Milk Stork Blog

7/13/22

Travel Tips, Pumping & Feeding

Flying with Breast Milk? Here’s How to Prepare for a Stress-Free Trip

As we embark on a new post-pandemic reality, many of us are eager to leave our houses, unplug from Zoom, and hit the skies for summer vacation. If you gave birth during this unusual time, it may be baby’s first vacation and the first for you as a breastfeeding mom—so before you jetset, here’s what you need to know about flying with breast milk. 1. What is Actually Allowed to Be Carried On? Breast milk, formula, and juice are allowed…

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5/23/22

Pumping & Feeding, Current News

What You Need to Know About Milk-Sharing During the Formula Shortage

In light of the formula shortage, more parents are turning to peer-to-peer milk sharing. The nutritional benefits of breast milk are unparalleled, but if you’re not careful, the risk of milk sharing may outweigh the benefits. Unlike milk banks, which conduct extensive health screenings on donors and serve fragile and ill babies most in need of human milk, peer-to-peer milk sharing is informal and unregulated. So, while it might be more accessible to parents, it is not without risk. Understanding…

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4/22/22

Pumping & Feeding

Finished with Pumping? How to Recycle Your Old Breast Pump

So you’ve decided to stop breastfeeding and you’re considering two options: let your breast pump sit and collect dust, or throw it out hoping that maybe some of the parts are biodegradable (spoiler: they aren’t!). Instead, consider these three environmentally-friendly tips to keep your conscience clear and your breast pump out of landfills. 1. Recycle Medela is one of the most popular breast pump brands on the market. Through its Medela Recycles program, you can ship your personal, electric Medela…

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4/5/22

Pumping & Feeding, Workplace Support, Employers

How to Create a Lactation Friendly Culture at Work

Pumping parents know a thing or two about stress, so this Stress Awareness Month, we want to help you make the transition back into the workplace as painless as possible. A New Mom’s Healthy Returns study revealed that 4 out of 5 employees want better breastfeeding support from their employer. Among the most important: having a flexible schedule upon returning to work and having breastfeeding benefits, such as breast milk shipping and space to comfortably accommodate multiple pumping moms. HR…

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6/17/21

Family Health, Pumping & Feeding

How Men Can Support Breastfeeding Moms and Be Their Allies

When it comes to breastfeeding, the first thing to know is that it’s not just about feeding a hungry little belly, but also about responsive parenting — allowing and assisting a new mom and baby to develop that trusting bond, reassurance, and closeness during those early weeks. For some parents, nursing comes easy and naturally, while for others, the struggle is very real! Partners play a critical role in breastfeeding outcomes and therefore it is important for them to understand…

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6/10/21

Family Health, Pumping & Feeding

What To Do With Your Frozen Stash of Breast Milk During a Power Outage

When nature strikes and the power is out, these handy tips will help shed light on how you can keep your breast milk safe and your baby fed during a dreaded power failure! How to keep your breast milk frozen as long as possible: During a power outage, the most important thing to do is keep the freezer closed! According to the USDA, a full freezer can hold its temperature for approximately 48 hours if the door remains closed. The…

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4/29/21

Travel Tips, Pumping & Feeding

The Best Breast Milk Coolers of 2021

The right equipment will save your sanity, time, and milk, especially as we resume in-person activities (including returning to our offices). A quality cooler makes the difference between bringing milk home or dumping that liquid gold down the drain after a hot summer day or a delayed flight. There are 1,000,001 cooler options on the market (but who’s counting?) and no great way for a working mom to weed through all of the options. So we scoured the internet, read…

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3/23/21

Pumping & Feeding, Current News

New Research Shows Human Milk Contains Long-Lasting, Potent Antibodies against COVID-19

NEW YORK — March 23, 2021 — A new study shows that milk from lactating mothers who were previously infected with COVID-19 contains long-lasting COVID-19 antibodies capable of blocking virus infection, which was published on MedRxiv. The research, led by Rebecca Powell, PhD, Assistant Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is a continuation of preliminary work earlier in the pandemic that demonstrated that after infection, nearly all women produce a particularly potent type…

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3/17/21

Pumping & Feeding

5 Best Breast Pumps of 2021

Choosing the right breast pump can make a huge difference in successfully expressing your liquid gold and nursing your baby. Here are 5 quality pumps that we recommend and may be covered by your health insurance. Not all pumps are created equal! We also suggest you check out THESE tips from the Breastfeeding USA website on how to choose the right pump before making a decision. Pump In Style® with MaxFlow™ Breast Pump Medela Pump In Style with MaxFlow Price:…

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