Can you refrigerate breast milk after being thawed?

Can You Refrigerate Thawed Breast Milk?
Breastfeeding mothers often face the challenge of managing breast milk storage, especially when it comes to thawing and reusing milk. Understanding the guidelines for handling thawed breast milk is crucial for ensuring the safety and health of your baby.
Thawing Breast Milk: The Basics
When breast milk is frozen, it can be stored safely for up to 12 months, although using it within six months is recommended for optimal quality. Once thawed, breast milk should be handled with care. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that thawed breast milk can be safely stored in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Refrigerating Thawed Milk: What You Need to Know
While it is permissible to refrigerate thawed breast milk, there are important caveats. If the milk has been warmed to room temperature or heated, it should not be refrigerated again. This is because warmed breast milk can harbor bacteria, and refrigerating it after warming may increase the risk of spoilage. Therefore, it is best practice to only refrigerate breast milk that has been thawed but not warmed.
Best Practices for Handling Thawed Breast Milk
1. Thawing Method: Thaw breast milk in the refrigerator or by placing the container in warm water. Avoid using a microwave, as it can create hot spots that may scald your baby.

2. Storage Duration: Once thawed, keep the milk in the refrigerator and use it within four days. If you do not use it within this timeframe, it should be discarded.
3. Avoid Refreezing: It is crucial to note that once breast milk has been thawed, it should never be refrozen. This guideline helps prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and ensures the milk remains safe for your baby.
4. Leftover Milk: If your baby does not finish a bottle of breast milk, it can be saved for the next feeding, but it should be used within two hours of the feeding.
In conclusion, while you can refrigerate thawed breast milk for a limited time, adhering to safety guidelines is essential to protect your baby’s health. Always prioritize proper storage methods and timelines to ensure that the milk remains safe and nutritious.

Can I refrigerate an unfinished bottle of breastmilk?

Any remaining breast milk left in a bottle after your baby is finished with a feeding should be used within 2 hours—or, if quickly refrigerated, used for the next feeding. You can always thaw an extra container if needed.

Can you save breast milk if baby doesn’t finish bottle?

How do I store and serve leftover breast milk? Leftover breast milk can still be used within 2 hours after the baby is finished feeding. After 2 hours, leftover breast milk should be thrown away. To avoid wasting unfed milk, consider storing, thawing, and warming it in smaller amounts.

What is the 5 5 5 rule for breast milk?

Something I recommend to moms is the 5-5-5 rule. Try and use milk within five hours at room temperature, five days in the fridge, and by five months in the freezer.

Can thawed breast milk go back in the fridge?

Breastmilk can only be frozen once. Once thawed, it needs to be used up. It can stay in the fridge for up to 48 hours after being thawed, then/or once it has been brought up to room temperature, it needs to be used up within 5–8 hours. It cannot be refrigerated again.

How to know if breastmilk is spoiled?

It will also smell bad, much like spoiled cow’s milk. And, like spoiled cow’s milk, breast milk that’s old will taste sour. (It’s fine to taste your breast milk to check!) Always label your pumped milk with a time and date so you can tell how old it is.

Can you refrigerate breast milk twice?

If, after feeding your baby, you’re left with half or a quarter of a bottle, you can reuse it, but only if you’re going to do so quite soon. The CDC advises reusing leftover breast milk within two hours of the last feeding. If it’s longer than two hours, you should throw it away. Do not freeze and reuse later.

Can you put breast milk back in the fridge after sitting out?

Don’t put leftover breast milk back in the fridge to use later or refreeze it. It’s important to follow safety guidelines for breast milk because bacteria can grow in it if you leave it out for too long.

What is the 120 pumping rule?

The first 12 weeks of your breastfeeding journey requires frequent breastmilk removal, stimulating healthy milk production. Studies show moms who exclusively pump for a minimum of 120 minutes per day can make enough to feed their babies primarily breastmilk.

How long can breast milk stay out after being defrosted?

If you thaw breast milk in the refrigerator, use it within 24 hours. Start counting the 24 hours when the breast milk is completely thawed, not from the time when you took it out of the freezer. Once breast milk is brought to room temperature or warmed, use it within 2 hours.

Can you mix thawed breast milk with refrigerated?

You can add freshly expressed breast milk to refrigerated or frozen milk. However, thoroughly cool the freshly expressed breast milk in the refrigerator or a cooler with ice packs before adding it to previously chilled or frozen milk.