Mothers should wash their hands and use clean pump parts before pumping for milk storage. Milk that has less bacterial contamination at the time of milk expression will have higher protein levels and less bacterial growth when left at room temperature fresh or after thawing¹.

The breasts do not need to be cleansed before milk expression.

BPA-free hard plastic or glass containers are ideal for milk storage in the freezer. If plastic bags are used, they should be sturdy and made for milk storage. Double-bagging milk can reduce the risk of bag punctures.

Expressed breastmilk will normally separate, with cream on the top. The milk can be gently swirled to distribute the fat in the milk before infant feeding.