Supporting Your Baby's Nursing Journey

As a new mama, you are quickly discovering that breastfeeding isn’t as simple as it may seem. Just latch the baby whenever they are hungry, right? Wrong! Many babies don’t latch well, don’t latch correctly, simply do not want to latch, or have other challenges in the way that are making breastfeeding less than easy-breezy. You may also be pumping milk to increase your supply or create a supply in your freezer for when you’re not breastfeeding. If you relate to this, you are not alone. Keep reading to learn our favorite breastmilk storage tips, milk tips, and how to support your baby’s oral health during breastfeeding.

Breast Milk Storage Tips

If you’re a pumping mama, it is important to know the most up-to-date breast milk storage tips so that you keep your milk fresh and don’t accidentally give your baby a case of food poisoning.

Here is the best information for how freshly expressed or pumped milk can be stored, according to the CDC:

Before storing, do your best to label the breastmilk bag with the date it was expressed. We know—those middle-of-the-night pump sessions can make it hard. If you’re unable to, just make sure you have a system in your fridge or freezer to know which breastmilk is the newest vs the oldest.

You can keep breastmilk in the fridge for up to 4 days before you pop it in the freezer. When keeping it in the fridge, make sure you do not keep it in the doors. This will limit temperature changes in the milk.

Here are some freezing tips: 

• Store small amounts to avoid wasting milk.
• Store in 2 to 4 ounces or the amount offered at one feeding.
• Leave about one inch of space at the top of the container because breast milk expands as it freezes.

source: CDC.gov Breast Milk Storage and Preparation

Breast Milk Thawing and Usage Tips

If you are freezing breastmilk for later usage, it is important to make sure you have a storage system. Knowing which milk is the oldest vs the newest is important, and it is always better to use the oldest milk first since quality can decrease over time.

When freezing your milk, lay it flat so that it can freeze as thin as possible. Once frozen, you can store it upright in empty soda can boxes or desk dividers to keep your freezer organized.

When you’re ready to thaw your breastmilk, there are a couple of ways you can do it:

1. Put your breastmilk container in the refrigerator overnight
2. Put it in warm or lukewarm water or under lukewarm running water

It may be tempting, but never thaw or heat breast milk in a microwave. Microwaving can destroy nutrients in breast milk and create hot spots, which can burn a baby's mouth. If you’re in a jam and need milk like ASAP, thawing breastmilk under lukewarm running water can thaw milk much faster than you think! Just hold it under the faucet and keep moving the ice pieces around to make sure it all thaws nice and even if you’re in a hurry.

If you thaw breast milk in the refrigerator, use it within 24 hours. Start counting the 24 hours when the breast milk is completely thawed, not from the time when you took it out of the freezer.

Once breast milk is brought to room temperature or warmed, use it within 2 hours and never refreeze breast milk after it has thawed.

A pro tip is to put your breastmilk bag into another bag, such as a Ziplock bag, to ensure it catches any leakage. Sometimes, bags can rip or have holes in them, and you don’t want to lose any of that precious milk in the thawing process!

Supporting Oral Health During Breastfeeding

When we talk about oral development, we’re actually talking about much more than just the development of their mouth. Here’s what we mean:

• Tongue cupping
• Lip rounding
• Proper tongue resting posture
• Jaw development
• Avoiding mouth breathing
• Feeding skills
• Speech skills

All of these can be practiced through breastfeeding, as well as products such as Innobaby’s Oral Development toys! Your baby is already putting their fist, and whatever is in it, right into their mouth… so make sure they are using something that is beneficial for their development and, in turn, beneficial for breastfeeding, too!

Innobaby’s Oral Development Teethers

Having latch issues, or simply want to get a jumpstart on your baby’s oral development?

Innobaby’s Oral Development Teethers were designed to support nursing by aiding oral health and soothing teething discomfort during breastfeeding.

These teethers aren’t just for teether pain or oral exploration; they’re considered “training teethers,” which means:

• They stimulate the muscles of the lips, tongue, and cheeks
• They improve oral motor skills
• Aids in nursing, eating solid foods, drinking from cups, and speech development
• The light and easy-to-grip handle also improves hand-eye coordination
• Giving two to baby will allow for bilateral movement and stimulation of both sides of the brain 

For more great parenting tips and products for breastfeeding mamas and beyond, visit us at Innobaby.com!