How To Thaw Frozen Breast Milk

Freezing breast milk is a common practice among mothers who want to store milk for their baby to use later. While there are many things to keep in mind when storing milk, it’s also important to know some things to consider when thawing frozen breast milk in bags.

Here are some ways on how to thaw frozen breast milk:

Thawing in the Fridge

Thawing frozen breast milk in bags can be done by simply putting it in the refrigerator. However, while this method is easy, it needs planning. Thawing frozen milk in the fridge can take about 12 hours, so you need to plan and schedule when your baby should drink the thawed milk. The best time to get your baby to take the thawed milk is about 24 hours after the ice crystals are gone.

Thawing in Warm Water

This is a great method of thawing frozen breast milk in bags because it not only thaws the milk but also warms it if you leave it a bit longer after thawing. It’s an ideal thawing method for frozen breast milk stored in bottles and bags, but the thawing and warming process works more quickly with bags. An important tip to keep in mind when using this method is to replace the water from time to time. After several minutes, the warm or hot water used for the frozen milk will get colder. Replacing the water and ensuring it stays warm will allow the milk to warm up more quickly.

Thawing in Cold Water

This may be an unusual way of thawing, but it’s one way to thaw frozen breast milk. Compared to thawing in the fridge, this method is the quicker option as it can thaw milk in less than 12 hours. You can also choose this method if you’re not sure if you’ll be able to use all the milk you’re thawing. This is because you can put the unused milk in the fridge as long as it stays cold and hasn’t been put into your baby’s bottle yet. 

Thawing Under Running Water

If you’re looking for the fastest way of thawing frozen breast milk in bags, this is the best option for you. This mainly works best when thawing milk in bags. This method is ideally done by running the bag through cold water first and switching to warm water after a few minutes. As the milk starts to defrost, you can begin massaging the bag to break up the ice chunks, making the thawing process much faster.

Things to Keep in Mind

The thawing process takes time, so you may be tempted to take the faster way. Here are some important things to keep in mind when thawing frozen milk:

• Don’t use a microwave. It destroys the nutrients in the milk, and it can put your baby at risk of burns.
• Don’t thaw milk at room temperature. This will help you make sure you keep the milk’s healthy composition.
• Freeze milk in small portions to minimize wasted milk.