Errores comunes al usar bolsas para almacenar leche materna y consejos para evitarlos

With the increasing popularity of breastfeeding, more and more mothers are choosing to use breast milk storage bags to conveniently store breast milk, ensuring their babies have fresh breast milk even when they’re away. However, many mothers may make common mistakes when using breast milk storage bags, which not only affect the storage efficiency but also the quality of their breast milk. Today, Impak discusses how to avoid these common mistakes and ensure your baby enjoys healthier and safer breast milk.

Not Marking the Date and Time

Mistake: Many mothers often forget to mark the date and time of extraction on breast milk storage bags, making it difficult to ensure the milk is used within a safe timeframe.

Tips to Avoid: Always write the extraction date and time on the bag each time you store breast milk. This helps you clearly understand how long the milk has been stored and helps prevent you from feeding your baby milk that has exceeded its expiration date. When freezing breast milk, it’s best to follow the “first in, first out” principle, with the earliest extracted milk used first.

Improper bag capacity selection

Mistake: Some mothers tend to store too much breast milk at a time, especially first-time breastfeeders. This can lead to over-extraction and insufficient storage bag capacity. Alternatively, some mothers store too little breast milk, leaving the bag with too much air space, which results in the milk not being completely sealed and affecting its freshness.

Tips for avoiding this: Choose a bag capacity based on your baby’s needs. Generally speaking, the amount of breast milk you store at a time should be based on your baby’s milk intake. Avoid storing too much or too little. Generally, a bag of 150ml to 200ml is suitable. If storing multiple times, divide the bag into several bags, each containing the amount of milk your baby consumes per meal.

Poorly sealed bags

Mistake: Sometimes, when storing breast milk, mothers may not fully seal the bag, allowing air to enter, affecting the freshness and nutritional content of the milk.

Tips for avoiding this: When using a breast milk storage bag, ensure the zipper or seal is completely closed. Some double-sealed storage bags require you to ensure the seals are perfectly aligned, leaving no gaps. The quality of the seal directly impacts the storage quality of breast milk, especially when freezing breast milk. A poor seal can cause freezer burn, affecting its nutritional value.

Improper Storage Temperature

Mistake: Some mothers may not adhere to proper storage temperature guidelines for breast milk, causing it to be affected by temperature fluctuations and even spoil. For example, some may leave breast milk at room temperature for too long or repeatedly thaw and refreeze frozen breast milk.

Tips to Avoid: Breast milk storage temperature is critical. Fresh breast milk should be used within 4 hours at room temperature. For longer-term storage, it should be refrigerated and used within 24 hours. Frozen breast milk should be stored below -18°C and used within 6 months. Avoid thawing breast milk repeatedly and, ideally, only take out the amount you need at a time to avoid compromising nutritional content.

Reusing Disposable Storage Bags

Mistake: Some mothers believe breast milk storage bags are disposable and can be reused after cleaning. However, improper cleaning of breast milk storage bags can pose a health risk.

Tips to Avoid: Although some breast milk storage bags are labeled reusable, for safety reasons, it is best to choose those clearly marked as reusable and thoroughly clean and sterilize them before each use. If you choose disposable breast milk storage bags, they should be discarded after each use to prevent secondary contamination.

Overstoring Breast Milk

Mistake: Some mothers, worried about not having enough breast milk, may overstorage their breast milk. This can lead to excessive storage and loss of nutrients.

Tips to Avoid: It is recommended to store breast milk appropriately based on your baby’s needs and avoid storing too much milk at once. It is best to store breast milk based on actual needs and avoid overstocking to avoid waste.

Conclusión

Breast milk storage bags are an important tool for mothers to preserve breast milk, but improper use can affect the quality and nutritional value of breast milk. With proper storage techniques, mothers can not only maintain the freshness and nutrients of their breast milk but also ensure the healthy growth of their babies. I hope this article can help mothers avoid detours when using breast milk storage bags and give their babies the best breastfeeding experience!