Introduction

There are always safe practices to take into consideration when handling human milk and feeding a baby outside of the closed mouth-to-nipple system of direct nursing. This applies to expressing, storing, and feeding milk to one’s own baby as well as handling and feeding donor milk. When considering (private) donor milk, parents are balancing the benefits of optimal nutrition and immunity against the risk of disease transmission. This section offers information about safe handling practices, pasteurization methods, and feeding methods that can support the safe sharing of human milk.