First, always wash your hands carefully with soap and water before beginning to use the breast pump. Make sure you clean and dry your breast-pump equipment according to the instructions you receive from your baby’s nurse. Store your milk in containers that are recommended or provided by the NICU.

Use a clean storage container each time you pump— even if you are expressing only small amounts of milk. Label thecontainer with your baby’s name, the date and time you expressed the milk, and any medications you are taking. All NICUs have a policy about how, and for how long, mother’s milk should be stored. Talk with your baby’s doctor or nurses about whether you should refrigerate or freeze the milk you collect at home. Also, ask how much milk you should put into each container. This will decrease the
chance that any milk will be discarded because your baby could not receive the full amount within a particular time limit.

Your milk can be transported from home to the NICU in any container that keeps it cool or frozen. An insulated lunch bag or a cooler can be ideal for carrying your expressed milk. Many NICUs provide special carrier bags for this purpose, so be sure to ask.