Preparing and Storing Human Milk Fortified with Powder Formula

Preparing and Storing Human Milk Fortified with Powder Formula

Narrator: Your child receives human milk that is prepared with formula to meet their nutrition needs. Human milk calorie concentration varies and is about 20 calories per ounce. Your healthcare provider has prescribed a higher caloric density human milk for your child which is made by adding formula powder to human milk. Your child's health depends on following these instructions. This video will take you through the steps to properly fortify human milk.

Wash your hands and get your supplies ready. You will need expressed breast milk, a container of powder formula, a teaspoon from a measuring spoon set, a bottle and mixing instructions provided by a healthcare professional. Check the use by date on the formula can to make sure the formula has not expired.

Next, get your human milk ready. Pour the desired amount of human milk into a bottle or container. The amount will be based on the mixing instructions provided by a healthcare professional.

Next, get ready to add powdered formula to the human milk. Do not use the scoop found in the can of formula; instead use a teaspoon from a measuring spoon set to measure a level teaspoon of formula powder. Add the desired number of teaspoons of formula to the human milk. The amount will be based on the mixing instructions provided by a healthcare professional.

Finally, mix the human milk and formula together. This can be done by closing the bottle and shaking until well-mixed, about 10 to 15 seconds. Once human milk is fortified, feed your child immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator to prevent growth of bacteria. Throw out any unused fortified human milk 24 hours after preparation. Discard any fortified human milk that is still in the bottle 1 hour after the start of a bottle feeding or has been out of the refrigerator for more than 4 hours when given by feeding tube.