How to store breastmilk using the pitcher method
This is a guest blog post written by our friend Jacquie Ciccone of Healthier Motherhood.
With my first born I exclusively pumped for 14 months and it was incredible. When my daughter was born we were separated at birth because she had hypoglycemia and I struggled with preeclampsia before her birth. She needed extra calories with formula and because of the separation I knew pumping would be inevitable (at least in the beginning to establish an adequate milk supply).
I learned a lot after pumping so much, but I had never tried the pitcher method. It was such a game changer! One of my favorite things was the fact that I didn't have to use so many plastic milk storage bags. I hated wasting those and it was always in the back of my mind (I'd use a bag one time and toss it). The pitcher method removes that issue for the most part.
What is the pitcher method?
With the pitcher method you pump breast milk for 24 hours and store in a pitcher. It stays in the refrigerator for the entire day. It is thought that this distributes all of the nutrients throughout the day evenly for your baby when you serve the bottle. When you've completed a 24 hour collection, you then transfer to the bottles. Keep the bottles in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve your little one. If there's any leftover milk from what you pumped in that 24 hours you can place into a milk storage bag, label it with the date, and freeze.
The pitcher I used was from Dr. Browns. It is plastic and has a stirring piece inside of it which helps redistribute the fat in the milk before you serve it. This can also help you to know how much milk you produce in a 24 hour period.
It is recommended that you don't combine prechilled milk with freshly expressed milk due to the temperature changes. Personally I always mixed the refrigerated milk with freshly expressed milk and never had an issue, but do what makes you comfortable.
Pitcher Method basics:
- Label the pitcher with the date of the first milk collected
- Store the pitcher in the back of the fridge (coldest spot not in the door)
- Use milk within 4 days of first expression
- Do not refreeze previously frozen milk
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