Storing and Transporting Breast Milk--For the Working Mom

If you are a breast feeding new mom who has returned to work, or is planning to return to work, you may be putting some planning effort into just how you'll manage working and continuing to breast feed. One thing that is likely is that you will need to pump your breasts at work to keep your milk supply up and continue to have enough milk to feed your baby. Finding a quiet place to focus and pump is one thing, learning how to store and transport the breast milk to home or day care is another. Here are some tips for storing and transporting the pumped breast milk for the working mother:

You'll want to make sure that in addition to your pump, you have bottles or containers to store the breast milk in at work. After you've finished pumping, put the milk in the tightly closed containers and store in the refrigerator. You can also put the milk in the freezer or in a cooler if a refrigerator/freezer isn't available at your workplace. You'll want to at least rinse the pump parts and then if you take them home they can be washed thoroughly. Some women find it more convenient to keep a pump at work. In this case, you'll want to thoroughly clean the pump after use.

Breast milk will not spoil immediately. There are all sorts of white cells in the human breast milk that keep the bacteria from growing. If you will be transporting it within a couple hours, it is all right to keep it in a cool place until it is time to take it home or to your baby. Some women put their milk in the freezer at work so it is partially frozen by the end of the day--then there is no need to chill it additionally on the ride home and it can go into the refrigerator when they get to the house or to day care. Other mothers prefer to use a cooler or an insulated bag to transport the milk from work to home.

There are now handy bags that can hold expressed breast milk and you can write the date and baby's name directly on the bag. Regardless, you will want to make sure you label the milk on whatever container you store it in. As a rule, freshly pumped breast milk can be stored at room temperature for about 6 hours. Refrigerated, the milk will last 5 days. Milk stored in the freezer compartment within a refrigerator for 2 weeks, in a separate freezer compartment in a refrigerator/freezer for 2 months in a deep freeze for 3 months. The milk should be thawed in the refrigerator for 24 hours if it has been frozen.

You should also always use the oldest stored milk first, to keep the supply rotating adequately. Milk should be stored in small amounts 1-4 ounces in each container. You can add freshly pumped breast milk to a container of stored milk, but you'll want to make sure it is at similar temperatures.

While it may seem awkward and daunting at first, working mothers who choose to continue breast feeding generally find they get the hang of pumping, storing and transporting rather quickly and feel it is well worth the effort.