Can You Combine Contemporary and Beforehand Collected Breast Milk?

Should you pump, or hand categorical, your breast milk at completely different instances through the day, chances are you’ll be questioning in the event you can mix the breast milk from completely different collections into one storage container. Nicely, in the event you comply with the right tips, you’ll be able to. Here is what you could know.

When You Can and Can’t Mix Breast Milk

If you’re coping with your little one and your breast milk, security is the highest precedence. So, there are some things to consider earlier than you determine if combining breast milk is secure on your little one. Here is easy methods to inform in the event you can mix your breast milk or not.

You’ll be able to safely mix your breast milk beneath these circumstances:

• Cleanliness: Your fingers, pump, and assortment containers are clear.
• Full-term child: You will have a wholesome, full-term child.
• Residence use: You are expressing and accumulating breast milk on your personal non-public use.
• Similar day assortment: You accumulate all of the breast milk that you’re combining on the identical day. 

You must NOT mix your breast milk if:

• Completely different-day assortment: You’re accumulating breast milk on a special day. It’s not secure so as to add breast milk that you just pumped at present to a container of breast milk that you just pumped yesterday or final week. 
• Potential contamination: You aren’t in a clear surroundings, or you aren’t capable of wash your fingers earlier than accumulating your breast milk. Should you consider your breast milk might be contaminated, it is best to pump and dump that session than to compromise your little one.
• Untimely child: Your little one is untimely or has a compromised immune system. If you accumulate breast milk for a sick or untimely toddler, it’s best to seal and retailer it instantly. As soon as sealed, the gathering container shouldn’t be reopened till it’s prepared for use. Preserving the bottle sealed prevents contamination of the breast milk or container.
• Sharing breast milk: You’re bringing your breast milk to the hospital for a sick or untimely little one, or you might be accumulating breast milk to donate to a human milk financial institution. In these conditions, it’s best to comply with the rules for milk assortment and storage given to you by the hospital or milk financial institution employees.

Including Contemporary Breast Milk to Room Temperature Breast Milk

You’ll be able to add freshly pumped breast milk immediately into a bottle of room temperature breast milk so long as the beforehand collected room temperature breast milk has not expired. Contemporary breast milk can keep out at room temperature for as much as 4 hours.

You probably have a number of pumping periods inside that point span and want to mix the milk that you just pumped, you’ll be able to. You’ll be able to then select to retailer the milk or use it for feeding.

If you add breast milk from completely different pumping periods to a bottle of room temperature breast milk, it’s best to take into account all of the breast milk within the container to be as previous because the oldest pumped milk. So, in the event you add new breast milk that you just simply pumped to take advantage of that you just pumped three hours in the past and unnoticed at room temperature, your complete container, together with the contemporary breast milk is now three hours previous.

Including Contemporary Breast Milk to Refrigerated Breast Milk

You’ll be able to add extra breast milk to a container of refrigerated breast milk, nevertheless it shouldn’t be freshly pumped breast milk that’s nonetheless heat at physique temperature. If you would like so as to add your most just lately pumped contemporary milk to a bottle of already refrigerated milk pumped on the identical day, you could cool it down.

First, place the contemporary breast milk into the fridge for half-hour to an hour. Then, as soon as it’s cool, you’ll be able to add it to the opposite container of refrigerated milk.

Including Freshly Expressed Breast Milk to Defrosted Breast Milk

You probably have defrosted breast milk and contemporary breast milk at about the identical temperature, you’ll be able to put them collectively in the identical bottle to feed to your child. Nonetheless, freshly expressed breast milk is extra helpful than beforehand frozen breast milk, so it is higher on your child to get each drop of your contemporary breast milk.

It may not be as handy, nevertheless it’s higher to provide the contemporary breast milk by itself first. Then, end the feeding with the defrosted milk. This fashion, contemporary breast milk is not going to be wasted. If there’s any leftover on the finish of the feeding, will probably be the defrosted breast milk that will get thrown away.

Including Contemporary Breast Milk to Defrosted Breast Milk to Retailer

You shouldn’t add your freshly expressed breast milk to a bottle of defrosted breast milk in the event you plan to retailer it. When you thaw out frozen breast milk, you can’t freeze it once more. You need to use it inside 24 hours or throw it away.

If you would like to retailer your contemporary breast milk, it’s best to preserve it separate from any milk that you’ve got already thawed.

Including Contemporary Breast Milk to Frozen Breast Milk

You shouldn’t add heat, contemporary breast milk to already frozen breast milk. Heat milk could cause frozen milk to thaw out. Nonetheless, in the event you cool the contemporary milk, you’ll be able to then add it to the frozen milk so long as you pumped it on the identical day.

Place your contemporary breast milk within the fridge till it’s chilly. Then, add the chilly, refrigerated milk to the bottle of already frozen milk. This course of is named layering.

A Phrase From Verywell

Combining the breast milk from completely different expressions on the identical day might be handy, particularly in the event you’re solely getting a small quantity of breast milk at every session. Filling up one container as an alternative of getting a small quantity in lots of containers simply is smart.

It definitely makes it simpler to retailer, transport, and ship your breast milk. Plus you will not want as many containers, and you will save house in your fridge or freezer. So long as you comply with the rules and suggestions above, you’ll be able to safely add contemporary breast milk to take advantage of you already pumped through the day.