where to start for bottle feeding breast milk?

SmallyMcSmall

FTM here. Just got the ok from my 3wk old sons pedi to introduce a bottle of expressed milk once or twice a day so that my fiancé can take some of the load off of me. Not sure where to start, and didn't get the chance to ask about the specifics (busy day for our doctor). For instance, is it okay to express directly into a sterilized bottle and store it until it's ready to be warmed up? Or will I have to express into some other type of approved container, like a breast milk bag, and then transfer to the clean bottle and warm the milk? Any tips on how to go about this greatly appreciated. 

Also, I checked kellymom and couldn't locate the information I am seeking (maybe due to being so tired haha) and would rather stay away from the dangers of Google. I'd rather put my faith in experienced moms here.

also posted this in an additional board (Breastfeeding) to get more replies.

nackie

If you have bottles that attach directly to the pump, you can go ahead and express directly into them and feed to the baby.  I just use the containers that came with the pump and store them in the fridge.  When I'm ready to feed him I combine them into the bottle.  We don't specifically sterilize, just put everything in the dishwasher.  
I don't usually heat mine up, he just drinks it straight from the fridge, so I can't help you there, but I do know microwaving isn't good.

taysun

You can store it in the bottles or other containers. They don't actually have to be sterilized except when you first get them. Microwaving is not recommended, we hear whatever we stored the milk in, in hot water in a dish or under hot running water then put it in a bottle. 

Ceridwen77

What the above ladies said. Also remember not to combine any freshly expressed (warm) milk with any refrigerated milk, until everything has been refrigerated and is the same temperature. 

2-Step

If you are pumping and feeding shortly after you can simply pump and put it in the bottle and feed without refrigerating at all. Breastmilk can be at room temperature for 3-8 hours depending on the temp of the room. Then you don't have to worry about warming either. If you do warm, use a bottle warmer or just set it in some hot water for awhile and swirl the bottle to mix.

One thing a lot of FTMs don't know is that when introducing the bottle this early it is very important to pump very close to the time when you will feed the bottle in order to keep your body in sync with LOs. I have a few friends who dealt with ongoing supply issues due to pumping when supply was high in the morning to get extra milk and then skipping feedings/pumpings so their husband could give a bottle later in the day or at night, or pumping when convenient instead of at the same time baby was hungry. Your body works with supply demand and since you never really know how much they are eating it is hard to put together a pumping schedule that is in sync with your baby before about 3 months of age when they start to regulate their feeding to certain times of the day. The only moms I know that had supply issues and had to stop breastfeeding early were all those who pumped for convenience early on. They just slowly stopped being able to keep up with demand and had to start supplementing earlier. 

Here is a good resource about breastmilk storage: 

https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/milkstorage/milkstorage/

momotheflyinglemur

I exclusively pump after dealing with a lot of PPA. I have bottles which attach to my pump before refrigeration. Then when they get warmed up, they sit in a cup under a stream of warm water until the milk is no longer separated. I bought the "travel set" for my breast pump which included nipples that attach directly to the expressing bottles. I do find that transferring between containers to much will actually cause you to lose some milk because you can't get every last drop. At the end of the day, I transfer anything that will not be needed the next day into a freezer bag. That is the only transferring that I do.

SmallyMcSmall

Thanks for the wisdom ladies! As of late, I've been hand expressing only after baby has eaten in the morning if I'm a bit too full and only on one side if baby is satisfied after emptying the other side. I just found out that my insurance will cover (and ship!) the cost of a breast pump of my choosing from an assortment of available models. I plan on pumping the same way I've been expressing, maybe doing a few minutes on either side after baby is done eating in the morning, and before I take a nap on those nights when daddy gives me a break.