Ensure personal hygiene

• Daily bath / shower is suggested.
• Do not use Vaseline / paraffin-containing skin cream for breast care.
• Remove any moisturising cream or powder applied on the breast before expressing breast milk.
• Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before expressing and handling breast milk or pumping equipment.
• Clean the table before placing the breast pump accessories and milk container.

Sterilisation of equipment

• Wash all parts of the breast pump that come in contact with breast milk in soapy water and rinse thoroughly.
• Sterilise all equipment using steaming, boiling, UV or chemical-soaking method.
• Make sure the milk bottle is sterilised before use.

Collecting breast milk and labelling

• Donors will be supplied with milk containers (bottles or bags). Commercially available food-grade and Bisphenol A-free breast milk storage bags prepared by donors are also acceptable.
• Please sterilise the bottles before use.
• Please do not touch the interior of the bottle, cap and milk bag to avoid contamination.
• Milk for donation should be expressed using milk pump or hand.
• Drip milk (milk passively collected from one breast while baby feeds on the other) is not suitable for donation due to its lower fat and energy content.
• Use a separate container for each milk collection. Don’t mix the fresh milk with previously expressed milk.
• Milk will expand when it freezes. Do not fill up the bottle or milk bag fully with breast milk. This may break the container when the milk expands. If you use a milk bag, please expel the air before sealing it.
• Please clearly mark each container with an oil-based marker (non-water soluble), or put a label with your name, donor identity number (DID), date and time of expression, and volume.

Storage

• Expressed milk should be frozen as soon as possible. If not feasible, it should be refrigerated below 4°C no more than 24 hours before being frozen.
• Expressed milk must always be kept in a frozen state in a designated area isolated from food for up to 10 weeks.
• If milk bags are used, please pack 5-10 bags into another transparent plastic bag for extra protection.
• Then mark with an oil-based marker, or put a label with your name, donor identity number (DID), period of expression and total volume on the plastic bag.
• For reasons such as power stoppage or malfunction of refrigerator leading to rise in temperature, the stored breast milk must not be sent for milk donation.

Delivery to Breast Milk Bank

• Once an adequate volume of expressed milk is collected within 10 weeks, inform the Breast Milk Bank to arrange designated courier service for transportation. You can also bring the frozen milk to the Breast Milk Bank, but please contact our staff in advance.
• The Breast Milk Bank and courier service will only collect milk in hard frozen condition.