Extracting and Storing Breast Milk

• Wait around twenty minutes after breastfeeding to extract your milk.
• Extract your milk first thing in the morning, as this is the time of greater production.
• When you are in the office, extract your milk with the same frequency that you feed your baby (every three hours at most), so that your milk does not dry up.
• When extracting your milk, sit in a comfortable place, relax and drink a cup of water. Think about your baby.
• There are different types of breast pumps. With this technique you can extract the amount of milk your baby normally drinks, which varies depending on the age of the baby, between 50 and 200 cc’s. it is normal that the amount extracted is different in different sessions.
• The emptier your breasts are, the more milk you will produce and the more time your baby will eat. Avoid an accumulation of milk so that you do not suffer of mastitis and breast pains.
• Remember that you should consult the doctor before taking any medication as harmless as it seems.
• Store milk in clean sterilized plastic recipients.
• Use a different recipient for the milk each time.
• Do not mix in the recipient the milk extracted in different sessions.
• Milk can conserve itself between 8 and 10 hours in normal temperature (in moderate climates), two or three days in the refrigerator, and up to three months in the freezer.
• Once milk comes into contact with the environment, a layer of fat from on the top part of the recipient. This does not mean the milk is off. Slightly move the recipient so that it mixes again.
• Heat milk up in a double boiler. Never boil it or heat it up in the microwave.

Interesting Breast Milk Fact
Did you know that the color of your milk could vary depending on the type of food or medications you are taking?