Some breastfeeding mothers often wonder whether it is safe to mix breast milk pumped at different times. In fact, you can do this if you follow the guidance of healthcare professionals to ensure the safety and quality of the breast milk.
1. When Can You Mix Breast Milk Pumped at Different Times?
When taking care of newborns, breast milk is the safest and best choice to provide optimal nutrition for your baby. However, many mothers wonder if it is safe to mix breast milk pumped at different times and whether it is safe for the baby.
In fact, you can safely combine freshly pumped breast milk with previously pumped milk in the following cases:
- Ensure hygiene : Before pumping, you should wash your hands with soap to remove harmful bacteria and clean the milk storage container to maintain the quality of the breast milk.
- Full-term newborns: You should only apply this method of mixing breast milk if your baby is full-term and healthy.
- Collecting breast milk during the day: You should combine all the breast milk collected within the same day.
2. When Not to Mix Breast Milk Pumped at Different Times?
Here are some specific cases where you should not mix breast milk pumped at different times:
Mixing today’s milk with milk from the previous day: It is not safe to add today’s pumped milk to a container of milk pumped yesterday or even last week.
- Lack of hygiene: If you are in a polluted environment, with lots of dirt, or cannot wash your hands cleanly before pumping, it can contaminate the pumped milk. In this case, it is best to discard the milk rather than use it for feeding.
- Premature babies: If your baby is premature or has a compromised immune system, they will need more careful and meticulous care, including breastfeeding. When pumping breast milk, you should store and preserve the milk immediately. Once sealed, do not reopen the container until needed. Additionally, keep the milk container sealed to avoid contamination.
- Sharing breast milk: If you plan to share breast milk with a sick or premature baby, follow the guidelines of healthcare professionals on how to collect and store the milk.
3. Mixing Freshly Pumped Breast Milk with Room Temperature Milk
You can add freshly pumped breast milk directly to a room temperature container of breast milk (above 26°C), as long as the previously pumped milk has not expired. Generally, freshly pumped breast milk can be left at room temperature for up to 4 hours. If you have pumped milk several times during that period, you can mix them together. Afterward, you can choose to store the milk or use it for feeding.
When you add milk from different pumping sessions into a room temperature container, all the milk is considered as old as the most recent pumping session after mixing. For example, if you mix freshly pumped milk with milk pumped 3 hours ago and left at room temperature, all the milk is now considered 3 hours old.
4. Mixing Freshly Pumped Breast Milk with Refrigerated Milk
You can add breast milk to a container of refrigerated milk, but do not add warm, freshly pumped milk at body temperature. It is best to cool the milk before mixing the most recently pumped milk with the refrigerated milk from the same day. First, place the freshly pumped milk in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Once the milk has cooled, you can add it to the container of previously refrigerated milk.
5. Mixing Freshly Pumped Breast Milk with Thawed Breast Milk
You can mix freshly pumped milk with thawed milk as long as they are at the same temperature. However, freshly pumped milk usually offers more health benefits compared to previously frozen milk, so it is best to feed your baby the freshly pumped milk.
If you want to store milk, do not add freshly pumped milk to a container of thawed milk. Also, once breast milk is thawed, you cannot refreeze it. Instead, you should use it within 24 hours or discard it.
If you want to store freshly pumped milk, keep it separate from the milk you have already thawed.
6. Mixing Freshly Pumped Breast Milk with Frozen Breast Milk
Do not add freshly pumped, warm milk to already frozen milk because the warm milk can thaw the frozen one. However, if you have cooled the freshly pumped milk beforehand, you can add it to the frozen milk, as long as the milk was pumped on the same day.
You can place the freshly pumped milk in the refrigerator until it cools. Then, mix it with the container of frozen milk. This process is called layering.
7. Additional Tips When Mixing Breast Milk
Combining breast milk from different pumping sessions in the same day can be convenient, especially for mothers whose babies consume only a small amount of milk per feeding. It is better to store the milk in one container rather than several smaller ones. This makes storing, transporting, and using the milk easier. Additionally, having fewer containers saves significant space in the refrigerator or freezer.
By following the guidelines and tips above, you can safely mix freshly pumped breast milk with milk pumped earlier in the day.
References: verywellfamily.com, babycenter.com
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