4
Warming Breast Milk
•
Remove the milk from the refrigerator just before using.
•
Warm the milk by holding the container under warm running tap
water or sit it in a bowl of warm water for 5 to 10 minutes.
•
Rotate the bottle gently and test the warmth of the milk by placing a
drop on the inside of your wrist before feeding your baby.
•
Milk left over in the container after a feeding may be offered at the
next feeding before discarding. Do not reheat milk that has been
heated. Breast milk can safely stand at room temperature for 4 to 8
hours.
•
Do not warm breast milk by sitting it on the counter at room
temperature.
•
Do not warm breast milk in a microwave oven. It can change the
breast milk and reduce the quality of the milk. Microwave ovens heat
the milk unevenly to cause a chance of burning your baby’s mouth.
Talk to your baby’s doctor or nurse if you have any questions or
concerns.
2/2008. Developed through a partnership of The Ohio State University Medical Center, Mount
Carmel Health and OhioHealth, Columbus, Ohio. Available for use as a public service without
copyright restrictions at www.healthinfotranslations.org.