Breastfeeding offers immense benefits, including strengthening the immune systems of newborns, deepening maternal bonds, and even reducing the risk of breast cancer for mothers. However, it raises complex questions like:
How much do newborns eat?
How do I best store breast milk?
How do I thaw/ defrost the milk to maintain its nutrients?
Since it’s difficult to predict the exact amount your baby will need at each feeding, maintaining a breast milk supply in the freezer ensures you’re always prepared. This preparation reduces stress and doubt during your breastfeeding journey, allowing you to nurture your baby longer with the precious liquid gold mother nature provides.
Whether you’re returning to work, planning a night out, or simply ensuring your baby has a steady milk supply when you are not at home, knowing how to safely store, freeze, and thaw breast milk is very important.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the best methods for managing breast milk, enhancing your breastfeeding experience with practical storage solutions, and provide the top tips for proper thawing/defrosting.
1. Storing breast milk safely
The key to safe breast milk storage starts with cleanliness. Ensure all storage containers, like our Yummy Tray, are well washed. When pumping or collecting milk while feeding on one side, store your milk in the Yummy Bag and put it directly in the fridge or in your cooler bag.
2. Freezing breast milk
Pour from your Yummy Bag the collected milk into your Yummy Tray. Using our Yummy Tray not only helps shaping the milk into flexible 30ml portions but also protects the nutrients in your breast milk by freezing it faster than bigger blocks from other freezer trays.
3. To ensure your baby enjoys fresh, nutritious milk, consider these thawing methods:
Overnight thawing in the refrigerator: Efficiently plan for the next day by placing up to five milk clouds (150ml) into the Yummy Bag and letting them thaw in the refrigerator overnight. This slow thaw preserves best the milk’s nutrients, making it ready for your baby’s night or morning feed.
Direct thawing into the baby bottle: Need milk on the go? The unique shape of our Yummy Tray clouds fits perfectly into any baby bottleneck, allowing you to transfer frozen milk directly. This method is perfect for quick feeds at daycare or with grandparents, ensuring your baby has access to milk whenever it’s needed. It is a still a slow thawing at room temperature, so keeping the nutrients intact.
“Au bain marie” defrosting: If you need to speed up the thawing process, you can also submerge your Yummy Bag with the frozen clouds into warm water. Our Yummy Bags are completely leak-free, ensuring that the milk remains uncontaminated. The material is great for transferring heat.
Building a freezer supply: Start pumping sessions at the same time each day. Collect the milk that naturally comes out when feeding at one side, or pump after feeding on both sides, focusing mainly on the second breast.; Babies always drink less of the second breast because their little stomach gets already full 😊
This way you don’t lose any milk, you feed your baby and you build up slowly a supply!
Pumping at work: For those pumping at work, our Nursing Cocoon offers a private and comfortable space to express milk. It’s discreet, easy to use, and ensures you can maintain your supply even during busy workdays. Building a freezer supply of breast milk gives you flexibility and peace of mind. With the right tools like our Yummy Bag and Yummy Tray, and following safe practices, you can ensure your baby has access to your milk whenever needed. Remember, each drop of breast milk is precious, and handling it properly is key to your child’s health.
Ready to start building your supply? Embrace these tips and make your breastfeeding journey a smooth sail!
Lots of love,
Sarah
