Warming Refrigerated Breast Milk

Britney Dabolas: Hi! I am Britney Dabolas from Corona, California and my question is what's the best and healthiest way to warm refrigerated breast milk?

Dr. Ulfat Shaikh: Congratulations Britney, on your new baby and on using breast feed. Breast milk will give your baby a healthy start in life. If your breast milk has been frozen, you can thaw it overnight in the refrigerator for about 12 hours. You can also put the bottle of frozen or cold breast milk in a cup of warm water for a few minutes to warm it up.

Alternatively, you can put the bottle under some running warm water to try and bring it to room temperature. Always remember, never heat up breast milk in the microwave as doing so can cause hotspots in the milk which could scald your baby's mouth. Also never heat the breast milk directly on the stove top or bring it to boiling point as this will reduce the protective properties that breast milk has to fight infections in the baby.

Finally, always remember to check the temperature of the breast milk by squirting a couple of drops of the milk on the back of your hand to make sure it's not too hot. All the best and enjoy your baby.



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