Many moms worry about the fat content of their milk. They hear from their friend that they had a foremilk hindmilk imbalance and that it caused issues. They pump and see only a super thin layer of “fat” atop the container and then see a picture of a woman with a huge fatty layer. The instant reaction is “oh my gosh, something is wrong!”
First, lets clarify the terms. Foremilk is the milk your baby initial gets when they start feeding. This milk is usually low in fat. Hindmilk is the milk that the baby gets at the very end of the feeding, usually high in fat content. Why is there a difference in milk you ask?
Human breastmilk is actually all the same. The difference in milk comes from the fact that the fat globules in the milk stick together and collect further in the back of the breast. As the baby nurses and the milk moves from the back of the breast through the nipple the fatty globules move forward with it.
This is also why the mistaken idea that longer time between feedings causes fattier breastmilk is NOT true. As your breasts refill the less fatty milk gets moved to the front while those fat globules get pushed back. Longer times between nursing means more foremilk and less fat. Shorter times between feedings means the baby is getting more of the fatty milk because those fat globules are closer to the nipple.
IMPORTANT NOTE: YOU CAN NOT TELL FAT CONTENT OF MILK FROM PUMPING. The layer at the top of the milk is NOT an indicator of how much fat is in your milk. It is simply the milk separating into layers. Even foremilk which is less fatty will have a layer on top. Do not gauge your milks fat content by how pumped milk looks. The only way to do this is to have the milk professionally analyzed.
Make sense?
Many moms think that milk suddenly switched from foremilk to hindmilk. This however is just not the case! Kellymom describes the process as turning on a hot water faucet. “The first water you get out of the tap isn’t usually hot, but cold. As the water runs, it gradually gets warmer and warmer and warmer. This is what happens with the fat content in mom’s milk – moms’s milk gradually increases in fat content until the end of the feeding.” (http://kellymom.com/bf/
Still not sure exactly what is being said. The blog the funny shaped women did an amazing job visually showing the difference between foremilk and hindmilk and the gradual progression that occurs! She pumped and took small samples at various points in her session and then had the samples analyzed for fat, calorie, carbohydrate, and protein content. The results show that over time slowly the milk increases in fat and calories, its not a sudden abrupt switch from foremilk to hindmilk.http://
So what does all this mean to moms?
When nursing your baby you want to let them finish the first breast first before switching. Many moms are still told to only nurse for X number of minutes per breast. Remember all moms produce milk different and produce milk with a different fat content. Also all babies nurse differently! While one baby may be satisfied by the first breast after 5 minutes another may want 10, 15, or even 20 minutes. If your baby pops off try burping and reoffering the same side. If your baby pops off again chances are they are done with that side. At this point most moms should offer the second side, even if your baby only nurses on that side for a few minutes. A large majority of babies nurse both sides per nursing session.http://www.llli.org/
There are situations however when women don’t want to offer both breasts. If your baby is constantly having frothy green poop then you may have too much milk and your baby may be getting too much of the less fatty foremilk and not enough hindmilk. There are other signs of oversupply as well, usually babies are gassy and fussy, tend to “chug” when nursing, pull away from the breast after letdown occurs (usually resulting in milk spraying everywhere!), and sometimes will actually have a shallow latch to help “slow down” the milk flow. At this point you may want to consider offering the same breast for 2 feedings in a row. This allows your baby to get more of the fatty milk out because your breast is not having as much time to refill between nursing sessions. This is called block or flex feeding. http://kellymom.com/bf/
Before jumping to the oversupply conclusion however ask yourself some questions: Does this happen all the time? Has anything changed recently? Did my baby just go through a growth spurt/has been nursing more frequently? Its normal for newborns to go through a growth spurt, nurse a lot, and end up taking in a bit too much foremilk. If you are not having all the symptoms listed above consistently then it may just be temporary. As I said, most moms offer both breasts per feeding.
So what is the take home here?
- Milk does NOT magically switch from foremilk to hindmilk!
- Watch your baby, not a clock! Let your baby nurse from the first side first, don’t rush them to move on!
- Most moms should be offering both sides for each nursing session!
- 99% of the time, you don’t have to worry about foremilk vs hindmilk. If your baby is nursing well and gaining well then everything is going great!
