Expressing milk can help when you're away, when you go back to work or when the family needs to organise feeds.

There's no need to build up a big stock: starting with small portions reduces waste and helps you understand how much your baby usually takes.

Before expressing

Wash your hands well, tie your hair back and choose a clean spot. Use a glass jar with a plastic lid that has been cleaned following the guidance of the Banco de Leite Humano (Human Milk Bank, Brazil's public breast milk bank network); if you use a pump, wash and dry the parts that touch the milk following the manufacturer's and the health team's instructions.

Label each container with the date and time of the first collection. Store it in amounts close to what is used in one feed and leave space in the jar, because the liquid expands when it freezes.

Storage times in Brazil

For raw milk meant for your own healthy baby at home, the Ministério da Saúde (Brazil's Ministry of Health) and the Rede de Bancos de Leite Humano (Brazil's Human Milk Bank Network) advise:

In the fridge (up to 5 °C): use within 12 hours.

In the freezer compartment or freezer (-10 °C or lower): keep for up to 15 days.

How to store it correctly:

Labelling: stick a piece of tape on the jar with the day and time of collection.

Safety margin: leave about 2 centimetres of free space between the milk and the rim of the jar, because the liquid expands when it freezes.

Placement: keep the jar at the back of the fridge or freezer, never in the door, where the temperature changes often because it's opened all the time.

How to thaw and offer it

Thaw it slowly in the fridge or warm the jar in a water bath with the heat turned off. Don't boil it and don't use the microwave, because the heating can be uneven and burn the baby's mouth. Mix the fat back in with gentle movements, without shaking hard.

Ask the Milk Bank or the team supporting your breastfeeding for a demonstration of expressing, storing and offering the milk. The technique becomes much simpler when someone watches and adjusts it together with you.