Mommy Corner: Breast Milk Storage Guidelines

August is Breast feeding awareness month and a lot of mothers have been asking about the proper storage of breast milk. I have been a pumping mother since I my child was born and I've had my share of challenges along the way. I haven't exclusively breastfed him but I am happy that I've come a long way - almost 14 months!

Here are the basic guidelines to remember about breast milk storage: 5-5-5

This is actually the conservative guide - 5 hours in room temperature, 5 days when you put it in the refrigerator and 5 months when it is in a deep freezer. This was made so that mothers won't forget it easily. 

There is a more detailed guidelines to storing breast milk though if you wanted it to be exact. 

If left in room temperature (less than 26 degrees Celsius), milk can actually last for 6-8 hours. I remember pumping milk and forgetting to put in immediately in the refrigerator, good thing that we were staying in an air-conditioned room, I was shocked to find out after 6 hours that I wasn't able to put it in the ref. I tried to smell and taste, it was still okay, so I immediately placed it in the ref and offered it first to my son when he woke up.

If left in the refrigerator (make sure it is stored at the coldest part), milk usually last from 3-8 days.

If left in the freezer: (depending on the kind of freezer)

Freezer part of the refrigerator: Ideal to consume milk within 2 weeks

Separate door freezer: Milk could last for 6 months

Independent deep freezer: Milk can last for 12 months

When it comes to combining stored milk, make sure that both milk have the same temperature before combining in order to avoid spread and development of bacteria.

When you are thawing frozen milk, you have 24 hours for baby to consume it. It is best to store milk in 4-6 oz per pack so that you won't waste milk and that baby will be able to finish it in 1 feeding to avoid spoilage.

Of course, it is always best to smell and taste the milk first before you offer it to your baby.

Lanna
PS. Liked the post? Subscribe to my blog by typing in your email below. You'll get my posts in your inbox via email.

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

-->

Read More

Nursing Rooms in Metro Manila Malls

Pumping milk is a challenging task for breastfeeding moms at the same time, this is rewarding because you provide your little one with the best nutrition he/she can have.

I was never concerned with nursing stations until I needed one. Below are some of the nursing areas in different malls that I have been to:

TriNoMa

It was a good thing that one of the nearest malls in our area is TriNoMa and they do have a family lounge where kids can play and moms can feed/express milk.

Since my husband and I go malling on weekdays, I never had a problem of having to wait because there is always an available cubicle in the nursing area. It's very much different though during weekends as the 3 nursing cubicles are usually full.

Below is a photo of a nursing cubicle and you could see that the area is spacious. They make sure that moms are very relaxed by providing comfortable chair with ottoman.

Chair with ottoman

Ledge with socket for pumping mothers

For pumping mothers, you need not worry as there is also a socket provided so you could save your battery.

Ayala Mall (Glorietta) Makati

I wasn't able to get a photo of their nursing room because it was fully occupied as we went on a Sunday. I was informed by the staff though that they had 2 nursing cubicles that are available for breastfeeding moms in their family lounge. For a big mall, I think they need to put more nursing rooms to accommodate the growing population of nursing mothers.

Rustan's Makati

I find this quite odd because their nursing room is a shared space with the rest of the nursing mothers compared to the others who had separate cubicles.

When you open the sliding door, you could see sofas that are arranged in a u-shape leaving a big space in the center for strollers to be parked. In addition, a diaper changing area is made available inside the  room.

A good thing about this is you get to know and talk with the fellow nursing moms. If you're not the outgoing type and prefers to nurse discreetly, this setup might not be favorable for you.

Shangri-La Mall

If I'm not mistaken (correct me if I'm wrong mommies!), the only nursing room is located inside Rustan's Department Store near the baby/kid's section. I haven't had the chance to actually use it because when we went there two weeks ago (May 18, 2015), the staff said that the Nursing Room is "broken" and temporarily, they have converted one of the fitting rooms by the children's section to be a nursing room. I commend them for designing the fitting room to make it look like a nursery (too bad I wasn't able to take a photo of it). But I do hope that they fix their nursing room soon because only 1 mom is allowed inside the fitting room. I ended pumping inside the car that Monday afternoon because somebody else was using the nursing room. 

Do share with us photos of various nursing rooms and malls that you have been to moms! But, don't be discouraged whenever there are no nursing rooms available, let's remember that it is our right to feed our little one wherever and whenever they need it. Let's normalize breastfeeding! :)

Have a happy and blessed mid-week!

Lanna
PS. Liked the post? Subscribe to my blog by typing in your email below. You'll get my posts in your inbox via email.

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

-->

Read More