When mom knocks on your door, your places will change forever and your home will be full of hitherto unknown concepts and tools. In a short time you have to get concepts like meconium, lactation, percentile , or breast pumps, for example. All these words are related to baby care and therefore it is important that you do them as soon as possible.

If your intention is to breastfeed, but you work or you know that you have to move outside the home with your child, there is an element that is essential for you: the breast pump. This object is a very useful device during breastfeeding , because it allows the mother to express her milk between feedings and keep it for other occasions. today we will see how to sterilize a breast pump

Index

• 1 Tips for sterilizing a breast pump
• 2 tips for sterilizing a breast pump

Tips for sterilizing a breast pump

We can say, plain and simple, breast pump, but in reality it is a breast pump or breast pump , a manual or electric device that extracts the breast milk and allows it to be stored.

If the mother wants to have breast milk for the child because it is not available, for example, she has to leave the baby with someone, she can express milk and store it for a certain time. The use of this device also stimulates lactation in those women who do not have as much milk or in those who have a lot and may suffer a moment of inflammation in the breasts.

Breast milk expressed using this procedure can be stored for up to six hours at about 20ºC, but in the refrigerator it can last for several days. They say up to eight, but I don’t know any mother who gives her baby milk for that long. In reality, mothers usually do not ask for milk, the breast pump is more for those moments in everyday life when you know you are not available.

In this way, other people can feed the baby through the bottle, but without giving up the benefits of breastfeeding. That way you can rest better and if you have to go back to work, you can continue breastfeeding until you decide.

But the breast pump, like all tools that come into contact with the baby’s food, must be properly cleaned and sterilized . Otherwise, bacteria can reach your baby and seriously affect his health, so here are some ways to sterilize a breast pump

Tips for sterilizing a breast pump

To use the breast pump without the risk of running out, you just have to take a few precautions while using it, as well as in its subsequent cleaning and sterilization, before storing it. We explain, step by step, how to clean your breast pump so that it is completely sterilized .

We can consider three major moments, the first is before you use the breast pump : First, if you are going to manipulate the breast pump, do it with clean hands . You can wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds to make sure they are really clean. Then you are ready to assemble the breast pump and check its parts : Is there moisture, are there any traces of milk? If this is the case, the parts must be cleaned or replaced. Even if you share the breast pump, absolutely everything must be cleaned with a disinfectant wipe.

Second , after using the breast pump , the first thing is to store expressed milk safely . You can transfer it to a sterilized bottle with a lid, put the date and time on it and put it directly in the refrigerator, freezer or ice cream cone. cold packs when you travel. then you have to clean the extractor well with the special washes and finally check everything, separate the parts and wash them all under the tap, so that there are no milk residues.

They can use the sink but with a bowl inside, not in direct contact with the sink itself, use warm water and neutral soap and a special sponge that you only use with the breast pump, will help you clean all its parts. Then rinse everything and leave to air dry on a paper towel or clean cloth in a place free of dust or dirt.

The use of a dishwasher It is only recommended if the manufacturer of the breast pump authorizes or recommends it. And as a bonus, if you are a fan of extreme cleanliness, you can always use a sanitizer at least once a day on the breast pump. This is especially recommended if the baby is less than two months old or was born prematurely or has a weakened immune system for any reason. If the baby is older or healthy, sanitation is no longer necessary.

And how do you disinfect, if necessary? The process has the following steps: cleaning, disinfection, steam cleaning with the microwave or boil the parts of the device for about five minutes and dry. To conclude, it is basically a matter of fulfilling the following steps when it comes to sterilizing a breast pump :

• Disassemble the device after each use . In the instructions included with the device, you explained how to disassemble it and which parts can get wet.
• Use a very large saucepan to have enough space, you can serve the pressure cooker. Fill the pot with tap water and put it on the fire until it starts to boil .
• Wash each piece separately . While the water is heating, you should wash each piece separately with hot water and detergent. You can use the dishwasher, the hot water will help remove all residues and bacteria.
• Place the pieces in boiling water . Any parts that you have washed before that can get wet, it is usually the whole device except for the part where the battery is.
• Prepare a clean towel or cloth . When the pieces have cooked for about 10 minutes, remove them from the water with tongs and place them on the clean cloth. Let them dry completely, without using paper or tissue.
• Clean with alcohol the parts that are not under water . Including rubber or plastic tubes through which the milk circulates, this way you avoid the spread of fungi and mold.

When you are ready, you just have to put your breast pump back together and it will be ready to use when you need it .