Can You Reheat Breast Milk?
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 immune properties that kill bacteria.
Babies are more sensitive to bacteria growth than adults because 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 you reheat breast milk?
Yes, it’s okay to reheat breast milk but you should do so only ONCE and be sure to use up or discard the breast milk within 2 hours of the first warming.
DISCLAIMER
Do not reheat breast milk if:
your baby is sick
your baby is premature
breast milk was previously frozen
It’s best to feed your baby breast milk that hasn’t been previously heated because heating makes breast milk lose its antibacterial properties and destroys good bacteria and nutrients.
Did you know?
Breast milk does not have to be warmed to give to your baby! It can be offered at room temperature or even cold!
PRO-TIP:
A good way to avoid wasting precious liquid gold (breast milk!) is to store, thaw, and warm milk in smaller amounts. Smaller amounts also have the advantage of warming faster.
We always recommend THESE freezer safe breast milk containers because they freeze in perfect little cubes!
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