Sterilising with expressed breast milk?

[japhrimel]

I know this has been asked before, but can I find the thread? Can I hell!

If I'm expressing, do I need a steriliser for either the pump or bottles?

Baby is due in December and I had thought of not buying a pump, etc until breastfeeding was established. However, I'd like to start building up a stash of ebm as soon as I can, even if we don't introduce a bottle until 6 weeks. I have various health conditions and the meds I'm usually on when not pregnant I couldn't take when breastfeeding either. So I'd like to build up a stash of ebm so that if I do need to go back on meds, we don't have to switch to 100% formula straight away. So I'm getting a pump and freezer bags in advance.

Plus we're budgeting for baby stuff atm so if I'm going to get this stuff, it makes more sense financially to get it now.

You need to be able to sterilise both the pump and the bottles. I sterilise all mine in a steam steriliser but milton also works as do sterilising microwave bags, over the last 7 months I've done all of these and find the steriliser the easiest, also if you think you will mix feed or switch to formula and are on a budget then you need to setrilise then anyway so you may want to budget for it now.

Some people are also happy to chuck the stuff in the dishwasher but I never was.

Thanks.

I think I'll probably get a steriliser to be extra safe and also because if we end up mix feeding it'll be definitely needed.

Any suggestions for which steriliser to get to use with a Medela Swing pump? I'd want one that fitted wide neck bottles too.

Asda locally are doing a baby event at the moment - don't know if it's national - which includes the avent microwave steriliser for £10. I use it with the medela swing and it included 2 avent bottles

My HV recently told me that NHS guidelines have changed and that when using breastmilk, the equipment doesn't have to be sterilised. I still sterilise though.

My baby was in NICU/SCBU and the NHS there were adamant everything needed to be sterilised even though it was breast milk. My HV also said I should carry on doing so with breastmilk even now DS is also being weaned and therefore in the eaing stuff from the floor stage>

Mt baby was on NICU/SCBU too & they also wanted us to sterilse all the expressing equipment. They used Milton tablets but now dd is home I use either a microwave steriliser or an electric one.

I never even considered that the method might be any different for breast milk tbh. But if you're mixed feeding I would have thought you would definitely need to sterilise the bottles/teats etc at the very least.

I use the medela swing btw & have to say it's a fab pump, well worth the money. (I did get my money's worth very quickly as dd was on NICU for 3 weeks, but even if she hadn't been it's still well worth it imo)

Congratulations too :)

I wash bottles/pump etc in sink then put them in the avent steriliser (from Asda in their baby event, £10 down from 30 IIRC)

This is all using breastmilk too.

I sterilised everything on a 95deg wash in the dishwasher. That way the icecube trays I froze it in for storage got a clean too. I avoided putting in dishwasher salt & used Calgon rather than a traditional dishwasher tablet.

I figured that if the method was good enough to sterilise laboratory ware it would sterilise the bottles/pump as well.

If you are really worried then pop the clean wet bits on a paper towel & baking tray and put them in the oven to dry. Transfer to an air tight container with latex gloves or clean tongs.