Removing Milk by Hand 113
How to store the milk
Keep your milk in a clean, closed container (see steps
1 and 2 on page 112). You can store milk in the
same jar used to remove the milk. Keep the
milk in a cool place away from sunlight. The
milk can be used for up to 8 hours. Or
you can bury the closed container in wet
sand, or keep it wrapped in a cloth that
is kept wet all the time, and it will
keep for about 12 hours.
The container can be stored
longer in a cool place such as
a clay pot with water in it.
Milk can be kept in a glass jar in a refrigerator for 2 or 3 days.
The cream (fat) in the milk will separate, so before giving it to
the baby, shake the container to mix the milk. Heat it to room
temperature in warm water.Test the milk to make sure it is not
too hot by shaking a few drops onto your arm.
➤ Breast milk can
change color. The
color comes from
what you eat. No
matter what color
it is, your milk is
good for your baby.
Warm bottle method
This method may work best if the breasts are too full or very painful.
This may happen right after birth, or if a woman gets a cracked nipple or
breast infection (see pages 115 and 117).
1. Clean a large glass bottle that has a 3 to 4 cm-wide mouth.
Warm it by filling it with hot water. Fill it slowly so the bottle
does not break. Wait a few minutes and then
pour the water out.
3 to 4 cm
wide
2. Cool the mouth and neck of the bottle with
clean, cool water so that it does not burn you.
3. F asten the bottle mouth over your nipple so
that it makes a seal. Hold it firmly in place for
several minutes. As it cools, it will gently pull
the milk out.
4. W hen the milk flow slows down, use your finger
to loosen the seal around the breast.
5. Repeat on the other breast.
IMPORTANT Milk that cannot be kept cold will spoil and
should be thrown out. If milk smells sour or strange, throw it out.
Spoiled breast milk can make a baby very sick.
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012