Why can't you warm up breast milk in the microwave only by stove?

Answer 1

warming the milk in the microwave kills all of the antibodies and makes the milk less valuable and it gets too hot

Answer 2

NEVER warm up any kind of milk for a baby in the microwave. Microwaves heat things unevenly. ( have you ever warmed up something in the microwave, tasted it to see if it was warm and thought it was..then when you sat down to eat it, bit into a cold spot?) Well, that happens with milk too. You can accidently give the baby milk that can burn his mouth. I am a registered nurse with over 20 years in hospital nursery, and we always teach parents to NEVER warm bottles in the microwave...or on the stove. Heat a cup of water. or use hot tap water. Then ,set the bottle in the water briefly.

Answer 3

The answer is NO do not warm any kind of milk in microwave for babys. Put the bottle of milk in the hot water and let that way to warm up, but check it often you do not want hot milk.. It may take a little time but it's better this way than microwave ..

Answer 4

While this can be a huge pain sometimes, there are several good reasons for it. Breastmilk has living organisms in it (antibodies) and they can not withstand harsh treatment. Rough handling (shaking for instance) and microwaving breastmilk will kill these antibodies and greatly lower the nutrient content.

Also, as with formula in the microwave, hot spots can occur and burn the baby (so even if at a fingertips depth the milk feels fine, half way down may be scalding hot)

An easy way to thaw and serve frozen breasmilk is to store it in a plastic breastmilk storage bag. Be sure and push as much air out of the bag as you can before freezing. Then, when ready to serve, you just have to hold it under a hot tap of flowing water for a minuet or so and the milk is warm and ready.

Answer 5

you should not put any liquid for your child in the microwave. it doesn't heat it equally, and can have "hot spots" that can burn your child's mouth. breast milk should never be heated in the microwave because it kills antibodies and nutrients and pretty much makes it pointless. run the bottle under hot water in your sink for a few minutes. the breast milk does not need to be warm or hot. milk from a mother is about room temp so why heat it any warmer then that?

Answer 6

It is said that the microwave can kill some of the good stuff in breast milk and that the milk is not heated evenly, so without vigorous shaking of the bottle, the baby can end up drinking very hot milk.

With that said, I used the microwave anyway and always shook the bottle before giving it to my 2 babies. I also felt that breast milk, zapped or not, was still more natural than formula (although I used formula as well at times).

Answer 7

In the microwave it gets too hot. What I like to do is put the cold/frozen milk in a bowl of hot water for a minute or two and it warms up really fast!

Answer 8

Because the microwave could create hot spots in the milk. You could try warming baby's milk in a cup or bowl of warm to hot water, it takes about 3 to 5 minutes but its consistenly warmed throughout.

Answer 9

The killing antibodies response seems valid to me because I know that freezing breast milk has the same effect. I know they warn about microwaving anything for baby because microwaves don't heat food/beverages evenly and therefore may burn baby's mouth. If you mic anything for baby, stir thoroughly and let stand for a bit.

Avent, and other brands I'm sure, have a bottle/jar warmer for babies that heat things up quickly and the temperature is better regulated. I have one and love it. Its very handy for late night feedings.

Answer 10

Because microwaves heat things up using a form of radiation (micro-waves). The particles are thrown around a lot causing heat. This changes the molecular structure of the milk. (This goes for formula too) I'm not sure if its dangerous for them or it just breaks down the nutrients. Heating it up on the stove is convectional, its just transferring the heat energy. You could also use a bottle warmer with breast milk.