Nipples arent sterile...

[Diamondgirls]

Okay this is a but of a weird one but I was thinking about it earlier. If you use a bottle you need to sterilise it, including the teat. Obviously I shower, But nipples Definetly aren't sterile! So why isn't this an issue?

I've always been under the impression you do have to sterilise pump parts and bottles for expressed milk too because bacteria can grow on bits of milk left on them.

Yes you do have to sterilise as after a short amount fo time out of the body the anti- bacteria and anti viral bits in breastmilk stop working, so nasties can grow in any breastmilk still in the pump etc. Not to mention fungi.

You don't need to sterilise after each use if using multiple times a day (you can either refridgerate the breast shield in a ziplock type of plastic bag or wash with very hot soapy water then rinse and air dry). If you are going days/weeks between pumping then washing and sterilising is best practice. See here for details on cleaning.

Of course if you are pumping for a premature or ill baby then sterilising after each use is the rec. way.

I don't think you would sterilise storage bags as they are one use only so would be disposed of after defrosting/reheating rather than reusing.

BM will keep in a colder than 4C fridge for up to 8 days and BM can keep out of the fridge up to 10 hours so the anti-microbial properties aren't too vulnerable.

Thanks, yes I thought that was the case, but everyone abovr was just referring to bacteria in formula not EBM.

Sorry should say sterilising BEFORE each use for prem/ill baby (no point sterilising the pump and then sticking it in a cupboard for a week!)

Xpost, I was replying to diamond and little. So I don't have to steralise the pump shield every time, thats good as I pump 3 times a day at least! Will use hot soapy water and just sterilise overnight in future then. Thanks!

ceeveebee I just wanted to confirm that you just have to wash in hot soapy water to remove fat deposits from EBM. Unfortunately this knowledge isn't widely known and a lot of mums expressing milk do a lot of uneccessary sterilising, because the whole sterilising set up is based around formula milk usage.

I fed mine after swimming in the sea - I'm sure that's not hygienic.

i think i've done that jeee. i worried about the salt...