Frozen Breastmilk

W.,

Congratulations on the baby! I found a great site with a ton of FAQ about breast milk - hope this helps! http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/pregna...

NEVER microwave breastmilk. It "kills" it and you might as well be serving water.

Thaw in the fridge overnight and use the next day or float the frozen container in a cup of warm (not hot) water. Then when you are ready to use it, put it in very warm water (not boiling).

Hope it helps.

Blessings,

P. <><

I've read that you can either thaw in the refrigerator, run under cool water then under warm water, or heat water in a bowl then put frozen container in it. Of course you should never heat in microwave or on the stove! I've read that once you thaw milk it is only good for 24 hours

I go by Medella's recomendations to throw out any thawed breast milk after 24 hours, and I thaw it in warm water in the sink or sometimes overnight in the refrigerator (which is better if you can plan ahead.

I use the Gerber breastmilk storage bags, which I love because you can just pop them into a Platex nurser. I usually thaw mine in the refridgerator. I usually freeze my milk for 2-3 months. Or just rotate it out, I freeze milk when I pump it, and thaw out the oldest milk to use.

Hi there I have frozen breast milk and the best way to defrost it is place warm water in a glass container then place the frozen breast milk in it's plastic covering in the water until defrosted. Then heat it in warm water that is suitable for the child. As far as how long it last after thawing I have heard many things but I BELIEVE YOU NEED TO USE IT RIGHT AWAY. I would say within a few hours of defrost to use or dispose of. Hope this information is useful.

Hi W.,

It's best to thaw breastmilk in the refrigerator but if you need it sooner you place the bag in a cup or bowl of lukewarm or warm water. It's good for 24 hours.
Congratulations on breatfeeding!! It's a huge commitment but worth it.

Blessings!
A.

I thaw mine in hot water in a cup (that way the bag can't tip and nothing can be spilled.) I only put about 3-4 oz in a bag so you don't have to waste any. Breast milk is only good for 24 hours after it is thawed as long as it stays cold.

There are two ways that you can thaw frozen breast milk. One is to put it in the fridge 12 hours before you want to use it, and a quick way is to sit it in a bowl of hot tap water. Thawing in the bowl of hot tap water only takes a few minutes. Once it is thawed it needs to be used within 24hours if you are keeping it in the fridge, or within 2 hours if you are keeping it at room temperature. Never microwave your milk. This can make your milk dangerously hot and you wouldn't necessarily notice because a microwave heats liquids unevenly and will cause hot spots when the rest feels only warm or even cool.

Thaw it in the refrigerator and it can be good for about 24 hours if kept cold. What I did was store only about 2 to 3 oz per bag so that I only had to use what I needed. Then, I took the bags out of the freezer and put them in the fridge before I went to bed. The next morning, they were thawed enough to make the bottles to take to daycare. Her last bottle was around 4ish and it was good for that long as long as it was kept in the fridge.

I sent frozen breast milk to my sitter- she would leave a crock pot on the lowest setting w/ water in it- and be able to thaw it quickly before a feeding.

Warm water--running water if you're in a hurry. Never boil or microwave. Use within 24 hours. If you store it in smaller amounts it usually thaws quite a bit faster:)

I agree with most of your responses regarding thawing it out- it thaws very quickly in a bowl of hot water. However, I have used my defrosted milk much longer than 24 hours. I have defrosted milk and kept it in the fridge and used it up to 3-4 days later without it going bad or causing any problems with either of my 2 boys.

My lactation consultant told me that the best way to thaw is in warm water. I usually fill up a cup or bowl w/ water and let the bottle sit in it.
She also told me that B-milk is only fresh for 24 hours after thawing. This is for bacteria growth reasons & it should never be re-frozen either.

Always let it thaw in the fridge-- never leave it out to thaw!! After its thawed, I would only use it for about 4-6 hours, so only thaw the amount you'll need in that time frame. (I've breastfed all 3 of my boys for a year, and thats how I did it anyway!) Good luck!

i always thawed mine in the fridge, or in hot water if i was needing to use it right away...dont warm your plastics in the microwave (as i'm sure you know)
thawed milk is only good for 24hrs. after it's thawed

I would thaw mine under warm water in the sink. I never boiled it because the bags might burst. I am not sure how long it is good for if you just thaw it in the frig., but I would think at least for 24-48 hours.

Congratualtions on breastfeeding and you have made it thru the hardest part, those first 3 months. I nursed my first child(now 11yrs old) 27 months and am now nursing my 4.5 mo old. My 1st was hardly ever sick, has no allergies, easy to travel with and turns out to be gifted. Breastfeeding is not just feeding it helps in so many ways. I waited until 27 months so that I could wean gently with love. I didn't have any pain at all. He ofcourse was eating table foods very well. I just subsituted the nursing with soy milk, had my husband give it to him (in a cup) and it took only a few days. Incidently, he doesn't remember nursing if you asked him now. I like freezing in bags and just thawing them in hot water, if I have time from the sink but in a hurry, use the glass of water in the micro. then set the bag in the cup of water. Once you bring the temp. up you pretty much have to use it soon. Have fun with your baby.

Yes! I had to go back to work full time when my son was 8 wks old and I was determined to still go 100% breastmilk. So, needless to say I did a lot of pumping and freezing my milk. There are a lot of bags specifically designed to freeze breastmilk. I liked the Lansinoh (sp?) freezer storage bags best. You can just thaw the milk then fold the top over a drop in style bottle instead of using a liner. You can find them at Target and I think at Wal Mart also. I got an awesome refrigerator magnet from WIC with reminders on how long breastmilk stays fresh. I will write what it says for you, but if you have any more questions WIC has great breastfeeding peer consultants you can talk to (I believe it is 24hrs.) The number on my magnet is 1-800-514-6667. Ok here goes: Fresh breastmilk can be stored in the refrigerator up to 5 days, in the freezer up to 3 months, and in an insulated container with ice packs for up to 8hrs. Thawed breastmilk can be stored up to 24 hrs. in the refrigerator and should not be refrozen. Do not use a microwave to thaw breastmilk. To thaw, run the bottle or baggie under warm water (I just plopped the whole thing in a bowl of warm water that I had heated in the micro. or very hot tap, or sometimes just placed it in the refrigerator the night before). It also says to store the milk in 2-4 oz. in each bottle/double bagged freezer bags (this helps you not waste it, if you have small packages you can always just thaw another). I would also add make sure that you "smoosh" and swirl the milk around as you thaw it to make sure that you get all that good milkfat off the sides of the bag (don't shake it). I hope all of that helps! Good luck!

I always thawed mine in a small bowl of hot water. That Crock Pot idea sounds great, though! Use it within 24 hours.

I froze mine in qt size freezer bags and laid them flat in the freezer--very thin. This allows for a quicker thaw time (under warm water or placed in a container of warm water for a few minutes). I used the milk at the time of thawing or within that day. Check to see how long it's recommended to store milk--date each bag and use the oldest first.