Can't get my head around the sterilising process....

[Writerwannabe83]

Hello everyone, I have an 8 day old baby (clueless first time mom) who is exclusively breast fed so sterilising stuff hasn't really been an issue as yet but now I'm expressing milk too I find myself lost and confused by sterilisation!

We have a cold water Milton tank where the tablets need changing every 24 hours and things are sterilised in 15 minutes.

1. • do things have to remain in the sterilising unit until they are used or can they be removed after 15 minutes and put in a cupboard?
2. • my DH has been taking things out the sterilising unit and then leaving them to drain on a tea towel.....but obviously the tea towel isn't sterile so doesn't that defeat the whole purpose?
3. • DH says that once the 24 hours are up on the tablet time limit, the items that are still within the solution remain sterile even if the water is not changed as they have already been sterilised. Does that sound right?
4. • can things be used if they still have Milton moisture on them or do we have to allow them to dry? I just used my breast pump which still had water droplets on it and inside the bottle etc and didn't consider if this was ok? Is the milk I expressed into this bottle still ok to use?

I'm confused!!!

Danny is right- no need to sterilise, just wash thoroughly in hot soapy water and drip dry or dry with kitchen paper towel. Excellent hand hygiene - thorough hand washing with soap and water - is the most important thing.

Since hospital milk banks specifically give this advice, for milk destined for prem and sick babies, I see no reason not to follow it at home.

The John Radcliffe hospital information (avaliable online) clearly states that its the cleaning and not the sterilising that is the vital step.

OP you must be really, really confused now!! :-)

at Dirty Dancing. Why ever would you say that?

But seriously, thanks everyone for your replies - isn't it madness how people think and do different things. It seems to show that there are no right answers or sure fire rules and I should just leave DH to his own devices

Oh, and I forgot to say that I express for 2 reasons:

1. baby's latch isn't too good at times on the left side, though it's definitely improving, and as a result I get a bit engorged and lumpy at times. In situations like this I either hand express or use the pump to remove some milk. If I don't the breast tissue around my areole becomes too hard for my baby to latch on to.

2. I express with my pump enough milk to provide a bottle - this is because I'm suffering with sleep deprivation and it means there is always a bottle available for the daytime so my DH can feed him whilst I catch up on sleep.

Also have the Milton tank but use the fluid rather than tablets

1)They are sterile and can be removed after 15mins but ok to leave for longer, I usually have out a few bottles in at a time then empty and put the next lot in.
2)don't worry if its a clean tea towel it's fine
3)Your DH is right (in my opinion anyway) after 24 hours I wouldn't put anything else in but stuff that's already been in there is fine, just remove put away and change the water
4) give everything a good shake before putting it away to get rid of excess water, before filling the bottles again give it another shake if you still have a few drops that have pooled at the bottom

It sounds like you've got everything going nicely, OP. If you've not done so, try and get to a drop in so that they can help you perfect your latch on the less favoured side. It's something that can take a bit of time as you and your baby are still learning.

Sorry if I scared you with the no sterilising stuff, and the ensuing debate. I should have provided supporting links at the time!