing to offer natural milk to our little baby.

Shelf-life of breast milk

Breast milk is rich in a wide variety of vitamins, fats and immune agents that allow the baby to develop correctly. Thus, to guarantee these properties, we must know that the liquid stored at room temperature will be in excellent condition for up to seven hours after removal.

Properly frozen breast milk can be used for up to 12 months.

If you want to store the milk overnight, you can keep it in the fridge, where it will stay perfectly preserved for up to a week. But if you think you won’t be using it for a long time, then we recommend freezing it so that you can use it within seven months to a year.

You don’t need to worry too much about the expiration date of the milk . Simply place tags with the date of extraction on the bags or containers in which you store the milk. With this data you will know with certainty which milk to offer your little one.

How to store correctly?

In pharmacies you can find small bags in which 100 to 200 ml of human milk can be stored. But if you want to conserve larger quantities, you can do this by sterilizing small plastic or glass jars, which must be sealed tightly.

The best tips for collecting

Milk production reaches 100% of its active capacity exactly when the baby is nursing. This has been scientifically demonstrated; therefore, it is suggested to collect the milk during the breastfeeding task. How can you do that?

It’s easier than we think. We should just connect the pump used to express the milk – whether electric or manual – to one of our breasts, while the baby is feeding on the other.

Mothers who put this technique into practice claim that it is possible to withdraw a larger amount of milk in less time than when the collection is made while the baby is sleeping.

Preserving colostrum will help to overcome the baby’s first fevers and colds.

The amount of milk you will need will depend on each mother’s daily schedule and the baby’s needs. For example, those mothers who need to be away from home for long hours will need to set aside relative amounts of milk for breastfeeding every three hours.

When to start the breast milk bank?

As soon as you start realizing that you have milk to store you can start your milk bank. You will feel more relieved when you leave your child in someone else’s care. Think that the best support when you are not at home will be exactly your Lactário Maternal, with which you will be able to continue to offer your little one the best of you.

An excellent reason to start creating the milk bank from the first moment is that in the first few days after the baby is born, the mammary glands produce a substance called colostrum.

Breastfeeding specialists even claimed that colostrum is liquid gold, referring directly to the yellow color it has, and the wonderful properties it presents, such as enzymes and lactobacillus acidophilus that reinforce the development of the intestinal tract and facilitate digestion.

Because it has large amounts of immunoglobulins,  colostrum may have a more effective action than an antibiotic against infectious processes, or be the best vaccine during the typical colds that the baby has in the first year of life.

Plan to set up the home milk bank before your baby is born. The purpose is to make this practice an ally and not a race against the clock. Don’t forget to take the opportunity to offer your child the best food in the world.