Megadodo
10-19-2007, 01:53 PM
Common Concerns When Storing Human Milk
By Cindy Scott Duke
Davis, California, USA
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 15 No. 4, July - August 1998, p. 109
One of the many benefits of breastfeeding is convenience. Most of the time, human milk goes directly from producer to consumer, with no concerns about collection, storage, preparation, or freshness in between. However, some mothers express and save milk for their babies, either occasionally or regularly. This article addresses some common questions and concerns about the appearance of expressed milk and safe storage of human milk for healthy, full-term babies. If your baby is hospitalized or you are collecting milk for a milk bank, different guidelines may apply.
Visual Characteristics of Human Milk
Those who have never seen human milk may be surprised if they expect it to look like cow's milk out of a carton. Unlike homogenized milk, human milk will separate when left to stand, with the fat rising to the top. This does not mean it has spoiled. Simply shaking the container gently will restore the milk to a homogeneous consistency.
Samples of human milk expressed at different times may not look the same either, as various factors can influence fat content and even color. The amount of fat can fluctuate from day to day and within a nursing or pumping session as well. Milk expressed at the beginning of a feeding may look "thinner" than milk expressed later, when the milk ejection reflex sends milk higher in fat toward the nipple.
The color of human milk can vary. Colostrum is generally yellow to yellow- orange. The transition from colostrum to mature milk can take about two weeks to complete. During that time, the color changes gradually to a bluish white color. However, the color of mature milk may change because of mother's diet or medications. Food dyes used in carbonated sodas, fruit drinks, and gelatin desserts have been associated with milk that is pink or pinkish orange. Greenish milk has been linked to consuming green- colored sports beverages, seaweed, or large amounts of green vegetables. One woman consuming a certain prescription medication reported black milk. Frozen milk may look yellowish.
Pinkish milk may indicate blood in the milk. This could occur with or without cracked nipples. If cracked nipples are the cause of blood in the milk, a mother can contact a La Leche League Leader for suggestions on healing sore nipples. Blood in milk is not harmful to babies, and breastfeeding can continue. If blood in the milk does not cease by two weeks postpartum, the mother may wish to consult with her health care provider.
Odor of Human Milk
Under most circumstances, fresh human milk has a mild, slightly sweet scent. Occasionally, human milk that has been frozen and thawed may smell soapy and may be rejected by the baby. In Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession, Ruth Lawrence, MD, postulates that for some mothers, milk stored in a self- defrosting freezer may have had changes in its lipid structure due to the freeze-thaw cycles that occur in such freezers.
In a few cases, mothers have reported that their milk began to smell soapy as soon as it cooled, regardless of whether it had been frozen. "When these mothers heated their milk to a scald (not boiling) and then quickly cooled and froze it," writes Lawrence, "the effect was not apparent and their infants accepted the heat treated milk. That process inactivated the lipase (fat-digesting enzyme) and halted the process of fat digestion." However, high heating may lower some nutrient levels, including ascorbic acid (vitamin C). If the milk already smells sour, heating will have no effect on flavor or smell. Milk that smells rancid likely is, and should be discarded.
Choosing a Milk Storage Container
After expressing milk into a clean container, milk should be stored in a tightly closed glass or plastic container. There have been controversies about what type of container will best protect the nutrients and immunity factors in human milk. Current research suggests that human milk can safely be stored in glass or plastic receptacles with no significant nutrient loss. THE BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK recommends glass, clear hard plastic (polycarbonate), and cloudy hard plastic (polypropylene), in that order, as storage containers for freezing milk. If a baby receives expressed milk only occasionally, any possible effect of the container on the quality of the milk will be negligible.
Ease of use can be an important consideration when choosing a container. Plastic bags take up less room and can be connected directly to some breast pumps. Bags designed specifically for storing human milk are constructed of thicker material, are easily sealable, pre-sterilized, and have space to label the milk with the date and baby's name. One brand, Egnell Freezer Milk Bags, is available through the LLLI Catalogue. (No.426, $7.95). Disposable polyethylene bottle liners are not designed to store milk and are not recommended. The seams may burst during freezing, and the bag can leak during thawing. If you must use these, double bagging can help avoid tearing. These bags are not recommended for long-term storage.
Cooled milk can be combined with other cooled or frozen milk as long as the quantity of cooled milk is small enough that it doesn't thaw a frozen batch. Freezing milk in small quantities (2 to 4 oz. or 60-120 ml.) helps avoid wasting this precious fluid. Label with the date and your baby's name if it will be stored with milk for more than one baby.
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By Cindy Scott Duke
Davis, California, USA
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 15 No. 4, July - August 1998, p. 109
One of the many benefits of breastfeeding is convenience. Most of the time, human milk goes directly from producer to consumer, with no concerns about collection, storage, preparation, or freshness in between. However, some mothers express and save milk for their babies, either occasionally or regularly. This article addresses some common questions and concerns about the appearance of expressed milk and safe storage of human milk for healthy, full-term babies. If your baby is hospitalized or you are collecting milk for a milk bank, different guidelines may apply.
Visual Characteristics of Human Milk
Those who have never seen human milk may be surprised if they expect it to look like cow's milk out of a carton. Unlike homogenized milk, human milk will separate when left to stand, with the fat rising to the top. This does not mean it has spoiled. Simply shaking the container gently will restore the milk to a homogeneous consistency.
Samples of human milk expressed at different times may not look the same either, as various factors can influence fat content and even color. The amount of fat can fluctuate from day to day and within a nursing or pumping session as well. Milk expressed at the beginning of a feeding may look "thinner" than milk expressed later, when the milk ejection reflex sends milk higher in fat toward the nipple.
The color of human milk can vary. Colostrum is generally yellow to yellow- orange. The transition from colostrum to mature milk can take about two weeks to complete. During that time, the color changes gradually to a bluish white color. However, the color of mature milk may change because of mother's diet or medications. Food dyes used in carbonated sodas, fruit drinks, and gelatin desserts have been associated with milk that is pink or pinkish orange. Greenish milk has been linked to consuming green- colored sports beverages, seaweed, or large amounts of green vegetables. One woman consuming a certain prescription medication reported black milk. Frozen milk may look yellowish.
Pinkish milk may indicate blood in the milk. This could occur with or without cracked nipples. If cracked nipples are the cause of blood in the milk, a mother can contact a La Leche League Leader for suggestions on healing sore nipples. Blood in milk is not harmful to babies, and breastfeeding can continue. If blood in the milk does not cease by two weeks postpartum, the mother may wish to consult with her health care provider.
Odor of Human Milk
Under most circumstances, fresh human milk has a mild, slightly sweet scent. Occasionally, human milk that has been frozen and thawed may smell soapy and may be rejected by the baby. In Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Profession, Ruth Lawrence, MD, postulates that for some mothers, milk stored in a self- defrosting freezer may have had changes in its lipid structure due to the freeze-thaw cycles that occur in such freezers.
In a few cases, mothers have reported that their milk began to smell soapy as soon as it cooled, regardless of whether it had been frozen. "When these mothers heated their milk to a scald (not boiling) and then quickly cooled and froze it," writes Lawrence, "the effect was not apparent and their infants accepted the heat treated milk. That process inactivated the lipase (fat-digesting enzyme) and halted the process of fat digestion." However, high heating may lower some nutrient levels, including ascorbic acid (vitamin C). If the milk already smells sour, heating will have no effect on flavor or smell. Milk that smells rancid likely is, and should be discarded.
Choosing a Milk Storage Container
After expressing milk into a clean container, milk should be stored in a tightly closed glass or plastic container. There have been controversies about what type of container will best protect the nutrients and immunity factors in human milk. Current research suggests that human milk can safely be stored in glass or plastic receptacles with no significant nutrient loss. THE BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK recommends glass, clear hard plastic (polycarbonate), and cloudy hard plastic (polypropylene), in that order, as storage containers for freezing milk. If a baby receives expressed milk only occasionally, any possible effect of the container on the quality of the milk will be negligible.
Ease of use can be an important consideration when choosing a container. Plastic bags take up less room and can be connected directly to some breast pumps. Bags designed specifically for storing human milk are constructed of thicker material, are easily sealable, pre-sterilized, and have space to label the milk with the date and baby's name. One brand, Egnell Freezer Milk Bags, is available through the LLLI Catalogue. (No.426, $7.95). Disposable polyethylene bottle liners are not designed to store milk and are not recommended. The seams may burst during freezing, and the bag can leak during thawing. If you must use these, double bagging can help avoid tearing. These bags are not recommended for long-term storage.
Cooled milk can be combined with other cooled or frozen milk as long as the quantity of cooled milk is small enough that it doesn't thaw a frozen batch. Freezing milk in small quantities (2 to 4 oz. or 60-120 ml.) helps avoid wasting this precious fluid. Label with the date and your baby's name if it will be stored with milk for more than one baby.
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