• For mothers who are working, the baby is kept in critical unit for treatment as well as if the mother is travelling then at that time expressed breast milk is the best technique which fulfills child’s need for the mother’s milk. It is boon for the baby as well as mother.
• EBM can stay good for 6 hours at the room temperature, 12 to 14 hours in the refrigerator and for three days in the freezer compartment.
• You need not boil the EBM after taking out from the refrigerator. Take it out from the refrigerator 15 20 minutes before giving to the child and let it come down to the room temperature and then pour it in a bowl and feed the child with spoon. Within 15 to 20 minutes the milk will come down to room temperature. Now you can also add fresh EBM to it. If its frozen, then put the container melt it by keeping it under running water or just keep it warm cloth.
• If EBM is stored properly then almost 96% of the nutrients can be retained.
• Never keep the EBM near the walls of the freezer and in case if the electric supply is cut off, then use it within 6 hours.
• Do not add fresh EBM to the chilledEBM. It is advisable to use spoon or tube to feed EBM to the baby. Don’t give EBM through milk bottle.
• Never heat the EBM. EBM never gets thawed. Once the EBM is taken out from the refrigerator it is advisable to use it up. The nutrient value of the milk is lost if it is time and again taken out from the refrigerator and kept inside.
• EBM of one mother can be given to child of another mother.
• Mother should have strong willingness to give EBM. In the beginning sometimes the EBM might come and sometimes might not come. But after trying again and again, drops or spray of milk will surely come.
• Before taking out EBM mother should wash her hands thoroughly with soap.
• EBM can be collected by three ways:

1. Manually
2. Milk drip- when the baby is sucking from one breast, the milk drips down the other breast.
3. With the help of breast pump.

• To get good EBM, hold the child close to the chest. Keep baby’s photographs in the room or play some light music. Try to take out EBM by sitting in peaceful and calm place. Try and be patient. Before taking out EBM, massage the breasts or just put the warm cloth or heating pad.
• Massage the breasts with the flat part of your hands working towards each nipple. Place a finger and your thumb on either side of the nipple at the base and gently stretch and roll the nipple. Using your thumb and finger, gently press your breast tissues back, towards your chest wall and squeeze. This will further stimulate your let down reflexes and will increase the milk flow. Once the mother starts it, she gets used to in 2 to 3 days.
• Iga and Vitamins are lost if the EBM is stored in plastic bottles or polythene bags designed for general household use. The steel container or glass vessel can also reduce the nutrients of EBM. But still mothers can use steel vessel or glass container at home. Just keep one thing in mind that after taking out the EBM from the refrigerator, keep it for 20 minutes at room temperature, then shake the vessel or container well and then give it to the child. Everything that has stuck to the walls of the container will get mixed if the vessel or container is shaken well.
• Mother can try for 20 -25 minutes. If the milk flows out of the breasts in a spray manner then understand that still lot of milk is there in the breast. But if there are only few drops falling, then try and understand that the breast is empty now. Collect the milk from the second breast.
• EBM is a practice. Initially for 2 -3 days it will be less. But if the mother keeps on trying and puts efforts then the quantity will also increase. Like it happens in breast feeding for 2-3 days almost 25 to 30 ml will come out. After 10 days 100 to 120 ml, after 15-17 days 350 to 400 ml will come out. This depends a lot on mother’s self-confidence.
• Many a times working mother rejoins her office after 3-4 months. So this much quantity of EBM is enough for the child for 5 to 6 hours when she is not present in the home. Through EBM child gets nutritious, healthy and bacteria free mother’s milk. Also, wherever the mother is but she can remain stress free because that in my absence also my child is able to get my milk. Thus, she is free from negative thoughts. She is able to take care of child, husband, family and office.
• By taking EBM the quantity of the breast milk does not decrease. The milk production will remain same at the time of feeding the baby. The quantity does not decrease.
• Mother can collect milk in different small steel containers or glass containers from the time she comes from the office that is from evening till the time she leaves for work the next morning. She has ample time from 5 or 6 in the evening till 10 or 11 in the morning. If it’s possible do not use plastic containers to collect the EBM. Don’t add sugar or anything else to it.
• At times when the baby cries a lot, then it is advisable to give some EBM instead of gastric drops or outside milk. This will work like magic and the child will be immediately feeling good.
• Those mothers who continue to breast feed the baby along with the EBM the quantity of their milk does not reduce and can successfully keep on giving her own milk as long as she wishes. The mother who just gives EBM and the child does not suck the nipple, then there is a possibility of graded reduction in the quantity of milk. If a mother who is having strong willpower and whose child does not suck nipple, she would also get EBM for at least 4 to 5 months.
• After 6 months children are fed with food items suitable for them. If some EBM is added to those food items, then the baby learns to have food. 4 to 5 spoons of EBM can be added to boiled potato, rice and khichdi. The child is able to digest the food easily.
• If the child is having cleft lip, cleft palate or is premature or is underweight or is not able to suck mother’s nipple properly or the mother is having the problem of engorgement of breast [breast filled with excessive milk, then in that case EBM is boon for both mother and child.
• I would like to share an interesting incident with you regarding the high awareness of EBM in rural areas. Almost in 1995 from the European country Austin, a team from breast milk bank had come in a small village in Uttar Pradesh. They lived there for almost 3 months in that village. They had come to know that the people of this village were practicing EBM. They were minutely did the case study of the practice of EBM and brought it before the world. The children of the mothers who were unwell or underweight were given EBM of other mothers. After the case study was published our health department woke up and started to locate the small village in the map of Uttar Pradesh.
• If the mother is getting excessive milk, then she can collect EBM for her own child or can donate generously and thereby making the best use of the breast milk. Through EBM, mothers can avoid problems like engorgement, mastitis and abscess in the breast.
• The child gets confused if you give outside milk or powdered milk in mother’s absence and mother’s milk in her presence. Instead EBM can provide same nutritious milk even in the absence of the mother. This will help in the mental and physical growth and also will build immunity. If EBM is practiced in proper manner then infant mortality rate will surely go down.

[DIVYA BHASKAR- 05-08-2008]   May be with some chemical formula milk similar to mother’s milk can be prepared but no laboratory can add emotions and motherly love to that milk.  In case of twins also, mother can breast feed both the babies with utmost satisfaction. [For breast feeding the child, it is not important that the mother’s age is less or more] The EBM does not get spoiled for 6 hours at room temperature, in refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours and for 3 days if kept in freezer. kangaroo care can be practiced by the mother as well as the father. Kangaroo care technique has proved to be a boon for the kids whose weight is 2 kilogram or less than that.            Through EBM the mother can remain stress free even if she is away from  the child as she knows that in her absence also the child is able to get her milk. Successful breast feeding can be practiced with the help and support of husband. For first 6 months give only breast milk to the child. Children having milk from bottle, leave feeding early