How long does it take for breast milk to spoil in the body?

Because breast milk is the main source of food for newborn babies, the nutritional content and health of breast milk are related to the healthy growth of babies. Generally speaking, it is not suitable to leave it for too long, otherwise breast milk will easily be infected by bacteria and cause deterioration. Because babies have small appetites, they often don't want to drink enough breast milk from their mothers' breasts before they finish it. Will breast milk go bad in the mother's breast?

How long does breast milk last in the body?

Breast milk will not spoil in the body, only bacterial infection will. As long as it is not discharged and there is no breast lesion, it will not deteriorate. If breast milk has been in the body for too long, it is recommended to express milk before feeding.

How to express breast milk

Wash your hands before expressing milk and prepare an open container. If breast engorgement is obvious, you can first apply hot compresses to the breasts, then gently massage and pat the breasts before expressing milk. Generally speaking, you can milk directly.

When expressing milk, the nurse leans forward slightly, holds up the breast with one hand, and spreads the thumb and index finger of the other hand and places them above and below the areola respectively, about 2 cm away from the base of the nipple, so that milk can be squeezed onto the milk sinus below the areola. Then, keep your fingers fixed and do not slide them on the skin. Instead, press rhythmically towards the chest wall without causing pain. Be careful not to press too deep, otherwise it will cause blockage of the milk duct. Repeat the pressure and release so that the milk will come out. After the milk flow slows down, the fingers can be rotated in different directions and then pressed and released repeatedly to complete the milking. The thumb and index finger should not slide or rub when doing the squeezing action.

The best duration for milking is 20 minutes. Do not milk for too long to avoid increasing the discomfort and time burden on the mother's breasts.

When the mother and baby are separated, or when the nurse can only express milk to feed the baby who cannot suck by himself, she must express milk 6-8 times or more in 24 hours to maintain lactation. If you find that your milk supply is insufficient a few weeks after delivery, you can express it every half an hour to an hour, and once every three hours at night. After a few days, your milk supply will increase. The expressed milk can be kept in the refrigerator for 24 hours. When feeding, just reheat it with hot water without boiling it.

Tips for milking

First of all, be careful not to hurt the areola and nipple when expressing milk. Use your thumb and index finger to squeeze the areola until it is painless. Even if your milk is having trouble coming out, don't squeeze it too hard. The key to milking is the location and angle of squeezing. Excessive force will injure the areola.

Secondly, the fingers used to squeeze the areola should be changed frequently. There are many positions for squeezing the areola. You can use your fingers to squeeze up and down, left and right, or diagonally. If you only squeeze one part of the areola, that part will be overloaded and there is a risk of injury.

Again, try to avoid using a breast pump. The principle of a breast pump is to apply pressure to the surface of the breast through the nipple to make the milk flow out. This is not in line with the physiological structure of the breast, which requires squeezing the lactiferous duct sinuses to allow milk to flow out, and it can easily hurt the nipples, so be careful not to use the breast pump for too long.