Can Warmed Breast Milk Be Refrigerated Again?

Written By Stacey Stewart, C.L.E

It’s very important to pay attention to breast milk storage rules to avoid potential contamination.

Both freezing and heating breast milk destroys some of its important immune properties that kill bacteria. Babies are more sensitive to bacteria growth than adults since they have a delicate immune system.

Remember the rule of 4’s when storing breast milk

Breast milk is good for:

  • 4 hours when freshly expressed

  • 4 days in the back of your refrigerator

  • 4 months in a regular freezer and 6-12 months in a deep freezer

Can Warmed Breast Milk Be Refrigerated Again?

 Yes, you can refrigerate warmed breast milk again as long as you make sure to use that milk within 2 hours of the first warming. 

So you have two hours once your breast milk first comes to room temperature or is warmed to feed it to your baby. 

 Any breast milk not consumed after 2 hours should be discarded, even if it was put back in the fridge.

 Refrigeration slows bacteria growth so it may be better to keep unused breast milk in the fridge instead of room temperature during that 2 hour window.

PRO-TIP: 

A good way to avoid wasting precious liquid gold is to store, thaw, and warm breast milk in smaller quantities.

We always recommend THESE freezer safe silicone breast milk containers because they freeze in perfect little cubes!

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Stacey Stewart, C.L.E

Meet Stacey, the brains (and heart) behind Milkology®.

As a mom of three, she's lived it. The 2 AM googling. The advice overload. The "why didn't ANYONE tell me this?" moments.

That's why she created Milkology… to give you the clear, modern lactation education you actually deserve. No more confusion. No more overwhelm. Just the confidence to trust yourself.

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