Breast Pump Cleanliness
How do the antibacterial agents in your breast milk affect you, your breast pump and breast milk storage containers?
Well one awesome thing -which I wish I knew when I had my first baby- is that you don't have to sterilise them!!! So no, you don't have to spend countless hours sterilising bottles, and pumps, and containers…YAY!!
The only time you will need to sterilise and maybe disinfect your electric or manual pump and bottles is if you or your baby have thrush, another type of infection, or if your baby is sick. In that case it's best to speak to your medical adviser, or breastfeeding counsellor.
Otherwise all you need to do is take your pump apart and run the parts under cold water before washing them in warm soapy water. Bottles and breast milk storage containers can be washed in the same way.
You can leave them to air dry on some paper towels and be sure to cover them with paper towels too. Or if you prefer, you can dry them using paper towels...tea towels or kitchen cloths may be contaminated with kitchen germs.
This may go without saying, but If you are using an electric pump you can follow the same procedure with the parts of the pump that come into contact with your breast milk.
If you are expressing breast milk at intervals, for example at work, then all you need to do is rinse the pump in cold water to remove any breast milk and store it a closed container out of the fridge. This is helpful in winter...I found that sometimes a cold pump would make me uncomfortable and I'd find it more difficult to have a let-down. Make sure you wash it in soapy water once every 24 hours.
If you do have a fridge where you can store the breast pump in between expressing breast milk, you can simply put it in a clean closed bag or container un-rinsed...again info I wish I had -especially useful if you're under time constraints. Just be sure to wash it with soap when you get home.
Before handling your breasts, pumps, bottles, or breast milk storage containers, it's a good idea to wash your hands. Especially if you are hand expressing. Think of it as preparing a meal, you probably wouldn't start handling food without washing your hands first....it's the same principle.
Please always remember to consult your health professional to find out information that is relevant to your specific situation.
Do you know someone who may find this article helpful?
If so click 
to SHARE it.
Where would you like to go now:
Return from Breast Pump to Expressing Breast Milk
Go to Storing Breast Milk
Go to Hand Expressing
Go to Manual Pumps
Go to Electric Pumps
Go to When to Express Breast Milk
Return to The Essence of Breastfeeding
