When producing milk, there are mothers who pump milk to store for later use. Not only does this save time, but it helps busy mothers who are unable to breastfeed as well.
One thing you should take note of when pumping milk to store for later is how to feed it to your baby.
While you can heat it, some may end up being unused until the later feeding, which makes you wonder: How many times can you reheat breast milk?
Well, this answer varies and you'll need to make sure that you heat the breast milk correctly. So read on as I show you about how many times you can reheat breast milk and how to do so to feed a happy and healthy baby!
How Many Times Can You Reheat Breast Milk?
The answer here is YES. You are able to reheat breast milk, but you can only do so ONE time. Based on studies and research, it is recommended to reheat breast milk that has been partially consumed just once, as reheating it would destroy the good bacteria and nutrients found in breast milk.
Also, it is best to only reheat and use the breast milk within four hours, as there would be some bacterial contamination in the milk that comes from your baby's mouth.
Here is an excellent video showing you more about reheating breast milk:
Basically, it IS safe to reheat breast milk once. But if it has already been reheated and remains unused after four hours, then discard it.
Like mentioned, reheating breast milk would depend on various factors, like from the way you stored the milk down to how long the milk has been sitting outside. I'll be explaining more of reheating breast milk and when you shouldn't do so in the next sections.
When to NOT Reheat Breast Milk
Yes, reheating your breast milk is okay, but there are times when you shouldn't, such as:
How to Store Breast Milk Properly for Heating or Reheating
While you CAN reheat breast milk, it will also depend on how you store it. Storing your milk properly will ensure that you can properly heat and reheat your breast milk in the future. But how do you do so? Here are some tips to follow when storing breast milk:
- From the time you begin pumping milk until storing it in bottles or bags, make sure that your hands and pump parts are clean and sterilized. Place it in the appropriate storage bottles or bags and in the freezer or fridge, depending on when you will be using it.
- Thaw your frozen milk before heating it. Do not refreeze milk to thaw and reheat again.
- Label your milk according to when you pumped it and how long it will take until it expires so you know which bags of milk to feed first and what you should throw out if it is past the expiration date. Take note that breast milk can last for:
Tips on Reheating Breast Milk Correctly
Now that you're familiar with reheating breast milk and properly storing it, how do you reheat breast milk to use for later? Here are some tips to follow:
Conclusion
If you are pumping breast milk for your baby to store and heat up later, then you should also take account the unused breast milk to see if you can reheat and feed it again to your little one later on. While this is allowed, there are certain conditions to look after to make sure that you are feeding your baby quality breast milk.
I hope that this article answers your question: "How many times can you reheat breast milk?" Now that you know all about reheating breast milk and how to do it right, follow these tips and you won't have to worry about feeding your baby pumped milk anymore.
If you have any questions or would like to share your tips and experiences with reheating breast milk, then comment down below. I would love to hear what you have to think.
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