Proper Storage of Milk

The Medela bottles are BPA free, as are the Born Free bottles. Therefore, you can sterilize them in boiling water without fear of releasing bisphenol-A into your milk. I've been pumping for 6 months now - I pump directly into Medela bottles, store fresh milk in Medela bottles, and freeze milk in Lansinoh storage bags. Let me know if you have other questions!

www.kellymom.com is a great resource for all topics in regards to breasfeeding. It is recommended that you sterilized plastic bottles before freezing but hot water and a good dish soap do the trick. I was leery about the chemicals in plastic bottles and my pediatrician said that it is not something to stress over. Avent makes great containers especially for the freezer that are disposable/recyclable. We use those for freezer storage. They are inexpensive. When heating breast milk in a bottle we just put the bottle in a glass of hot water instead of using the microwave or stove to avoid overheating the bottle. Don't stress.
We started my son on solids at 5 months because he showed all signs he was ready. We make oatmeal(we grind the oats down first) with pear, apple or banana puree and we also introduced homemade sweet potatoes, squash and green beans. Some are a hit or miss. Try wholesomebabyfood.com for tips and advice on starting solids and making your own food. All babies are different and your son will give you all indications of what he does and does not want. Good luck.

Hi. I don't think I can be much help but there is an evenflo bottle that attaches perfectly to my medula pump shield. They come in packages of 3 and are really cheap. I found mine at Babys R Us. That certainly does not solve your freezing dilemna but you could use these bottles to express milk and then prepare the rice cereal. Although there is no way around the fact that the shield and other supplies are plastic too. But like I said, these bottles do fit perfectly - you would think they were made for the pump. They are relatively the same size as the plastic ones that come with the pump. (for when you look for them) I am curious about the responses you get and will be checking. The storage bags I have used do go directly on the pump by way of twist tie or tape thats already on them but don't they contain plastic too? Lots to think about these days. Best of luck to you! I don't know your answer about food but my dr says introduce solids at 6 months - some say earlier but my dr says that this way your baby won't be as suseptible to allergies.

My son never took a bottle or a pacifier, and I too hated to waste my precious milk. When I started giving him cereal at 4 months, I pumped once a day to have enough milk for his cereal and that was it. I usually pumped about 4-6 ounces and that was enough for at least 3 meals. I know any standard bottle will fit the medela pump so if you want to use glass bottles then just find ones that have a standard top like the medela, I think Gerber makes glass bottles that will fit. As far as your family worries, just let them know that your child is healthy, happy and gaining weight and the doctor is happy with his growth and development. If your child is meeting the developmental progress and is doing what he shgould be doing for his age, then I say don't worry. My little guy is only in the 5th percentile for weight, but he is crazy active all day and is only just beginning to sleep almost through the night and he is 15 months old. GOOD LUCK!!

The medela bags can attach directly to the pump. The little yellow paper tape goes around the top of the thing that screws onto the bottle and tapes to the other side of the bag and then you just rip the tape to get it off. Also, I used to sterilize my bottles everytime before I pumped to freeze, but now I don't and it hasn't been a problem. Also, all medela products are BPA free. You can check it out on their website. I don't think you are starving your baby, but if he's not eating commercial iron fortified baby cereal, he probably does need iron supplementation. You may want to talk to your pediatrician about it. Hope this helps.

I., a mama to an 8 month old girl

1. No, as far as I know Medela does not make glass bottles.

2. Also as far as I know, the Medela bottles do NOT have the same issues with BPA as, for example, the Avent bottles, as the plastic-type is different.

3. Ever since my 1st son was 6 months old and started chewing on everything (sterile or not), I haven't bothered sterilizing bottles. This remains true with my 2nd son as well. You may want to sterilize the silicone nipples, but just washing out the bottles is just fine.

4. From what I can tell, most infants don't much like rice cereal, regardless of how it's made. You might want to try a different grain, or just putting some of the cereal into other foods to give it some texture and some "oomph". Nothing says you MUST give rice cereal first; it is commonly recommended as it is one of the least allergenic foods around, and therefore quite safe, but definitely not mandatory.

I think your stressing too much over the chemicals. I am an Environmental Scientist and chemicals are bad for our babies. But a little is OK. I would buy the bottles that are safe and hook them up to your pump. That is what I do with my pump. My child is all breast fed but I put a little formula in her rice cereal. I find pumping to be too much work. I know many healthy children who were brought up only formula and I feel a little won't hurt.
I would also suggest starting solids, he is old enough. If your child is still gaining weight well and there is no plateau, then you can still hold off on the solids. But if his weight gain has slowed down you should really place your child on solids. my daughter needed to be started on solids at four months. Her weight gain slowed down. She does great on solids now. I would talk to your doctor about this.

Whenever my friends ask me about chemicals I always tell them to avoid them as much as possible; use green cleaners, buy organic and or all natural if possible and avoid nitrates.
just to make you aware... Breastfeeding is the best thing you can do for your baby. But breast milk unfortunately has chemicals in it too. All the chemicals you have been exposed to your whole life is stored in fat cells and when a person breastfeeds the chemicals come out in the fat in their milk and goes to the baby. This is why women who breastfeed are less likely to get breast cancer later on in life. Even though this happends scientist still feel breastfeeding is the best for babies. Especially when most formulas are not oraganic.

I have been nursing my 8 month old too and have run into the same situation. The First Years makes a milk storage bag that is phthalate and bsp free. I found the bags at Target. I usually store the milk in those bags and put them inside a regular gallon freezer bag for extra protection. I also have many friends who feed their babies jar food, so I get their jars and store milk and my homemade food in the jars (4oz bottles work the best with older babies). Again, I put them in the gallon freezer bags for extra protection. It takes a little longer for the milk to defrost in the glass jars but it is handy and stores neatly.
I would suggest you call Medela and find out if they have phthalates in their plastic. Many companies do not use or have new merchandise that no longer has them. We also use the glass Evenflo bottles with the silicone nipples instead of the rubber. We have read that the silicone is much safer.
I agree with you that you should be safe rather than sorry later. Every little thing that you can do for your little one now will help him be healthier in the future.
M. J.

The Medela Pump and Save Bags are pre-sterilized, BPA/DEHP Free, freezer safe, and attach directly to the pump. Their bottles are also BPA/DEHP Free, by the way.

As for the cereal issue- have you tried manually expressing? You could always try just manually expressing enough milk for the cereal.

M. --

I breastfed both my boys and I learned a long time ago you can easily pump directly into the storage bags. If you buy the bags from Medela (the ones that come with twist ties), you can attach them onto the pieces of the pump (as long as you're using a motorized pump). If you're using a hand pump, I believe it requires the bottle to create the vacuum effect that allows it to pump. I used a Medela electric pump and pumped into bags with both boys. Of course, I also created a lot of extra milk. But then, when I weaned, my boys still got breast milk for a few months because I had so much in the freezer (in fact, I bought a chest freezer because I had so much milk it wouldn't fit in the regular freezer after awhile). The bags enable you to freeze the milk up to 6 months in that kind of freezer (and I never had any problem with it). Of course, if this isn't what you want to do, I wouldn't worry too much about putting water into the cereal -- or making a bit of formula and putting that into the cereal. At first, babies have a hard time with cereal anyway as it's a totally new concept to them and they have no idea how to eat it. But he'll catch on soon enough.

Hope it's helpful.
M.

Hi M.,

Isn't everything so confusing these days?! Congratulations on your decision to breast feed, and to stick with it. I am no expert on pthalates, but I do have 5 kids and have breast fed and pumped quite a bit. The small Doctor Brown bottles fit the Medela pump and are a different type of plastic than the Medela bottles. That might help. I am also pretty sure that there is a way to pump directly into the Medela bags. Also, breast milk has tremendous antibacterial properties, so I would not worry about sterilizing the bottles; to be honest, I never did and it never caused any problem--just wash them well.

I think that while the pthalate concern is certainly a valid one, I think it's important that your son have breast milk in his cereal, etc. (otherwise you're begging the whole breast milk vs. formula debate, and you can drive yourself nuts with that too). There are so many things that are in our everyday food and environment that are linked to harm that you have to find a balance as a mom, or you will be completely anxiety ridden about everything your son eats or touches. I know it's hard--I am very much that way myself--but do your research and then do your best. Go with what you know for sure (ie., we know for sure that the best and most complete food source is breast milk; we suppose, that under certain conditions, pthalates may carry some risk--do what you can to minimize the risk, but don't neglect to do what you know for sure is a great thing for your son).

Good luck with it all, and congratulations on your son.

M.,
I actually pump right into the freezer bag. I wrap a rubber band around it to attach to the pump. From there you could probably pour it into a glass bottle too. Also- you don't necessarily need to start with rice cereal first - there is an article in the current issue of Mothering Magazine about starting solids and the author recommends starting with veggies and fruit - as grains are considered by some to be complex and may lead to digestive trouble/allergies.
Good Luck.

M.,
I was told that bottles don't need to be sterilized after the child is 6 months old and taking solids. If you are using a medela pump, the medela pump equipment (breastshields, etc) and bottles DO NOT contain bpa and therefore are safe to be sterilized though. The freezer bags do attach directly to the pump. if you get the medela bags, there is a yellow piece of tape that attaches to the pump. There are instructions in the box. There may also be glass bottles that can attach, so the best thing to do is just try a few and see what works.
there is a website that has a lot of information about the bpa issue - http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2008/02/z-report-on-bpa-in-infa...

Okay. Sounds like you have a host of problems. I can't help you with the bottle problem, and can only tell you that I have three children, 19, 12, & 8 and they were all breastfed. I pumped and stored my milk in the plastic bags, not in the bottles. I dated my milk and did not use anything that was over two weeks old. I used the electric as well as the plastic pump and did not have any problems. My children thus far, are healthy. THe only resolution to your problem is to don't pump at all. Otherwise, don't worry too much. Your young and you have a healthy baby. That is really what's important. Good luck.

Hhi, I understand I had the same concerns but I also wasn't able to pump much so my son got milk when I wasn't working. I did however plan to pour the expressed milk from the pump bottles into glass bottles for storage and then later feeding.

Just wondering but have you researched all of this yourself? I am all about providing a healthy environment for my children but sometimes the media scare factor is ridiculous. I am breastfeeding my third child. I pumped into Avent bottles and stored it in the milk bags with both of my older children and they are both fine.

Your baby is 7 months old and should be on solids. I know of a couple of women who didn't give their babies solids until they were about a year and none of them have happy stories to share and in some cases their children almost seem tinier in size than they should be.

As for the cereals, why NOT add water? It is acceptable to add water or even juice.

M.,
The medela Pump & Save breastmilk bags are pre-sterilized and they have a self-stick strap that attaches to the breastshield. It's the yellow strap that says "tear here" on it. I pump every day at work directly into the bags, then take the bags home and either refrigerate or freeze them.

I also started my daughter on solids at 6 months and she has been happier since I did. I think she enjoys feeling more full than she did on just breastmilk.

Oops... this is my first time posting and I just saw all the other advice -- sorry to be redundant but I don't know how to delete this!

I think that the medela plastic bottles are safe, but you might want to check out their website to be sure. La Leche League has great information on starting solids. Contrary to popular belief, they suggest starting solids somewhere in the middle of the first year of life. Delaying solids helps to decrease the child's risk of developing food allergies. Also, you don't necessarily have to start with rice cereal. You can start with fruit such as bananas or vegetables such as sweet potatoes. Be careful of fruits that can cause an allergy such as strawberries. I think variety is key. If you have any questions, you can ask your pediatrician. Good luck

I'm not sure about the issues and alternative available for the medela pump, but in terms of making cereal available to your son, you might consider mixing cereal with formula. First, formula is not harmful or bad for children, it just takes second place to breastmilk in terms of benefits. Plus, the amount added to cereal is miniscule compared to the breastmilk he'll still be drinking. Second, formula is preferable to water at his age because you'll still be giving him the maximum in terms of calories.
Also, anecdotally from my friends' experiences, delaying the introduction of solids does seem to correlate with difficulty in transitioning to solids and issues with the texture of food. No reason to wait except if allergies run in your family.

For what it's worth...my son also found rice cereal disgusting. However, if I mix it with any of the fruit or veggie baby foods, he gobbles it down, shaking with excitement. Also, the fruit/veggie adds some liquid, so I don't have to use as much breastmilk.

M.,

Congrats on your bundle of joy, I think you have gotten enough information on the bags, but glass bottles are know for exploding while heating. Also the cereal, when a baby is first exposed to a new taste and texture it takes around 3 days for that child to get used to the new taste and texture. They do spit the food out, back away, ect. until they get used to it.

Hi M.,

Here are sites for guidelines that may help with grandmas. The first one has links at the bottom under the title "More About Delaying Solid Food for Baby". Looking through them, sounds like the current thinking is that up to 8 months is fine, depends on the baby. I have read somewhere that too long after this, and babies become less receptive.

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/solids.htm

http://www.llli.org//FAQ/solids.html

Have you ever tried to express milk manually, press down and then in on the area an inch or so outside the nipples, you should be able to get milk enough this way to mix in with cereal or other mush.

Have you seen the book Super Baby Foods? It is a vegetarian book but you don't need to be a vegetarian to get a lot out of it. Lots of info on what foods can be introduced when and how to prepare everything yourself. I found it very helpful. Don't worry about the opinions of others. But I would suggest you learn about iron needs of babys. My son took to solids very slowly. I started at 6 months, I was glad I waited (the pediatrician recommended rice cereal at 4 months). If you look at current literature, statistially, babies getting solids earlier have more GI and repiratory problems, and can be more prone to allergies. Just try different stuff at your and your boy's pace. The time from 6 mo to 1 year, as I understand it is more about adapting to solids, learning to manage them and developing the muscles in and around the mouth. It's a gradual process for many babies.

I admire your viewpoint! For most people, it's hard to go against the old dogma, even with supportive research.

All the best,
C.

Here's the site i use: http://safemama.com/2007/11/22/bpa-free-bottle-and-sippy-...

Dear M.,

You've gotten lots of great advice here -- I just want to second what someone else said -- I've never heard of a baby who actually likes rice cereal. My son was very disappointed by his first week of solids. Nothing "took" until we tried mashed/strained peas. Those were a huge hit and still are -- he's actually a kid (toddler) who will pick through the rest of his food and only eat the vegetables. All of which is to say, introducing solids will go better if you let your son "shop around" for something (as long as it's healthy) that he really likes.

I've also found that the Born Free bottles (and sippies, for that matter) are so leaky they almost worthless. It's too bad, but when my son tried them he got more milk/juice down his shirt than in his mouth.

Oh, and your son will like food when he grows up. Everybody likes some kind of food. I also really question the conventional wisdom that you have to introduce solids at 6 months. There are plenty of cultures around the world where babies breastfeed exclusively for the first year. In fact, that's even recommended in our society for children with a family history of severe allergies.

Relax and enjoy,

Mira

Hi Michelle,

I just finished researching this myself, as I will be returning to work in 4 weeks. First, the Medela bottles do NOT contain the BPA (not 100% certain about the phthylates, but I don't think they have those either). But if your dh is really set against it, Evenflo makes glass bottles that may fit your pump. I am using the Medela bottles that came with a handpump my sister had gotten from the hostpital when her twins were born with my Evenflo dual pump, so I'm guessing the Evenflo bottles may work with the Medala. Alternatively (and what we are doing), the Playtex ORIGINAL nursers (the cloudy plastics) do NOT contain either chemical, nor do the drop ins preformed liners. I am using the Playtex dropins storage kits (I got them at Target). They come with an adapter that works with most pumps. I had tried using the adapter to pump directly into the liners, but I don't think I got an airtight seal so the suction was non-existent. I got frustrated and went back to the medela bottle. I will be trying again, and it's worth it to try for you.

As for the "You're starving your child" issue... just smile politely and say "thank you for your concern. He is doing just fine." They don't NEED anything but breastmilk for the first full year. The introduction of solids should be based on their interest in joining the land of "big people" and trying their foods. My oldest HATED cereals (she still isn't a big cereal eater), and she is now a healthy almost 15 yo. She started on pieces of banana at almost 10 months old. :-D

I have used the Medela storage bags and they come with a twist tie that attaches directly to the pump. The directions come with the supply of bags. They are great, although defrosting them can be tricky if they are not upright. Good Luck!

evenflow makes glass bottles that attach directly to the medela pump. medela also makes storage bags with built-in tape that VERY SIMPLY attaches to the pump - no wasted milk.

my understanding is that it is imperative for a child to learn to eat off a spoon by this age for their tongue/mouth development (and maybe speech later?). plus if you are exclusively breastfeeding, the baby will need iron as well. you didn't mention other foods, have you considered offering either jarred or homemade purees that don't require milk (e.g. bananas) and if it's tolerated you can then mix that with some cereal for nutrition. good luck!

Medella does make storage bags that you can pump straight into.

http://www.amazon.com/Medela-Pump-Save-Storage-50%252dpk%...

One thing though-I've found that these bags do not accurately measure how much you've pumped into them. It always looks like you've pumped a lot more than you really have.

Good luck!

It is not true that your child won't eat well if he doesn't get food during this stage. Go to www.askdrsears.com. The avent milk storage containers are really fantastic and they come sterile, so you don't need to heat them. As far as I know, phthalates don't leech into something unless you heat it in the plastic thing, so you could probably store your milk in the plastic containers and then warm it in something else, like a glass bottle. As long as you don't heat the milk in the plastic, the chemicals won't leech into the milk.

Or so I tell myself. However, we do live in the modern post-industrial world, and there are hormone disrupters in shampoo. So I wouldn't drive yourself crazy over it.

I breastfed all my kids (6) with NO supplements for at least 7 months, and they all started their solids with Cheerios. Each one eats normally! That should not be an issue, IMHO. Kids will not be pickier because they were not offered foods at such a young age, in my experience.
Good luck!

I too am very leary of plastic bottles - my daughter is months old and I have been pumping and giving her bottles since she was 3 months (unfortunately I had no choice as she is in daycare.) I use a ameda pump and evenflo glass bottles connect directly to that pump! I had an ameda pump and am not sure if the bottles connected or not - I never tried (I got the ameda second hand and was concerned with sterilization issues with the pump so never used it.) You can attach the freezer bags directly to the pump - Ameda sells specific ones to do so that attach/hang over the breast shield - I have also used other bags and a rubber band to attach them! My daughter uses only glass bottles - and although I have gotten quite afew comments from people (even in the grocery store and at daycare) about how galss bottles can break - I honestly believe I am doing what is best for my daughter!!!! She is also very much on solid food - although we had no luck with rice cereal (the stuff is gross no matter what you mix with it!) I have mixed it with baby food (bananas, apples or other fruit to get a better consistence, and just used a little milk to cool it off) My girl eats almost any stage 1 or 2 baby food and she loves cream of wheat. Just recently I started giving her Cheerio's which she also LOVES!!! I know there are many people who will lecture you about waiting with solids - but my little girl was ready and does great with food - She enjoys it and nothing I have tried has caused any intestinal distress for her. We don't have any allergies in our family - so although I am cautious I am not overly concerned with allergies. I know that each child develops at a different rate and I feel comfortable with the decisions I have made for my daughter! I think that is the most important thing! I wish you the best of luck - feel free to message me if you have any other questions I can answer!

Check out kellymom.com and LaLecheLeague.org for info - do you need to be away from him? Why pump? YOur milk provides a wide variety of flavors!

Good luck!
L. Anne

Hi M.,

They do make freezer bags that directly attach to the pump & they work well.

Here is a link to madela's web site.

http://medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/breastmilk-coll...

I would be hard pressed to believe that your son would have any difficulty eating as a result of starting solids now. I didn't start w/my son until after 6 months & he is quite a healthy eater at 18mos & just loves odd foods like pita & hummus:) I have some friends who have skipped cereals & went right on to fruits & veggies. As long as your pediatrician is not concerned w/the growth of your son, I wouldn't stress. Fielding comments from loved ones just might be the hardest part of being a new mom:) The following website I found to be very helpful with the introduction of solids: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

I hope this helps & good luck w/your little man!

M.

Hi M., I had the same concerns and use evenflo glass bottles. I did not freeze milk in them but I am sure that you can. They make the bottles in 4 ounce and 8 ounces. They have been great. Good Luck and I am happy to hear that there are concerned parents-especially when it comes to the many harmful chemicals that our children are exposed to.

They do make bags that attach directly to the pump. They are made by medela. I've used them a couple times and they are convenient.

My SIL recommended Medela bags specifically because you can pump direcly into the bag. I think you have to position the bag similar to a bottle-liner. I just hated the Medela bags because tearing that little corner to pour milk out could be hit or miss for me. Good luck,

Hi, just so you know Medela bottles are BPA free as well (same as born free), so I dont think there is a problem sterilizing them!
Pumping nto the bottle, and then freezing in a bag is perfectly fine!
Take care!

Hi I wanted to let you know that there is a system with playtex nursers that will attach to a pump using their dropins. If you can't find it email me and I have one unopened never used. Also you at this point could just go to a sippycup that is what I did with my now 19 month old she never took to a bottle so we just breastfed and used a cup when I wasn't around. The nuk cup was a great transitional cup. Hope this helps.