How do I thaw breast milk?

Postnatal, Your questions

Marie, I have been told all sorts of things about how to thaw breast milk. I take it out of the freezer and place it on the counter, and when there is still a lot of frozen milk, I put it in the fridge to continue thawing. At night I warm the milk before my partner gives it to the baby. Is that fine? I am starting to doubt my way of doing it…thanks for your help, Louise.


Louise, what you are doing seems safe to me given that you slowly thaw your milk at room temperature. You can also run cold water over the container and gradually warm up the water if you need to thaw it faster.

You should never thaw milk in the microwave, as we don’t understand the impact of the waves on the plastic, milk and milk components (vitamins and antibodies), and the burn risk if the milk is overheated.

Continue with your great work!

Talk soon,

Marie

The Baby Expert

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