Can breast milk be refrigerated after being heated?

After giving birth, many mothers need to face social pressure and go to work. For the health of their babies, they usually have to pump milk. Mothers are very hard at work. In order to let their babies drink breast milk, they have to go to work and can only let their children drink frozen milk. However, breast milk needs to be heated before drinking. However, sometimes after heating, the baby cannot finish it. Can it be refrigerated?

Can breast milk be refrigerated after being heated?

Breast milk cannot be refrigerated after being heated.

If the baby does not finish the heated breast milk in one go, it must be discarded. Never reheat it and give it to the child again! Because breast milk contains bacteria, if it is kept for too long, bacteria will multiply in large numbers, which may lead to diarrhea and other problems.

How long can you keep thawed milk?

If the baby is unable to finish the thawed milk in the bottle in one go, the remaining portion should be drunk within 1 to 2 hours or poured out. Thawed breast milk can be stored in the refrigerator for 24 hours and cannot be refrozen. This means you or the one feeding can thaw it all at once, or you can leave the frozen milk to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, so you can have breast milk ready sooner when your baby is hungry.

Notice:

Thawed breast milk cannot be refrozen.

Small problems to pay attention to during breast milk storage

1. When breast milk is stored, it may break down into a milk layer and a cream layer. This is normal. Before serving, shake gently to redistribute the cream layer.

2. Do not use a microwave to heat breast milk, as this may cause the loss of some nutrients in the breast milk. Microwaves do not heat evenly, and objects can develop "hot spots" that can burn a baby's mouth.

3. Sometimes thawed breast milk may smell or taste soapy. This is due to the breakdown of the fat in the breast milk. But this kind of breast milk is still safe and most babies will still drink it.

4. Thawed frozen milk can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. However, there is insufficient evidence to suggest that breast milk can be refrozen after being thawed for several hours, as this may lead to further destruction or loss of the components and antimicrobial activity in the breast milk. At this point, the best thing to do is discard.

Tips: How to give your baby high-quality breast milk

1. Wear pure cotton clothes during breastfeeding and avoid chemical fiber clothes. Because fibers that fall from clothes may stick to the nipples, block the milk ducts and affect secretion. It will be even more dangerous if they are accidentally sucked into the child's mouth.

2. The temperature change of milk should not be too obvious. When you come home from outside in the cold winter, you should cover your child before feeding him/her to prevent him/her from being stimulated by the cold.

3. Pay attention to breast cleaning

Don't breastfeed right after you get home. When you come back from outside, you will inevitably have some dust, viruses and bacteria on your body. Therefore, you should wipe your breasts and change your clothes before breastfeeding to prevent your baby from getting sick by accidentally eating dirty things.