Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Freezing Breast Milk
• Method 2 of 4: Defrost overnight
• Method 3 of 4: Defrosting the same day
• Method 4 of 4: Using defrosted milk
• Tips
• Warnings

When breastfeeding a baby, excess milk can be frozen and stored in the freezer. However, defrosting the milk incorrectly can spoil it and even endanger the baby's health. It is very important to thaw breast milk slowly. It can be left to thaw overnight, or you can try to defrost it for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Taking care of the milk preparation in advance will keep your own baby safe and avoid spoiling your valuable frozen food!

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Freezing Breast Milk

1. 1 Store milk in small portions. Breast milk only retains its value for 24 hours after thawing, so do not freeze more than a day's milk in one container. You can store milk in special bags for freezing or in bottles allowed for freezing (preferably 50-100 ml).
2. 2 Write the dates on the milk container. The composition of breast milk changes as the baby grows, so do not feed your baby with milk that has been stale for more than four months. Placing freezing dates on containers will help ensure that your baby gets the milk that is right for his stage of development.
3. 3 Keep the oldest milk close to the front of the freezer. Place new milk in the back of the freezer. Thus, the first container taken from the freezer will always be the oldest.
4. 4 Take the milk out of the freezer every night to defrost it the next day. Make defrosting the milk the next day a regular evening routine. This way you will not find yourself without milk by accident, and you will not be tempted to urgently and too quickly defrost milk for your baby!

Method 2 of 4: Defrost overnight

1. 1 Remove the container with the oldest milk from the freezer. Check the date to make sure the milk has been stored for less than four months. Also see if containers with older dates are lost in the back of the freezer!
2. 2 Transfer the milk to the fridge compartment of the refrigerator overnight. Sometimes it takes up to 12 hours to fully defrost milk in the refrigerator, so try to ensure you have enough time! If the baby usually eats at seven in the morning, then the milk for feeding should go from the freezer to the refrigerator no later than seven in the evening.
3. 3 Feed your baby milk in the morning. Make sure the milk is completely thawed before serving your baby. If you fail to use the milk within 24 hours of defrosting, it may go bad, so in this case, just throw it away!

Method 3 of 4: Defrosting the same day

1. 1 Submerge the container of frozen milk in a bowl of cold water. Make sure the container with breast milk is airtight beforehand. Submerge the breast milk container completely in a bowl or sink filled with cold water to defrost the milk evenly.
2. 2 Gradually start raising the temperature of the water. When you notice the first signs of milk thawing, replace the cold water with room temperature water. After a few more minutes, the water at room temperature can be replaced with warm water and so on until the milk itself warms up to room temperature. The entire process should take about one or two hours for a 50-100 ml serving of milk.
3. 3 Give milk to your baby or put it in the refrigerator. If you decide to store milk in the refrigerator, be sure to use it within 24 hours! You can even update the date on the milk container so you don't forget to use it. Do not re-freeze defrosted milk as it can develop harmful germs that can harm your baby.

Method 4 of 4: Using defrosted milk

1. 1 Shake the milk container gently. Milk may flake and form a greasy film on top. Shake the container of milk gently to mix the two layers.
2. 2 Heat milk in warm water (optional). If your baby prefers to drink warm milk, immerse a closed container of milk in a bowl of warm water and wait until the milk is at a temperature suitable for the baby. Never heat breast milk in the microwave, on the stove, or in boiling water. This can spoil the milk and burn your baby!
3. 3 Check the temperature of the milk. Before giving milk to your baby, check the temperature by placing a few drops on your wrist. If the drops seem hot to you, then the milk is too hot for the baby! It should be barely warm.
4. 4 Taste or smell the milk. If the milk tastes or smells sour, throw it away. Be sure to check to see if the milk has spoiled, especially if it has stood at room temperature for more than an hour or all day in the refrigerator.

Tips

• Defrosted milk does not need to be heated. Some mothers warm it up, but the baby can drink it cold. Milk can be served to the baby in this form.
• If you are making too much milk compared to what your baby can eat, you may need to see a breastfeeding specialist.

Warnings

• Never refreeze defrosted milk.
• Do not leave defrosted milk in the refrigerator for more than one day or more than a few hours at room temperature.
• Do not heat milk in the microwave or on the stove. This can spoil the milk. Also, when heated quickly, hot zones can form in the milk that can burn the baby.