During milk production, some moms pump milk to store for later use. In addition to the fact that this saves time, it helps moms who are unable to breastfeed also.
One important thing you should observe when pumping milk to store for later is how you feed it to your baby. While you can warm it, some may end up being unused until the later feeding, which makes you think, How many times can you reheat breast milk?
All things considered, this answer varies and you’ll have to ensure that you heat the breast milk accurately. In this article, I’ll be discussing how many times you can reheat breast milk and how to do so to feed your happy and healthy baby! Read On…
How To Properly Reheat Breast Milk
There are specific ways to reheat breast milk and other ways that can be dangerous for your baby. Keep in mind that when you heat breast milk, it mustn’t get too hot in order not to kill the nutrients in the breast milk, even if it’s the first time you’ve heated the breast milk.
There are additional dos and don’ts that you need to follow.
Never Thaw Breast Milk At Room Temperature
Frozen breast milk should not be thawed and warmed by leaving it at room temperature. At last, the milk will be thawed and be at the ideal temperature.
However, meanwhile, it will be at the ideal temperature for bacteria to breed. This makes this a risky practice.
Bottle Warmers
There are bottle warmers available in the market designed for warming breast milk like the Munchkin Speed Bottle warmer. These can be set to a particular temperature to ensure that breast milk doesn’t get excessively hot.
They also heat the milk uniformly so you avoid hot areas. These are a good investment if you have extra cash. They save you time, and you never need to stress over the milk getting too hot.
Here is a video showing you how to use the Munchkin Speed Bottle Warmer
Do Not Use The Microwave
Do not use the microwave to reheat breast milk because you risk the milk getting excessively hot. Allow the milk to cool down, but that doesn’t mean that the nutrients that were killed already will come back. They won’t!
Second, you can create hot spots in breast milk. It may feel like it’s the ideal temperature, yet there could be a small spot in the milk that is excessively hot. This can burn your little one. This burn ranges from mild to severe, depending on how hot the milk is.
Bowl Of Warm Water
If you don’t have a bottle warmer that heats breast milk, an alternative means is to use a bowl of warm water. This decreases the risk that you’ll make the breast milk too hot. Instead, it will heat the milk gradually without overheating it.
Pay close attention to the temperature of the water when you do this. Although, if you place the breast milk in a bowl of boiling water that you just removed from the stove, it will get significantly hotter than if you put it in a bowl of warm water. All you need is lukewarm water from the faucet.
How Many Times Can You Reheat Breast Milk?
YES! You can reheat breast milk, but you can just do so ONE time. According to science and research, it is recommended to reheat breast milk that has been partially consumed only once, as reheating it would destroy the good bacteria and supplements found in breast milk.
Additionally, it is ideal to just reheat and utilize the breast milk within four hours, as there would be some bacterial contamination in the milk that comes from your child’s mouth.
Essentially, it is best advised to reheat breast milk once. However, if it has just been reheated and stays unused after four hours, then discard it.
As referenced, reheating breast milk would rely upon different factors, like how you store the milk down to how long the milk has been sitting out.
Read Also: How Many Times Can You Reheat Formula?
When To Not Reheat Breast Milk
Indeed, reheating your breast milk is alright, however, there are times when you shouldn’t, for example;
- Try not to reheat your breast milk when it looks like milk has been sitting outside for over 30 minutes. Bad bacteria may have just gotten inside the breast milk, making it unsafe for your baby to consume.
- When breast milk goes bad from improper storage or leaving it outside for such a long time, you shouldn’t reheat and use it again. You’ll know whether breast milk has turned sour through its smell.
- If your little one is sick, don’t reheat breast milk to use again, because the breast milk loses its immunologic properties when reheated. It’s ideal to feed your baby a fresh bottle of breast milk from the refrigerator (and has been appropriately heated).
- Do not reheat milk previously frozen, as thawed breast milk will just a little amount of living immune cells, which prevents contamination.
Read Also: What Happens If Baby Drinks Spoiled Breast Milk?
Other Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Reheat Breast Milk With Boiling Water On The Stove?
No, you cannot. This can make the breast milk excessively hot, bringing about burns to yourself or your infant.
There are common regular risks with this technique, for example, the bubbling water sprinkling on you and burning you, or melting the plastic bottle depending upon the bottle.
Can You Refrigerate Breast Milk After It’s Been Heated Up?
Indeed! if you heat breast milk and find out that your baby was simply tired and cranky, you can store it in the refrigerator for four hours. After this period, you should discard it. Remember, don’t leave it at room temperature or refreeze it.
How Long Can Breast Milk Be Stored In The Deep Freezer?
It’s suggested that you don’t store breast milk for more than six months. Breast milk is created for the age and phase of your baby. If you pump milk when your little one will be one month old, it’s for a one-month-old.
If you wait to use it for five months, you’re giving six months old baby vitamins and supplements that were better for a month old. When putting storing breast milk, follow the first in first out standard to avoid this.
Does Frozen Breast Milk Lose Nutrients?
Indeed, it does. Fresh is always the best option, if possible. Freezing causes an extraordinary decrease in the level of antioxidants found in breast milk.
This same applies whenever it has been in the refrigerator for several days. Although, even with the lower levels that frozen breast milk has, it has more than baby formula.
Related Posts:
- Why Your Thawed Breast Milk Looks Grainy
- Baby won’t Drink Pumped Milk (7 Helpful Tips)
- Why Does Milk Turn Yellow When Frozen? Find Out!
- 19 Useful Ideas On What To Do With Leftover Milk
Conclusion
If you are pumping breast milk for your child to store and warm up later, then you should consider the unused breast milk to check whether you can reheat and feed it again to your baby later on. While this is permitted, there are specific conditions to look out for in other to make sure that you are feeding your baby quality breast milk.
I trust that this article addresses your question “How many times can you reheat breast milk?” Now that you thoroughly understand reheating breast milk and how to do it right, follow these tips and you will not need to stress overfeeding your baby pumped milk any longer.
If you have any questions or would like to share tips and experiences with reheating breast milk, kindly comment down below. I would love to hear them.