How to keep breastfeeding after returning to work?

Breast milk has many benefits for the baby, as it has all proteins, fats and sugars and necessary elements that protect you from diseases that the mother has suffered.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends breastfeeding for the first six months. However, in Spain have to return to four months after childbirth, so many mothers can not breastfeed for long enough. Fortunately, today there are some techniques to store and preserve the breast milk and the baby to take it even if the mother is not present.

Storing breast milk

Returning to work does not mean just not have much time to breastfeed, but it can also mean a drastic drop in milk production due to the levels of stress and anxiety because of an early separation. That is why in the consultations of Pediatrics two techniques are recommended for storing breast milk:

• Milk bank: after the baby is satiated, you can try to remove the excess milk with a breast pump, which is stored in special bags, date of extraction is marked and frozen to be used when the mother is not with the baby.
• Gatherer Cups: silicone are membranes that fit nipples and breast milk collected while working, then freeze it when you get home.

Conservation breast milk

To conserve and manage the milk properly, the advice to follow are:

• Fractionating the extracted milk in small amounts (60-120 ml)
• Preferably use milk collection bags or containers of hard plastic or glass, with a tight lid and are clean and boiled
• Expressed breast milk can be stored between four and eight hours at room temperature, while it is a cool place for up to 48 hours in the refrigerator and for a maximum of three months in the freezer