How to Safely Thaw Frozen Breast Milk

The controversy is always going on about breast milk and formula. Did you know that Breast milk can be expressed and frozen and used exactly like formula is used. This makes breast milk as convenient or even more convenient than formula.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Container to hold bottle or bag of milk while thawing

1. When thawing your breast milk it is always best to use the oldest breast milk first. Making sure you write the date the milk is expressed on the outside of each container is an easy way to keep track of the date the milk was expressed rather than trying to keep it in a certain area of the freezer to keep track of.

2. To thaw breast milk safely make sure that you only remove as much breast milk as will be needed for the next day. The safest way to thaw the breast milk is to place it in the refrigerator overnight or for 12 hours prior to using.

3. Occasionally baby is in a growth spurt and will require more milk, If this happens and you are in a hurry because you have to thaw more milk than planned, you may hold the bottle under warm running water for up to 30 minutes. Make sure to gently shake the milk or swirl it and then check the temperature of the milk on the inside of your wrist prior to serving to your baby.

Tips & Warnings

• As the breast milk freezes the cream will rise to the top (just as in non pasteurized cows milk) so once the milk is thawed make sure to gently swirl it or shake it prior to serving to mix the cream and the body of the milk.
• Never ever thaw breast milk in the microwave. Thawing in the microwave can kill important antigens in the milk as well as create "hot spots" In the milk that could burn baby's mouth.
• Any breast milk left over after 24 hours should be discarded. Never re use or refreeze the milk as this can cause it to spoil much more quickly.