Stupid questions re sterilising bottles

[ImissMiniPop]

Sorry for the silly questions, but brand new to expressing and sterilising...

1. if I sterilise breast pump parts and bottles in a steriliser, and they come out with condensation on them, is it ok to use them like this? (with the condensation) or do I have to dry them first (and will this make them unsterilised)

2. Can I express into a sterilised bottle and then transfer into a different sterilised collection container? (I only have one bottle that fits the pump at the moment), or is that bad?

3. I am expressing such small amounts, can I add each batch to the same collection pot, or will that cause bugs as I'd be adding fresh breast milk to stuff that has been in the fridge already.

My little one is premature and in NICU so I am really paranoid about causing any germs.

Any advice much appreciated. thank you

1. Don't dry, cloth much more likely to have germs than condensation. If things have cooled in a steam or MW steriliser the waters been sterilised too!

2. yes.

3. yes, but I'd make sure milk to be added was also fridge cold first.

Agree with bunting, but wrt 3) I would only add milk from the same day, not the next day.

I also am sure you do not neccessarily need to sterilise the pump, but understand why you would with your little one

Hope your baby is well enough to come home soon ((un-mn hug))

Ok, phew, thank you. Good point about the breast milk from the same day.

Thank you. :)

Also, you probably know that, but remember to shake the fridge cold bottle well to mix the fat with the rest of the milk. So that you won't get all that lovely butter stuck on the bottle wall. You're doing really well, and congratulations for your little one!

metalelephant - sorry but don't shake breastmilk - swirl!

Also, if baby is prem they may only need just a few mls not bottles full of BM at each feed so small amounts would be better. Have the unit not given you collection pots to store the BM in? I was given 50ml sterile pots for DD1 (not that I filled that by any means and she was term but jaundiced) by the mat. ward for expressing into. They fitted the Medela pump I was using so I didn't have to pour milk from one container to another (hence losing valuable milk).

Congratulations on your new baby and hope you get some lovely new born snuggles very soon.

Yes hoping you get to bring her home really soon.

If you're expressing a lot I'd invest in some of the breastmilk bags you can get, they're plastic and you just hook them over the lip of the bottle before screwing it onto the pump, then you can seal them and write the date on. Then when you come to combine several pumping outputs they're all in separate containers. The reason for this is, say you pumped some on Monday 4th June, Tuesday 5th June and Wednesday 6th June. It lasts 7 days in the fridge from the date of pumping, so the milk from the 4th will be okay until the 11th, milk from the 5th will be okay until the 12th and from the 6th will be okay until the 13th.

If you were to combine these in a single bottle to store, then the whole lot would only be okay until the 11th because the milk from the 6th would be contaminated by the milk from the 4th which will potentially be off by the 13th, if that makes sense?

Also the bags are disposable and sterile inside so less washing, and you can freeze them too.

I didnt know that about mixing the fridge milk, thanks for that tip. I do have the collection pots, but they're 100ml ones and he's on 120ml a day spread over hourly feeds, so I am trying to get a stock of milk for them to use. Instead of formula. I wish I could just feed him, but he's too tiny. Fingers crossed he'll be big enough in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for the info re bags too, I will look into them as well.

They aren't stupid questions :)

I hope he's big/well enough to come home soon and take milk by himself :)

*7 days may be wrong, BTW, I only half remember that. But the principle is the same however many days the milk is okay for (I assume they tell you that in the hospital!)

You can get the bags from any Boots or supermarket, they're easy to find, they're normally called Breastmilk Storage Bags and are with the pumping equipment and breast pads.

Thanks chipping :) and thanks bertie I'll take a look in boots tomorrow. I think they told me no longer than 48 hours for the milk but can check with the neonatal nurse tomorrow.

thanks truthsweet, I'll do that once my DD accepts ebm, she refuses bottles and cups so far!

If you have a home bargains shop near you they sell breastmilk storage bags for £1.99 for 25 - £6 in Tesco

If you get Boots own make bags, they are only for putting in the fridge, not the freezer (which I know is not relevant for you right now but worth knowing for future)