Got the Breastmilk, Now What?!

Excerpt from “Ameda’s Breastfeeding Answers” by Judy Minami, MS, CLE

Thawing frozen breast milk

Do:

* Thaw frozen milk in its container under cool running water, gradually adding warmer water until the milk is thawed.
* Gently shake the container of thawed milk before feeding to baby to mix the layers that have separated.
* Thaw in a refrigerator.

Don’t:

* Defrost breast milk under hot running water or in boiling water.
* Defrost milk in the microwave. Uneven heating patterns may alter the composition of the milk and can create “hot spots” that can burn the baby’s mouth.

Deciding how much breast milk to have for baby

To help calculate how much breast milk to leave for feedings, the following formula is helpful. A baby will usually consume approximately 2.5 ounces of milk per pound of body weight in a 24-hour period, up to a total of 32 ounces. For example, a 12 lb. baby will need a total of about 30 oz. of milk in a 24-hours period, which equals about 3 to 3.75 oz. per feeding for 8-10 feedings.

Bottle Options

There are so many bottle options. Best to go toxin free, without BPA, phthalates and lead. Glass is the best option and it’s what we personally drink from. BornFree makes vented glass bottles. Prince Lionheart has medical grade silicone bottles available and they collapse as air is released giving baby a bubble-free bottle feeding, reducing the likelihood of colic reflux and spit-up. There’s a new bottle that I haven’t seen before called MilkBank, it has a triple vented cap and silicone nipple.

Here are some from Amazon that are best sellers or good ratings by customers and meet my criteria of BPA free. Again, I believe glass is the best option however here are glass options as well as plastic.

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