Breast milk is the best food you can offer your baby. Its nutritional composition is the most appropriate For your child's needs, it even changes naturally as the baby grows and his needs increase. Therefore, it is very important that within the possibilities of each case, the baby is exclusively breastfed for up to 6 months. And in a complementary way until the mother and the baby so wish.
However, on many occasions breastfeeding is interrupted prematurely. The obligations of daily life and return to work are usually the main cause. But if you organize yourself well and plan ahead, going back to work doesn't have to mean the end of breastfeeding. Breast milk can be perfectly preserved and stored in the freezer.
You just have to take a few precautions when expressing the milk and during the freezing process. In this link you will find very useful tips on the best way to storing and using breast milk. As well it is very important to take care of the way you defrost the milk, as it should be done with other foods.
The best options for thawing breast milk
As with other foods, the best and safest way is, letting the milk defrost naturally without losing the cold chain, that is, in the fridge. The downside is that the process is slow and if you need to use the milk immediately, this method will not be valid. However, for those days when you know that you will not be at home when the baby needs to eat, it is best to leave a few servings of breast milk defrosting in the refrigerator for when it is needed.
If you need to use the milk immediately, you can place the storage bag in warm water, at a maximum of 37ºC. Under no circumstances should you let the milk thaw at room temperature. Once it is thawed, it can be kept at room temperature for a maximum of 2 hours, while the baby is taking it. In the refrigerator it can last up to 24 hours after it has been defrosted.
These are the most appropriate ways to thaw breast milk. In no case should you use the microwave for this purpose, nor is it advisable to boil milk to defrost it. These methods could damage the nutritional composition of breast milk and could even harm your baby by not maintaining an appropriate temperature.