Can i re refrigerate warmed breast milk

May Many women who choose breastfeeding after returning to work, express milk during the day and store this milk for a future feeding. When infants do not finish a bottle of expressed breastmilk, doctors recommend unfinished portions be thrown away. A portion of unconsumed milk was examined as a control. Samples were taken every 12 hours for bacterial analysis. Tests were performed to identify total colony counts, pathogenic Staphylococci, coliforms and b-hemolytic Streptococci.

Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. Breastfeeding Information for Families. Related Topics. Diabetes Nutrition. Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.

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Group Owners uphold the core values of the brand by reporting content that violates the community guidelines. Follow us on. How quickly this will make the breast milk unsafe to consume depends on the room temperature, how long the milk has been stored, and the bacteria present. As a general guideline without knowing the individual circumstances of each bottle the CDC states that offering again within two hours should be safe for consumption.

After that, it may not be, and so should be discarded. Per the CDC :. Once breast milk is brought to room temperature or warmed after storing in the refrigerator or freezer, it should be used within 2 hours. Either rewarming or leaving it at room temperature is fine — whichever works best for you. Per Kellymom :. We do know that for any food, refrigeration slows bacteria growth. Milk storage guidelines do not include any warnings against rewarming milk, and many moms rewarm with no issues.

But unfortunately, you cannot refreeze thawed breast milk, and you need to use it within 24 hours of when it has finished thawing not from when the power outage started or you took it out of the freezer.

If your breast milk still has ice crystals, it is considered safe to put back in the freezer.