Breast milk is the best nutritional food for babies, especially for babies under 1 year old. But for working moms or moms with large busts, you cannot breastfeed your little one anytime. That's where breast pumps come in.
You carefully pump the milk, write the date on the label of the milk storage bag, and put it inside the freezer. When you give it to your little one, he doesn't finish it and leaves a whole bunch of milk.
You look at that liquid gold and honestly, you don't want to waste it. Your body was working so hard to produce it.
You ask yourself, "can I reheat breast milk more than once?". And you started your research. And that's when I come in.
2 big fat misconceptions about warming up breast milk
Everyone knows that warming up food improperly will cause the nutrition in food to be lost. And the same thing applies to breast milk.
Unlike food, there are many things you need to remember when warming up breast milk. And there are 2 big fat myths that I am sure you've heard of.
Warmed milk loses a lot of nutrition
Yes and no.
Only heating milk in the wrong way will cause nutrition to be lost. Science has proven that vitamins, as well as antibodies of breast milk, will be lost when exposed to high temperatures.
There are many ways to warm breast milk such as using a microwave, warming with hot water, using a bottle warmer. Pay attention to the temperature, to be able to preserve the nutritional value of breast milk.
You can use a bottle warmer to reheat your breast milk, as it can help to preserve optimal nutrition.
Warm up the milk and let it cool down
Imagine when your little one gets up in the middle of the night and he wants his milk immediately. But you need time to warm it up. He gives you 10 seconds to buckle up before screaming his lungs off.
That's when you want to dump the milk into a microwave or soak it in boiling water so that it can be ready to serve soon.
However, these ways can make the milk too hot and destroy vitamins and nutritions in the breast milk.
How to warm up breast milk the right way?
First, to defrost milk, mothers should move from the freezer/freezer compartment to the cooler the night before the date of use. It can take 8-24 hours for the milk to completely dissolve, so overnight is best.
Warming breast milk seems simple, but it makes many mothers confused because they do not know how to warm breast milk properly. There are 4 extremely important rules that mothers should remember when warming breast milk for their babies:
- Do not heat milk for too long at a high temperature
- Breast milk should be kept at around 40 degrees Celsius
- Warm milk must be used within 1 hour.
- Do not reheat milk over and over again.
How long does breast milk stay in the warmer?
Bacteria can grow rapidly in warm, humid conditions. And they will be having a party if they find a protein-rich environment.
Your milk can be spoiled if you leave it in the warmer for a long time. That's why manufacturers also recommend that you only leave the bottle in the bottle warmer for about 1 hour.
Does express breast milk need to be reheated?
Experts recommend that you should not keep breast milk at a normal temperature for more than 4 hours, and less than 1 hour if the weather is hot.
After expressing breast milk, if your baby drinks it right away, you don't have to reheat it. Otherwise, you should keep it in the refrigerator. Remember to transfer to another bottle a sufficient amount of milk for each feeding when you warm it up.
Can I reheat breast milk more than once?
If your baby cannot drink all of your heated breast milk, you should throw it away, not reheat for the baby to use next time. Because bacteria can multiply and cause disease for your baby, making him sick.
Remember to reheat the breast milk only before he wants to eat. Do not reheat it too early (more than 1 hour) before feeding your baby, as this is very easy for the bacteria to grow.
Mothers should remember that breast milk is only warmed once after thawing, should not be reheated.
Reheating Breast Milk Is Perfectly Safe- Just Do So Once
Like anything, breast milk is best when it’s fresh. The nutrient levels are at their highest, and babies will get the most benefits.
But there are times when moms produce more than babies will drink. To save that liquid gold, just freeze your breast milk so that you will always have some on hand whenever the baby is hungry. Just remember to only reheat the breastmilk once to preserve the amazing nutrition it provides.