 a production of the government information service. I am Jolene DeSet Joseph. Now over the last few months, we have been joined by representatives from the Ministry of Health who have been giving us some insight into the importance of breastfeeding for both baby and the new mother. And today we are joined again by Ms. Francilia Joseph who's actually a field nutritionist within the Ministry of Health. So first of all, thank you for joining us today. You're welcome. Okay, and I understand today we're gonna be talking about breast milk storage. But before we even go into that, just so that we can get a little basic wrap up, you know, a little throwback to the importance of breastfeeding, first of all. So can you just give us some information about that? Okay, sure. I just want to highlight the fact that breastfeeding is the best feeling for any mother. Also, breast milk is the best food that you can give the baby. There's no other food that can replace the breast milk. And we want to encourage mothers to breastfeed them because we know that this milk, this food as a matter of fact, help boost the baby's immune system. It helps prepares the baby. It helps strengthens the baby. And as the baby comes out of the mother's womb, this is what the baby needs to nourish it. It helps with the baby's belly. It helps fight antibodies as well. So in coming out, this milk, this food as a matter of fact, is the most nourishing food that the baby can get with all the nutrients that the baby needs at this present time. Okay, but there are also benefits to mother as well, right? Oh yes. Okay. The mother regains her size, the weight. It helps the womb as well. And studies show as well, it's a bonding period for both mother and child. Okay, all right, brilliant. Now, we were talking about storage, we're talking about the storage of breast milk. Tell me a little bit about the importance of a mother doing so. Why should a mother look towards storing breast milk? Most times at the clinic, when mothers come after giving birth, you'll find out they're saying that when we ask them, when questions about, when question about whether they're going to continue breastfeeding or whether they're going to breastfeed baby, they would go like, I think so, but I have to go to work. This is one of the questions that usually pops up. So what do we encourage them to do? We inform them that they can continue breastfeeding, they can continue breastfeeding, even whilst they're at work, they can pump and there are different ways that they can go ahead doing that. So we want them to transition from being at home for the first maybe three months and continuing with the breastfeeding because we know that it's extremely important. So with the encouragement, we also go around and inform them. We give them information, we also give them little tips as to how they can continue doing that. Because it's extremely, it's of extreme importance because we want them to understand that this is the food that the baby needs and this is the best above all the others because it is what the baby's body need, it is what that has all the nutrients that can help baby fight against all these little diseases, communicable diseases and all these little foreign bacterias that's coming on stream. So we want them to know that and in order for them to know that it's important that we to bombard them with the information. So what we try to do, we sit with them, we give them little options, we inform them as to how they can go ahead doing that. They must be relaxed if they do not have a pump. We encourage them to use their fingers as well to help squeeze the breast and then bring out the milk from it. We show them the right techniques as well as to how they can go about doing that in a relaxed manner. And most of all, it is important as to how they go about doing it. And we inform them that first of all, they must prepare the environment for it. They must ensure that they wash their hands properly, first off, ensure that the breast is clean, ensure that the equipments, whatever they're going to use, is sterilized properly and that it is also clean. Okay. Now, as we're talking about storage, why is proper storage so important? Because we do not want bacteria. We do not want the equipment that the baby is going to use to get infected or get any bacteria because we want them to ensure that they wash whatever it is that they want to use properly. We do not want nothing to interfere with the quality of the breast. Okay. Now, something that I was reading because I was sent some information about again, the proper storage of breast milk. It was said that it might be better to do it in small batches. Oh, yes. Why small batches? Most times you find, sometimes the baby is not as, you know, to avoid wastage. Oh, okay. Okay, okay. To avoid wastage because sometimes you, the baby is hungry, you prepare a bottle, you prepare a cup, you prepare the bag, the breast milk for the baby. And then you find that there's leftover. So that leftover you want to ensure that you do not throw it away or you want to make sure that you conserve it. So mostly to prevent wastage. So you parcel it, you know, you should know your baby, maybe you try, maybe one to two orens, maybe two to four orens. As the baby grows, you increase it. Yes, and it's very important that you do that. Okay, and also labeling, I believe is important. Yes, labeling is important as well. You find sometimes you have to hand over this child to maybe a family member. Okay. Or you have to go to work. And then you identify a daycare, maybe that you feel comfortable with. And you want to hand over your baby over to these people. It is important that you put also the name of the child. Oh, okay. You put your child's name. Okay. You put the date. And you put the time that you express this milk. Okay. It's also important if it's at your home, you put the date. If it's home, everybody knows you're, maybe most probably you're the only one with the baby at home. Right. So you just date it nicely and you package it nicely so that you will be able to identify which one is first, which one you express first, and which one was, sorry, which one was most recently expressed. Okay. In that way, you will use the one that you expressed earlier on first. Okay. All right. Yes. Also a constant temperature is best for storing the breast milk. Oh, yes. Why is that asked? The constant temperature? That's very important. That's an important question because most times sometimes we store it in different parts of the fridge. Okay. Sometimes if you hand in your baby at a daycare, sometimes they might not have the facility to store it. So it's important to know the different temperature and at what point do you change the breast milk as well. So for the refrigerator for, sorry, we'll start with room temperature. So if you express your breast and you left it home and you just run down the hill, you said you're going to get some groceries and so forth, it is advisable that you leave it for six hours. Okay. And make sure that the place is not too hot, it's just warm. Okay, so you can leave it for that. Especially if it's just freshly expressed. Okay, or six hours or sometimes we ask that it's four, within the first four hours, you could use that milk. Okay. Another thing too is putting it in an insulated cooler. Okay. Yes. Freshly expressed breast milk can be stored in that insulated cooler with ice packs for up to one day. So in that event, most probably at the daycare, maybe they do not have the proper facility to store it in. So you could use the insulated cooler and you could put ice pack in there. So it's all up to you as the parent to know what's best and to keep that breast milk with all the nutrients, to keep it healthy and nutritious. You need to do everything possible to ensure that it's stored properly. Also we have in the refrigerator, it could be freshly expressed milk can be stored in the back of the refrigerator later for up to four days in clean conditions. Okay. We must take note of clean conditions because you do not want to use a bottle or a cup, something that was used already and it's not properly cleaned or sorry washed. Okay. So it must be expressed. However, it is of optimal use of freeze the milk within three days. Okay. Okay. So in the refrigerator. So you know that there are different parts of the fridge. Right. So we just name in the different parts and how it should be stored. Okay. Okay. So we're moving on if you're planning on putting it in the deep freezer. That's another time again that you have to ensure that you express it and you store it at the back of the deep freezer for up to 12 months. It can be stored for up to 12 months. Oh wow, really? Okay, that's something I do not know. Okay. Using the frozen milk within six months is optimal. Okay, okay. So we see that it can be stored. So for persons who are maybe fearful and say, oh, but what do I do with all that milk? Yeah, I was going to say, yeah, that's expressed a lot. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they're wondering, but what do I do with all this milk? I just keep milk, you pour it out and so forth. You can store the breast milk. Okay. With information, there is power. Okay. Yes. You mentioned containers there. What kind of containers can mothers use to actually store the breast milk? This is very important as well. Because you do not want to just put the breast milk in any container at home or any bottle at home. So you must ensure that some breast pumps come with designated containers. Some of them have the little bags as well. So they have different methods of storing it. So we have to be very careful. We have to be mindful of the type of products that we use when we are storing it. There are these containers specially designed for the breast milk. They have those nice, cool covering tops. Okay, yeah. You need to ensure that you use these. Also, we have some containers with some nice seal tops. And they are approved. So you have to ensure that when you go ahead and get the pumps, you need to ask about the different containers that you're getting to put your breast milk in. There are these containers that are graded. They have food graded caps on them. They are glass containers especially. Or they had plastic containers that's not made with certain chemicals. Right. So we have to be aware of that. And these containers must be stored clean. And they must be cleaned properly. Okay. All right, no problem. Okay, well, I have a few more questions to ask you, but however right now it's time for a break. So we will be back in a moment. We are working parents. And we breastfed both babies exclusively. Mother's breast milk is naturally the best milk for baby. Love yourself and love your baby. Breastfeeding saves me money and it's free. Every moment I breastfeed strengthens the bond between me and my baby. I breastfed twin boys and lost all my baby fats. And we have breast milk power. I am Pastor Alvin and I support breastfeeding. For more information called the Nutrition Unit of the Ministry of Health and Wellness 468-5359. And we are talking the storage of breast milk here with field nutritionist, Francilia Joseph. Now, Miss Joseph, we were talking about the storage of breast milk, the containers. Is there anything else you'd like to just add to that? Yes, I want to ensure that we get the message across that you can also use special plastic bags designed for milk collection and storage, yes. Okay. Which is the whole kit for what there are special, there are little bags designed just for breastfeeding, just for breast milk storage. Okay, okay. And it's important as well that you find, there are lots of information around Google. We have our social media, we can tap into this to get our little information before. Okay, so it's important that people research. Yes, research, okay. Also, it's important that you don't stop breast milk in disposable bottle. Okay. Okay. Of disposable liners or plastic bags designed for general household use. Okay. Okay, so some people might say, okay, back in the supermarket has those two-point bags, one-point bag, I might as well just use that if they're using plastic containers and so forth. So we're saying these are not designed for this purpose. So it will not be advisable to use these disposable bags. Okay, all right. Now in your own opinion, maybe that is not fair for me to ask that, but is there any container that people might say is best? Is it best to use glass-free example? Is it best to use plastic or are all of them just okay? And it's really a case of what the mother prefers. Okay, like I said earlier on, it is best to use capped food-grade glass container or hard plastic containers that's not made with the chemical best fellow. You can also use the plastic bags designed and that's an important one here. It's supposed to be designed for milk collection and storage because in the event that you use any container or any bag, it might end up tamper with the quality of the breast milk as well. Also the storage too. So for this reason, we're encouraging you to use only those designed for this purpose. Okay, all right. And I'm not saying sure that it is sterilized, it's cleaned properly, wash your hands and sure that whatever that you're going to use to express this milk in is sterilized. Okay, okay. Okay, now you also touched on before the break as well, the different ways you can store, whether it be refrigerated in the freezer, deep freezer and such like. But I know that you could also keep the breast milk at room temperature for a little while, right? How long is that for? Like I said earlier on, you could keep it for four hours, six hours. But I understand it has to be out of direct sunlight, right? Yes. Why does it have to be out of direct sunlight? Because we do not want the nutrients to deplete. We want to ensure that we keep the nutrient level. For example, too much heat might damage the vitamin C in the milk and some nutrients in the milk. It might damage the effects on nutritious it would be. If you know, it gets all the seed. Because take into consideration, the breast milk coming from the brother's breast has to, it's at a certain temperature. Right. And it should be stored in this way. Because we do not want to overheat it. Overheat can kill certain nutrients. Right, right. How effective it will be for the baby. Mm-hmm, yes. If my intention as the mother is to refrigerate the expressed milk, is it still okay? Like if I give it, I know that it said that refrigeration is recommended. But I mean, is it okay if like after I express, it is there for a little time before I put it in the fridge? Or is it a case of once I'm thinking of refrigerated, it has to go straight away into the fridge? Is it okay if there's a little? That's a good point. And it brings us to how we are foiling our breast milk. Okay. Yes, that's a very good point. What do we encourage persons to do? Like we said earlier on, if you know you're going to use maybe two ounce, you try and parcel it in a way that you only be using two ounce. Right. So you won't have wastage. Okay. Because at the end of the day, we do not want you to put refreeze, put this breast milk back in the fridge. Right, right. In the refrigerator. Yeah. We do not want you to do that. So as much as possible, not only for wastage, but only to save the nutrient, the potency of the milk. We want you to warm it up nicely. And we do not want it to be hot. Yeah. We want you to allow it to fall out nicely. So you could do that under running water. Okay. You could also do it, you put a pan of hot water and you just dip it in nicely. Don't leave it, don't let it boil. Okay. Because again, you will kill the nutrients and you will, you know? So you don't let it boil, you do not let it out so that it could be too hot. All you do, you just allow it to fall out nicely. And it's important that we know that you do not microwave. You do not put the milk in the microwave to throw it out. Okay. Tell us why. Because if you notice the milk is frozen. Yeah. You put it in the microwave, some spots might not defrost. Okay. And sometimes you find that it might be too hot in some places. Right. And the same way it might lose potency. Okay. It might not be as nutritious as if you were just allowing warm water to just fall on it and it fall off nicely. Okay. So it's important that we know that. Okay. So the breast milk not supposed to get much heat. It's supposed to just fall nicely on the warm water. Or warm running water. Okay. Okay. And also the question you ask about you using it again, no, there are certain, you do not want to fall it out and express it or put it in a container and leave it there for more than that it's supposed to. Okay. Because it might lose, you know, the potency of it. Okay. Another thing that we must note as well is the fact that sometimes we have, we gave baby maybe two aunts. And then baby was not, you know, we noticed that baby need some more. You could also add some more breast milk to it. Oh, you can? Yes. Okay. You can add some more. Okay. However, when you pouring out the milk, you need to be mindful of sometimes you have breast milk that already fall out and then you have those that are already frozen. Understand? So you need to be very careful with that. So you pour it out nicely and then you add, you mix it up with those that will fall out. Okay. Okay. So you make sure that it's fresh. Now sometimes you find some people might have the tendency of saying that all the milk will have an odor, will have a smell. Sometimes it depends on what you eat. Oh, okay. It depends on the food that you eat. Okay, okay. And sometimes that doesn't mean that the milk is poive, it's just based on what you eat. Another thing that we need to take into consideration is the fact that as we know that the baby grew and we also know that the breast milk changes as well. So when the baby just came out a few months, you have the breast in a different, you have it with certain nutrients in it. As the baby grows, the nutrient content increases, it changes as well. So I'm saying that to say, sometimes you might have a batch in the freezer and then you remember baby's growing, although you put a date to it. So sometimes you, and you're expressing and you're breastfeeding everything. So remember the nutrient content changes as well. Right, right. So we need to be mindful of that. So if you had a batch, maybe baby was a few, maybe five months, four months, and then a month later, or you still have that batch in the fridge, you understand? So it won't be as rich as when baby was around five months or four months. Okay. Understand? Yeah. So this is important as well. Okay. Yes. All right. Now you had said, when we, again, talked about storage and I had asked you, what could happen? Why is it proper storage important? You said you don't want bacteria to form within the breast milk. Now, if you have a new mother and they've never done this before and they see that maybe the baby doesn't look, maybe the baby looks a bit peaky, maybe, should they worry that maybe they stored the breast milk wrong? Is there something they could do to check to see if everything's okay? And what is it, signs maybe they can look out for that maybe storage wasn't done as it should have been done kind of thing? Is there anything they should look out for? Well, most times when we have new mothers, we try to educate them. So we inform them that, first of all, they need to wash their hands before expressing the milk and show that the containers or whatever they're going to use is properly sterilized. And we inform them, we instruct them as to how they can do that, wash it properly, wash it separately from the dishes, the utensils in the sink, try and have separate sterilized for it to store it in and show that wherever you're going to use, that is the place, whatever you're going to use to wash or sterilize the bottles or the plastic bags, the containers, it's what this place or this container is only going to be used for this purpose. Or if you're going to use it for another purpose and show that it's properly sterilized, you can give it some sun and show that you wash, clean the area and show that your nails are clean, and show that your breasts is clean as well, and show that there are no moles in whatever that you're using, that would be, and show that you have running water to clean it up nice. Another thing we want to encourage them to is sometimes you might end up finding baby has some form of maybe diarrhea or some form of infection and it might be as a result of that or it might be something else as well, it might be sometimes more meanings to take stock of what she's eating, how she's eating and so forth. However, sometimes we have different issues, we have mouth infection, we have thrush, you have different issues that come along However, we need to ensure that mom is aware that proper hygiene and washing and cleaning the place is very important. And then this is, that's something that they need to take into consideration. And also they need to seek help as well from the different medical, maybe the pediatrician, the health center, the nurses for further information and also advice as well as to what might possibly lead to this, maybe tiki or infectious. Sometimes the baby, maybe it can be some other thing that a result in that can be, maybe baby is not comfortable, maybe baby is not latching on the ariola properly. So all these things can be, maybe mommy is not comfortable too, maybe mommy is worried or not relaxed too. So we have a number of factors that may might contribute towards baby not feeling up to it. So with this, we don't look at only just one factor, we look at every other thing surrounding it so that we can come up with maybe a definite reason why this is happening to me. But would I be right in thinking in that case that once the proper procedures are followed and the storage does take place, breast milk is still the best way to go and storage really is important? Yes, always the best. Breast milk is a cut above the rest. Okay, yeah. So we cannot stress more on the importance of this. We want mothers to know that this is the only way baby can get the full immunity and also the nutrients that baby needs is from the breast. This is why I got designers with our breasts so that when we give birth, we have them milk the food for babies. Now we like to go ahead and say, oh baby is not eating, I need to get something, baby is not sleeping, maybe baby is not filled and we rush ahead, we go and buy those milk, those animal based products for baby. So I just want to encourage moms to think of breastfeeding because it will save you a lot. Also think of breastfeeding, it will help baby as well. It will help baby in the future, you might not see it right now, but in the future it will save you from visiting the doctor. It will save you from taking time off from work every time because your baby is sick, baby is not well. So if you start from now, you nurture baby, you feed baby properly, you will have healthy baby in the long run. Okay, all right. Now in saying that a lot of mothers might find it hard to express and for you to get a batch and a proper batch for you to store and such like you need to express, what advice would you give to mothers? Because there's a key word you said at the beginning of the show which was to find a way to relax. How would you advise young mothers to relax so that they will be able to express and things should be able to flow okay? Okay, most time like we said, every pregnancy is different, every mother is different, you have different problems that occurs, you have persons with, sometimes you will say difficulty with the milk coming out and you have all different little problems that come across. However, we want mothers to understand that you have to be patient. You have to be patient, you must be relaxed. You must ensure that you eat, you eat from the six food group, you drink your water, you relax, you maybe think of something nice, think of something refreshing, make sure that you prepare yourself to sit and express, be patient. Because sometimes if you're not relaxed, the milk will not flow as it's supposed to. Sometimes you have stress, something's on your mind, you have all issues you're trying to express, you think of some other problem you have at work, maybe something in the family that's not going well, and then your mind is all over the place. So we want this moment to be a relaxation time, you relax, you take a deep breath and then the milk will flow easily. Okay, you drink a glass of water, or you have a glass of milk or a glass of juice, just relax and enjoy the moment. It might not be the same for everybody. However, if anyone are there who needs further help or they need counseling or they need help as to how to go about doing the process, we are the health centers, we have persons who are trained to assist and encourage as well. So if anybody out there needs help, we are open to helping out, we have midwives, we have nutrition persons, we have trained persons at the facility who will take time off to demonstrate and also assist as much as possible as to how you could have this process be done as relaxing as possible. Okay, brilliant. Okay, and can you just do me one favor and just highlight the importance as well of hydration, because I know that sometimes, just very good, we have to wrap up, so just you can just tell me, just say a couple of words about the importance of hydration. Okay, good. Now, most times you find that we don't give our body the right amount of fluid that it requires. We find most times, persons go about doing their daily work and they forget to drink water. However, during breastfeeding, it's a very crucial time for the baby and you as a mother. During that time, you find that you're giving out fluid, you're giving baby breast milk and you need to keep yourself hydrated. You need to ensure that not only water, you eat your vegetable, you eat your fruits. You make sure that you have drink some, have some coconut water, have the coconut jelly, have your wax apple, all these foods, your cucumbers, all these foods are rich in water and electrolytes that will help you and the baby. It helps the baby's skin, it helps with producing the milk, it helps you feel relaxed, it will help you with sometimes headache, you drink a glass of water, drink a glass of milk, a glass of juice, all these will help you feel refreshed and also it will help you and your baby. It will help prevent constipation as well. Sometimes you find that some mothers tend to say that, oh, baby is constipated, I'm only breastfeeding. I've been breastfeeding for a while and only breast milk my baby gets. Sometimes you're not drinking enough water. You're not eating enough fruits, you're not having enough vegetables. So then we evaluate, we find out what it is that you're eating that contributes towards baby being constipated or what it is that you're not having that will help with baby with this easy flow and also will help you as well. Excellent, and on that point we have to say goodbye, I'm afraid though because we've run out of time. But thank you so much for joining me, I always like these programs where we're educating the public, so thank you so much for coming here and sharing all this information with us. It was a pleasure being here as well. Brilliant. Thank you for joining us on the National Television Network. Do stay tuned. However, for me, Jolene Bisa-Joseph, goodbye for now.