Warming up Breastmilk and Re-refrigerating

Im currently seeing a lactation specialist because of some problems we are having breastfeeding caused by me making too much milk. Anyways, I am pumping all the time and so have just asked all these questions. This is my 2nd child and their advice is much more lenient than I thought the rules were last time I was breastfeeding. Im going to just list some of the things Ive learned from them (and just to assure you the person I see is known as one of the experts in the feild- she's an MD who runs a whole breastfeeding clinic and has made educational videos of breastfeedign etc..) They say milk can be left at room temp for 8 hours and then you can refrigerate it if you havent used it. Warm milk (freshly pumped) cannot be added to refrigerated milk (you must cool the pumped and then pour together). Refrigerated milk can be added to frozen milk. Once milk is heated in warm water it cant be reheated but can be used again at the next feeding at room temp if the feeding is within 2-3 hours. If your baby only likes warm milk than you might as well throw it away but as your baby gets alittle older he may not mind room temperature milk as much. (alot of older babies arent as picky) The best thing I learned is that if you are pumping approximately every 4 hours you dont have to wash the pump each time- just every other time. I hate washing the pump. This time I also discovered this bra with holes cut out over the nipples that you put your pump into so you can "hands-free" pump. This allows me to sit here and pump and type on the computer etc.. I dont know why these "bras" arent everywhere. I ordered mine on the internet. Good luck

Here is a link about safe handling of breastmilk. And please remember, you CANNOT shake breastmilk as another poster suggested. ONLY swirl it. It explains that in the link. Good luck!

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkstorage.html

http://www.bflrc.com/ljs/breastfeeding/shakenot.htm

Hi N.,

It is very important that you do not refrigerate milk from an unfinished bottle and try to use it again later. This can make your baby sick from bacteria passed from his mouth. Also, I found that breast milk bags were very useful and all you had to do was put them in warm water or a bottle warmer until they reached the desired temperature. My girls were very picky about having warm milk as well. Good luck.

It is completely safe to heat up your breastmilk just not in a microwave. you can put the milk in a bottle and then in a warmer. once you have heated up the milk whatever your son doesn't drink has to be discarded. it's no longer good once it's been heated. and once you heat it the bottle its only drinkable for an hour. also, i would only store breastmilk in the fridge for about 4-5 days. you can freeze it though up to 4 months.
hope this helps!

Hi N.,

I am a Maternal-Child Health Registered Nurse. Wow! I've read some of the responses and decided to give it a whirl!

I'll lay this out easily (if you have any questions about my suggestions, I'll respond asap):

**never microwave breastmilk - decreases nutrients - heat bm by placing bottle w/bm in a container with hot water then shake lightly the bm bottle to make sure there are no 'hot spots'.
**bm should be at least room temp - if you give it cool or cold, it will cause gas and cramping for the baby, then you will have to deal with a very unhappy baby!
**it is best if you can figure out about how much your baby takes at a feeding - if he takes 3 oz and appears that he wants more, be sure to burp him well first, then offer 1/2 or 1 oz more at a time. This way you are not wasting bm and don't have to worry about throwing out that precious commodity (I call bm "liquid gold"!). You can leave bm out for about 4 hours (not in hot weather, though) - no longer.
**AND REMEMBER!!! if you are giving your bm by way of the bottle it is much easier for your baby to suck from a bottle than he can from your breast, so therefore, he will be taking more. You may not be able to keep up with him with the bm and may have to supplement with formula.
**It is normal for babies to spit up formula after eating - be sure to burp well and keep in a semi upright position (like in a bouncy seat) for about 30-45 minutes to help the formula settle in his belly - hopefully, this will eliminate his spitting up too much
**HOW TO PROMOTE MORE BREAST MILK: Drink drink drink!!! plenty of water. As you are nursing, have a large glass of water next to you and drink it while you are nursing. Water is the best fluid for you and your baby. Remember, you should be taking in about 500 extra calories a day while you are nursing. Be sure to take your vitamins and get plenty of rest - don't make the same mistake many moms make and try to get things done like laundry and meals while the baby rests - remember, if you don't take care of yourself, you will not be able to take care of your baby! I hope you have a good support system. That helps tremendously with postpartum depression.

**Try to actually breast feed your baby as much as possible instead of bottle feeding. It's always nice to have some bm on reserve for when you are not around and he needs to stay with another caregiver, but if you can spend that time now, you'll be glad you did. You'll never get another chance at the 'first time' as you will now - it will be harder to nurse future children especially when you have little ones running around demanding your attention!

Hope this info helps and doesn't overwhelm - I'll check back to see if you have any other questions - This is my favorite part about being a nurse, teaching and helping others be the best and do the best they can! And it sounds like you are certainly on your way.....

J. - mom and nurse

I am still pumping mik for my now 10 mos old daughter and I know what you mean about saving every drop! Never microwave it as getting it too hot is dangerous for baby and also kills some of the good properties of the milk. Just heat it gradually under warm running water or in a mug of water. If my daughter didn't finish I would leave it out at room temp because she would usually finish it within an hour or two at that age and it can last at room temp for a while. Check the LaLeche league website for exact specs on heating, storing, etc!

Once breastmilk is heated you cannot refrigerate it again. If your son does not finish a bottle of heated breastmilk then you can only hold onto to it for another hour or two before having to dispose of it. I understand about pumping. I work full time and have to pump three times a day at work. I finally bought the Avent IQ Duo electric pump and it has been a saving grace. Because I pump both breasts at the same time my prolactin has increased hence increasing my milk supply. I no longer worry about every little drop. Also, a good pint of Guiness helps and oatmeal. By the time your body processes a pint of Guiness the amount of alcohol that passes to your breastmilk is negligible. I hope this helps.

i have always just heated up refigerated breast milk in a cup of warm water. swirl the bottle around to mix it up so it warms evenly.

freshly expressed breast milk is good for 3-4 hours at room temp. if breast milk has been refrigerated and then warmed, and your son doesn't finish the bottle, it's still OK. warmed milk can sit out for 3-4 hours before it should be tossed. breast milk is golden, don't waste it! if you need to, only feed him a 2-ounce bottle instead of a 4-oz. he can always go back for more.

You can heat the milk in another cup filled with hot water. Not boiling. It should heat to a nice room temp. As far as putting it back in the fridge, I would leave it out for up to an hour at room temp and still give it to the baby. I wouldn't trust refridgerating it and heating it again. I nursed my two girls for just over a year each time and know that the pumped milk is like gold.
Congratulations on making the decision to nurse. I promise it gets easier and less demanding as time goes on. Don't feel that you can't suppliment with a little formula every once in a while to give your self a break. That can be the time to pump a nice supply too. Good luck! Hope this helps.
C.

I breast fed both of my boys and worked full time. I was told and read that you should warm up the breast milk under hot water from the faucet; however, I know the "grandparents" sometimes heated the water on the stove, then put the bottle in it (not with a flame) to warm it up faster when the baby was screaming! Also, once the baby has used the breast milk, you need to discard any left over. It can carry bacteria. It's liquid gold, but no good once warmed up and used. My advice is that if the baby is eating on a decent schedule, you can take the milk from the freezer and have it start to defrost in the fridge, then heat under faucet and discard any left over.

i know breast milk is precious, but i would call up your local lactation consultant, i'm sure they would answer these type of questions on the phone for you.

until then...
here is a link to a breast milk storage page from the cdc
http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/recommendations/handling...

there are hundreds more on the web that deal with milk storage that i'm sure you can find easily.

best,
L.

Heat it up to warm it up but don't get it too hot. You need to throw it out afterwards. You can't reuse it. I know it stinks but it collects bacteria and can make the boy sick.

I'm not sure about overheating breast milk. We always put it in some warm water and let it sit for a few minutes. There was no chance of overheating that way. I know that everything I read though said that once you heated it up and/or gave it to your baby that was it. It isn't safe to put it back in the fridge and reuse it. Hope this helps!

I always let it thaw in the fridge starting the night before and when it does, i then heat it up for a feeding in boiling water ( i actually bought a hot water dispenser..the best thing ever!). all the leftover milk that she doesn't finish, i end up throwing it out because i feel like it's reached the end of a long road and probably will just continue to spoil. hope this helps!

I'm not sure about the re-heating after it's been out or overheating.

What I can tell you is that I used the Avent hand held pump and bottle system and pumping was never a problem. I used the simple Isis pump - not the electronic handheld one. It was impressive how quickly my milk let down and how quickly it flowed once it got going. I would be done pumping in about 15 minutes once I got comfortable with the unit which took about two days.

I really can't recommend it highly enough.

I know all too well how valuable every last drop is! In my experience when I've refrigerated and tried to reuse what was left in a bottle, it has tasted sour so I don't do it. Everything that I've read says that you should use a heated bottle within an hour. My daughter can be inconsistent with how much she'll take from a bottle, so if it looks like sometimes she's not going to finish a full bottle, I'll give her a smaller amount and just heat up more if she's still hungry. I usually try to only heat it to room temp, maybe a little warmer, I wonder too if to much heat damages the nutritional value-sorry I can't answer that one. Hope the helps.

I used to just warm the milk in a pot of water I boiled then took off the heat. It never took more than 5-10 min. Don't put it back in the fridge. It will grow bacteria after being heated. If you run out of milk don't feel guilty about using formula every now and then if it is needed (if your babe will take it). Be blessed, CB

I used to warm up a cup of water in the microwave and then put my bottle of breast milk in there to warm up....like any thing else you don't want it too hot for baby...you can keep it out for an hour or two and then you're supossed to pitch it. To be honest if my sons didn't finish it I would put the remainder in a new container and reuse at the next feeding. The doctors say to pitch it because of germs, I just reused once and the second bottle I would dump....It sounds strange but if you can you should pump while you nurse...you get more...I would nurse one side and then pump the next....baby does the work by bringing in your milk...best of luck!

N.,
Place the bottle or bag of stored milk in a small bowl of warm/hot water. It may take about 5 minutes, but this will warm it up. Don't microwave it or heat it up on the stove...it ruins the quality and the benefits of the breastmilk.
The lactation consultant told me you can leave breast milk out, unrefrigerated for up to 8 hours.
Congratulations on you new precious baby boy! Take care of yourself!

From my experience years ago, and my mother's experience even more years ago, Its fine to heat and fine to put the unused milk back in the fridge (right away), but of course its better not to overheat any milk,(but not dangerous, just less nutritious,) especially some as precious as your breast milk.

with both of my children ( 7 and 2.5 y.o.) i refrigerated the breast milk and then re-used it. what i would recommend is if you have left over milk, dont mix it with the fresh batch. give the old from the old bottle and then top it off with the fresh in the new bottle. aslo, i wouldnt recommed overheating it. better take it out of the fridge and hour before feeidng and let it warm up to room temperatur. if it is frozen, simply run hot water over a bottle of milk for a couple of minutes. breast milk defrosts really fast when you put the bottle in hot water. i hope this is clear for you, if not, i would be happy to clarify antyhing.

I haven't read any of the other posts but when I breastfed I would just put the milk in a bottle and run it under warm water or let it sit in a cup of warm water.
also if my daughter didn't finish a bottle i would put it in the fridge right away then offer it the next time she got hungry, and then throw it out if she didn't finish it then. I never had a problem with doing that.

Dont stress over throwing out your breastmilk, i did in the beginning too. You CANNOT re-use already warmed breastmilk. Warm it up in a bowl with warm water. It doesnt need to be hot, room temperature is fine. Check out this website by medela that tells you EVERYTHING you need to know about storing your milk...
http://www.medela.com/tips-and-solutions/11/breastmilk-co... congratulations on nursing! My son is 7 months old and im still nursing and it can be really frustarting/stressful in the beginning but it gets sooo much easier! Enjoy your special bonding while breastfeeding!! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me back. D.

N.,
Here's some info I found on the web about storing breast milk - the answer to your direct question is last in the list..Good luck and congrats to you and your family on your little one!

How long can you refridgerate breast milk?

Instructions how to storage breast milk

How do I storage my Breast Milk?

The Basics

--Use very clean containers. Glass is best, but plastic and baggie-type bottles can also be used

--Express milk into 2- to 4-ounce "single-serve" portions, plus a few extra 1 ounce portions for when your baby wants more

--Chill milk as soon as possible and definitely within four hours.* When temperatures soar above 100 degrees, chill immediately

--Label and date bottles

--If the milk will be used within 4 to 5 days, refrigerate. If not, freeze

Tips for Fresh Milk

--If stored in a cooler with frozen gel packs, use within 24 hours

--If stored under standard refrigeration use within 5 days

--Warm by shaking gently under warm, running water

--Avoid the microwave. Microwave warming can cause hot spots and damage protective substances

--Teach others who feed your infant how to prepare bottles for feeding

Tips for Frozen Milk

--If stored at zero degrees in a self-defrosting freezer, use within 6 months

--If stored at zero degrees in a standard freezer, use within 12 months

--Defrost by shaking gently under warm, running water. Avoid microwave thawing, which can cause hot spots

--Shake gently to redistribute the separated fat of thawed milk that appears lumpy. It is perfectly safe to use

--Use as soon as possible once thawed. Freezing destroys some of the anti-bacterial components of milk, making it more perishable than fresh.

Storage Guidelines

Storing milk in 2-4 ounce amounts may reduce waste. Refrigerated milk has more anti-infective properties than frozen milk. Cool milk in refrigerator before adding to frozen milk.

Human milk can be stored:

· at room temperature (66-72°F, 19-22°C) for up to 10 hours

· in a refrigerator (32-39°F, 0-4°C) for up to 8 days

· in a freezer compartment inside a refrigerator (variable temperature due to the door opening frequently) for up to 2 weeks

· in a freezer compartment with a separate door (variable temperature due to the door opening frequently) for up to 3 to 4 months.

· in a separate deep freeze (0°F, -19°C) for up to 6 months or longer.

Expressed milk can be kept in a common refrigerator at the workplace or in a day care center. The US Centers for Disease Control and the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration agree that human milk is not among the body fluids that require special handling or storage in a separate container.

How do I heat breast milk?
Microwaving destroys some of the anti-infective properties of the breast milk and may create "hot spots" that could burn your baby. Place the container of milk in a bowl of warm water, or place under the hot water faucet, and heat to room temperature. Your baby may refuse milk straight from the refrigerator, but cold milk is not harmful.

Can I reuse leftover milk?
While there is no research on this topic, many mothers refrigerate milk the baby did not finish and use it at the very next feed. If you have any doubt, discard the milk.· at room temperature (66-72°F, 19-22°C) for up to 10 hours

· in a refrigerator (32-39°F, 0-4°C) for up to 8 days

· in a freezer compartment inside a refrigerator (variable temperature due to the door opening frequently) for up to 2 weeks

· in a freezer compartment with a separate door (variable temperature due to the door opening frequently) for up to 3 to 4 months.

· in a separate deep freeze (0°F, -19°C) for up to 6 months or longer.

I used to heat up my daughter's breast milk in a bottle warmer or in warm water up to room temperature, there is really no need to give a baby warm milk but we all feel a lot better by doing it :o). I used to follow the rule of 3, 3 hrs at room temperature, 3 days in the fridge and 3 mo in the freezer. You can heat up but never in a microwave as it will loose some of it nutrients, it also looses some nutrients when you freeze, however I did freeze a lot of it as I know how precious having a supply is. I trick I found to work was to store the milk in a breastmilk bag and heat it up in bath of warm water ti worked very well b/c it warmed up quicker than in a bottle and warmer, it also helped me not to overheat. Hope this helps.

Do not put your percious milk in the microwave.Place the bottle in a bowl of warm water and let it heat only to body temp.Make smaller bottles and toss the unused portions. Good luck. I nursed 3 kids, now 18, 15 and 8. It can seem daunting at first but stick with it the connection with your wee one and the health benefits for both of you are well worth it. Just don't rely on it for birth control.

My advice for warming breast milk is to heat some water, then put the bottle of milk in the hot water for a couple of minutes to warm it. The microwave will destroy the valuable nutrients in breastmilk.

The expert advice on putting an unfinished bottle back in the fridge is don't do it, because bacteria will multiply. So I always tried to give about 3 ounces, and if my babies wanted more, give another 1-2 at a time. You know how much he's likely to drink, so use that as your guide. I also did put the bottle back in the fridge for a couple of hours, just not a really long time, and no one was hurt by that. I agree, the pumped milk is like gold, so you don't want to waste any.

Hi N.,

Glad to see that you are breastfeeding. You can check the La Leche League website for the most accurate info on breastmilk etc. I believe in general it may lose some qualities but is still better that nothing. You may want to try freezing the milk in small quantities (i.e ice cube size). In the back of the freezer not on the door. The smaller cubes thaw quickly in a bag placed in warm water. I would not store milk in the fridge for more than a day or so & I would be hesitant to reuse the same bottle after it has been out a long time. The issue is not the quality of the milk but that the baby has put his germs etc onto the nipple & then into the milk. But check the website www.llli.org for the best info. Personally, I did not pump much because I did not work & usually had my kids with me. But I do have great respect for moms who work & pump. Best of luck to you! You are giving your son one of the best gifts.

Hi N.,
I had a bottle warmer that worked well. Also, you can put the bottle in a bowl of warm water to heat it up. My daughter would not drink a bottle of breast milk/formula that was cold! I asked the peditrican if it was okay to use the warmer and she said it was fine. If your baby does not finish a bottle it's best not to refrigirate again. I believe you can keep at room tempature for a few hours and reuse.

Heat it in a bowl of warm water. It shouldn't get hot.

You can save it for about an hour in the fridge. It's the germs on the bottle that you are concerned with the longer it sits.

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/pregna...

Here is a link,

Basically I tried to reasearch the subject and there is very little information on this topic,

My gut feeling is that BM is valuable,

So use it wisely,

I think that when you heat the BM try not to make it too hot,
so plan ahead EG. let the BM thaw naturally,
and USE WATER to pacify your baby until the milk is ready
at 3 months your baby can also be introduced to Baby juice, and Oatmeal cereal by the tablespoon full.

Feeding a baby foods a juices decreases the need for BM.

However you don't want to Decrease the amount of times that your pumping or nursing, because then the milk decreases.

Here are some personal TIPS you may already be doing:

When ever possible, USE your actual breast to nurse the baby,

2-3 hours later PUMP, even if not much come out,eventually you will increase the amount of MILK produced,
This can be difficult at work,
so i suggest that you plan in advance ,

Eg.. BEFORE going into the OFFICE PUMP,
2 hours later ( aprx) at about 11am take a bathroom break, and PUMP for 20 minutes

Make sure to eat and drink, and take your prenatal vitamins

and after lunch at 2pm PUMP again

at 5pm PUMP/ or nurse your baby

BEFORE going HOME-( leave the pumped milk at the sitters)

right before/after dinner, PUMP/nurse at about 7pm

and again at 10 pm

Greating a schedule where you pump more frequently builds your milk supply,

Hope this was helpfull

M

Hi N.,

I agree with everyone else, donot save milk that was already used and never use a microwave to warm up any type of milk. Running hot water into a pot and leaving it there for around 10-15 minutes suprisingly warms up the breast milk to room temp. which is just right.

I would reccommend you do not microwave the breastmilk to warm it up. It will overheat and that does deplete the milk of some nutrients I believe, and also, it can heat unevenly and there can be hot spots. I always used to just let it float in a pot of warm water, not hot, until its defrosted. I might have to replace the water one time when it cools as the milk defrosts.

You should never heat breast milk in the microwave it breaks down the protien. I always would run my faucet until it got REALLY hot and put the water in a measuring cup. Then sit the bottle in that. You really shouldn't save breastmilk unless you are going to use it in the next hour or two. Refrigerated milk can only stay there for 4-7 days. Frozen milk can last upto 3 mos. And if you have a deep freezer it can last up to a year.

hi N.! it is SO GREAT that your are nursing your son! congratulations!

i highly reccommend that you look up your local La Leche League Chapter on the web and call the chapter leader or better yet, go to a meeting. they have the best, most up to date and accurate information on handling breastmilk and all other questions you may have.

some of thier parenting advice may not be for you, but that's fine; take what helps and leave the rest.

i would also say this in the meanwhile; try to stay away from using the bottle as much as possible with a new baby; nursing from the breast if better for him by far for many reasons. first of all, he gets the most out of you and he learns to nurse effectively and efficiently. with bottles, you can end up with a lazy baby or a sleepy baby or too fast of a flow; what happens is that they can get too full and spit it all up and then your milk is wasted, or, they can get used to the fast flow and then they don't want to do the work of nursing and this work is very important for them. it helps with brain development and speech capabilities, among other things.

but the real problem w the bottle is that if they do get too used to it, they might resist nursing, and then you have big problems, because your supply could go down and you end up with forumla, which is really crappy, 3rd rate stuff.

if there's any way you can just nurse from the breast, or almost only, say use a bottle for not more than 1 feeding a day, i would really reccommend this; when your baby is 6 months old, you can start giving him solid food, like fruit and sweet potatoes and cereal, and then your husband can really help out more with feeding, and you can even leave the baby with a relative or sitter. it's a much better transition. and you will see that the time will fly!

i used a bottle w my first child for a few weeks just so my husband could "help out" but we ended up with all the problems i described above, even after searching for a slow flow bottle; i thought it would be better if he did the night feedings. but in the end it worked against me because the pump caused engorgement. i love a good Hospital Grade Medela Classic pump but it can be excessive. anyway when i switched to just nursing from the breast, i found that my husband could do a lot of other things to help me; take the baby for walks so i could nap, wash the baby and entertain him so i could cook or do something for myself, etc.

lastly i would say if you are having trouble getting milk out w the pump you could be using the wrong kind; if you have a Pump in Style that's the wrong thing for this early in the game; try renting a Hospital Grade Medela Classic from a surgical supply store; a pumpinstyle is only for a mom with a very well estblished nursing systerm, like with a 6 month old baby or older. i know some people use them sooner but it's not ideal; of course, better yet would be to skip the pump all together and wait till 6 months and just nurse! but you have to figure out what works for you.

good luck!
J.

i knew a mom who used to freeze her breastmilk and it was fine
just be careful re-heating it because breastmilk does scald. it doesnt take long to re-heat it
i used to watch my nephew when he was younger and i had to heat the breastmilk from the freezer and it took like no-time to heat it up...
A.