By: Amazing mom, Yanina Boshes
"No power, no problem! Saving my liquid gold!" - Ceres Chill mom Lauren
Storm season is here, and even if you don't live in the affected areas, there are chances of severe weather and power outages all over the world. We never want you to feel unprepared in case of an emergency like this, - and worrying about how to save your breastmilk should be the last thing you need to stress about - so we're going over some options for how to continue to pump and store your milk in situations where you lost power or have to leave your home.
It is not always possible to prepare in advance of a storm. If you do have notice, here are a few ways to prepare yourself for the days/weeks ahead with possible outages, limited resources, and having to protect your stash of milk!
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), amongst other organizations, recommend that breastfeeding continues during natural disasters as nursing or feeding expressed breastmilk will protect little ones from illness.
Where do you start?
Assess - If you have time, think through best plan. Pack things needed in case of an evacuation. Charge all of your electronic devices.
Move your breastmilk supply - Consider its location and whether you know anyone who is out of the storm's path who could hold it in the meantime. If you are needing to evacuate, some parents choose to bring the entire freezer or you can transfer into a cooler and take it with you.
Fill your freezer or cooler - Your freezer or cooler will stay cold longer if it's filled up because of the reduced airflow. Newspaper, clothes, freezer gel packs and other items can make great gap fillers when you have extra space. Try to reduce the amount of time you open the freezer or cooler - keeping it closed will keep the cold air in!
Emergency Bag - consider where you are in your breastfeeding journey, your family size, and the ages in your family. All emergency bags will look a little different to one another depending on the needs of the family and/or individuals.
Items to consider: water, alcohol-based hand sanitizers (at least 60% alcohol), blankets, flashlights with extra batteries, first aid kit, clean baby bottles/disposable cups, washbasin with brush/soap, manual pump, pump cleaning wipes, extra chargers, extra clothes, non-perishable food, needed medications, cash, and copies of important documents.
Check out the CDC’s extensive checklist here: Emergency List for Families With Infants and Young Children | Infant and Child Feeding in Emergencies | CDC
Breastmilk and Formula Storage Guidelines
Oh no, I don’t have power! What do I do?!
Deep breath. Hopefully the outage is just temporary. Your freezer is now a really amazing cooler - reminder to resist the urge to open it.
If you're pumping, continued expression is key. Hand expression can be an important tool while the power is out or as you are nearing the end of your electric pump's battery life. Hand expression does take practice, so please do not get discouraged.
Manual pump - hand expression and manual pumping require no batteries and can be key to making sure you empty efficiently so that no other issues arise during the storm. Avoiding clogs is important!
Ceres Chill and Cooler - Your chiller can become your safety companion during a storm. You can adapt your parts to it so that you are able to express safely or use it to store your fresh milk. If you need to take your breastmilk stash with you, a cooler can be a handy way to transport the milk. Remember it is best to pack the cooler as much as possible so that the milk can remain frozen for longer.
Remember the freezer coin trick - is an easy way to assess whether the power outage has caused your frozen milk stash or food to thaw or refreeze. You can fill a cup with water, freeze it, and place a coin on top. If the water has thawed and refrozen, the coin will have dropped to the bottom. If it stayed frozen, the coin will still be at the top.
We know how scary this can be when there is so much to prepare for. Please know that we are here for you and are always available to help you - even if it's just to talk through things you can do to feel more confident in these situations. You also are welcome to ask other moms in our Facebook group to see if they've been through something similar and have any tips to share.
Resources:
Breast Milk Storage and Preparation | Breastfeeding | CDC