CHECKUP : NEWS, TIPS AND TRENDS WHEN STORING BREAST MILK ...

Stockpiling breast milk can help nursing moms on the go, says a Texas lactation expert.

``Just remember to take a few precautions when storing human milk,'' said Dr. Judy Hopkinson, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

First, thoroughly wash hands with soap and water, she said.

Then, express the milk into a clean container, Hopkinson advised. ``Glass or hard plastic bottles are recommended, although plastic baggie bottles are OK for occasional home use,'' Hopkinson said.

Bottles should contain a single serving, she said. A very small infant may need two to three ounces, while an older infant may want three to four ounces, she added.

She also noted that:

Breast milk tends to resist bacterial growth for several hours at room temperature. ``If a bottle is inadvertently left out, don't panic. It is probably fine if it doesn't have an odor or bad taste,'' she said.

If milk is to be used within five to seven days, bottles can be stored in the back of the refrigerator. To store bottles for longer periods, place them in the back of the freezer. Avoid placing bottles in the refrigerator or freezer door where temperatures are less stable.

When freezing milk, leave a one-half- to one-inch space at the top of the container to allow the milk to expand, Hopkinson said. Try to use frozen milk within one to three months.

To thaw, set the bottle in a bowl of hot tap water for several minutes or hold it under the tap and gently rotate, Hopkinson said.

Free stuttering help: Stuttering is not as rare as you may think: One in four children will experience a period of word repetitions, hesitant speech and other speech problems, according to the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA).

To help parents know what to do, the society has developed a new brochure on stuttering that provides answers to frequently asked questions.

To receive copies of these and other materials on speech, language and hearing disorders, please call ASHA's Information Resource Center (IRC) at [phone] or write to ASHA, 10801 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md. 20852.

Secondhand smoke: More Americans may be exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke than they realize, according to researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

In a nationwide study of more than 16,800 children, adolescents and adults, 37 percent of nonsmoking adults reported that they lived with a smoker or were exposed to tobacco smoke at work.

Among children, about 43 percent of youngsters ages 2 months to 11 years and nearly 36 percent of nonsmoking children ages 12 to 16 lived in a home with at least one smoker, the study showed.

The new study helps ``confirm the need for, and the benefits of, workplace smoking bans,'' said Dr. Ronald M. Davis, of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.