Washing and sterilising pumping equipment

Pumping can be a time-consuming chore, but did you know, you may not need to sterilise your pump parts every use?

That's because the live cells in freshly expressed human milk kill bacteria, keeping milk fresh for longer. In fact a Belgian study* found that even after eight days of refrigeration, some batches of milk actually had bacterial levels lower than when the milk was first expressed. For this reason breastfeeding and pumping equipment doesn’t always need to be sterilised like formula feeding equipment.

This Association of breastfeeding mothers page explains:

“If you’re storing milk for your own healthy baby, you might choose to sterilise the equipment each time for extra protection, but research suggests a wash with hot soapy water is sufficient. Some pumps parts can be washed in a dishwasher.

We know breast milk can be stored at room temperature for several hours, and in the fridge for several days, so some mums who are pumping frequently do choose to reuse the pump without washing, and then wash it carefully after several sessions”.

Some families choose to put pump flanges into a Ziplock bag or plastic sandwich box and put them in the fridge between uses, washing once in 24hrs in a dishwasher or with hot soapy water. The same for bottles, if your baby is healthy then washing with soapy water should be enough.

This from ABM (academy of breastfeeding medicine):

Containers for human milk storage and breast pump milk collection kits must be completely dismantled, washed in hot soapy water and rinsed or washedin a dishwasher, and should always be thoroughly air dried or dried with paper towels. They do not need to be sterilized.

This from: AAP (American academy of paediatrics)

“Mothers should aim for cleanliness but realize milk is a biologic substance and full of probiotic and commensal bacteria.”

Sally Rickard IBCLC demonstrates how to wash breast pumps & containers

If you have any questions regarding anything mentioned in this post, please feel free to get in touch. You can also share your experiences on the Baby-Thrive Facebook page (here).

Sally

✨ IMPORTANT NOTE✨ This refers only to breastmilk. If you are also using formula you may will need to sterilise and follow NHS guidelines HERE for preparation.

*Belgian study: (Pardou, Serruys, Mascart-Lemone, Dramaix & Vis 1994).