Before handling milk, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least twenty seconds. Store pumped milk in a screw cap bottle, a hard plastic cup with a tight lid, or breast milk storage bags. ONLY use bags made for holding Breast milk. Milk can be refrigerated for up to eight days, and frozen for up to three months.
It is always important to sterilize the bottles, nipples, and pump accessories by running them under hot soapy water. Allow to drip-dry. Do not put caps back on unless they are fully dry, this can cause them to grow bacteria, or even mold. It is also important to sterilize your bottle brush every now and then as well.
Toss out any milk that has past it's “expiration” date. Always throw away what's left after a feeding, germs from your baby's mouth can continue to grow, even in a refrigerator. Never let a bottle sit around, after about two hours it can be highly contaminated with salmonella, which can make your baby VERY sick.
Don't place milk in the microwave to defrost or heat it up. Yes, it may be faster, but it can harm your baby on more than one level. It can make milk scolding hot, and even when its been shaken, it can also lead to hot spots, which can burn your baby's mouth. Also, recent studies have shown that when a bottle is micro waved, the chemicals in the plastic that the milk is in, can potentially leak into the milk.
