Last Reviewed: September 2009

Six Weeks to Six Months

Thawing frozen breast milk


Use the container of breast milk with the earliest date first.	Place the frozen breast milk to thaw in the fridge for 4 hours.	Or place the container of frozen breast milk under cool running water until it begins to thaw. Run the container under warm water until it has completely thawed.

Place the container in a bowl of very warm water to warm breast milk. DO NOT place in boiling water.	Never leave breast milk on the counter to thaw at room temperature.	DO NOT heat breast milk in a microwave oven or on a stove.

Shake thawed milk gently to blend various components.
Use thawed milk immediately or store in fridge for up to 24 hours.
Never refreeze thawed breast milk.
Do not heat expressed breast milk in a microwave as hot spots are created which can burn your baby’s mouth/throat.
Microwaving may cause leaching of chemicals from the container into the breastmilk.
Thawed expressed breast milk can be warmed by placing it in a container of warm water; use within an hour. Do not refrigerate warmed breast milk.
Any milk the infant does not use is discarded at the end of feeding.

Any milk the baby does not use should be discarded at the end of feeding.