How to thaw breastmilk
- Hold the bottle or bag of frozen breastmilk under warm (not hot) running water until thawed—usually about 10 minutes.
- Rock the thawed bottle or bag gently back and forth before feeding, since fat in stored breastmilk separates and rises to the top.
- Discard whatever breastmilk you don’t use; never refreeze it. Defrosted breastmilk is good for up to 24 hours if kept in the refrigerator.
NOTE: Never thaw in a microwave. In addition to creating hot spots in the liquid that may burn your baby, the microwave may destroy some of the breastmilk’s properties.