EXPRESSING MILK
Expressing milk presents several advantages and is an excellent alternative when you are away from home; for example, you can express breastmilk if you want someone else to feed your baby, if baby is too small or even too sick to suckle from the breast.
Three methods exist to express breast milk:
- By hand,
- Hand pump or
- Electric pump.
Remember to express your milk into a sterilised bottle. Once you have capped it, you can keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
You can freeze breastmilk for up to one week in the freezer compartment of the fridge or up to three months in the freezer.
You can thaw frozen breast milk in a fridge or in a container of lukewarm water.
But, when it is thawed, you must use it within
24 hours.
Do not Microwave and NEVER Refreeze
BACK TO WORK
Leaving your baby and going back to work will probably be a hard decision for you to make. You can continue to breastfeed fully or partially. Alternatively, you could feed your baby frequently during the night, before you go to work and when you come home. You could express your breast milk into one or two bottles and leave these with your carer to be given during the time you are at work. You should also pay particular attention to eating healthy nutritious meals with plenty of fluids when breastfeeding.
If you need more information on how to express breastmilk, please speak to your midwife or health visitor.
