The Amazing, Ever-Changing Breast Milk
October 10, 2006 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under advantages of breastfeeding, breast milk, breastfeeding basics, extended breastfeeding, toddler nursing
The way breast milk miraculously adapts to the changing needs of the baby reminds me of the old joke about the befuddled man first encountering a thermos. “It keeps the hot things hot and the cold things cold. How do it know?”
Colostrum. Colostrum is the nutrient-rich early milk that the baby receives for the first few days after birth. The yellowish “liquid gold” colostrum is low in quantity but high in quality. Colostrum contains beneficial immunities that help protect the baby from illness while the baby’s own immune system is still developing. It acts as a laxative to help the baby pass the first dark stools (called meconium) which in turn helps prevent jaundice.
Mature milk. Three or four days after the birth, the mother’s milk starts to come in. Milk production increases and the colostrum transitions into mature milk over the next two weeks. Amazingly, the mature milk changes composition throughout each nursing session.
Foremilk. At the beginning of the feeding, the baby receives foremilk. The copious foremilk is low in calories and fat. Think of it like skim milk.
Hindmilk. As the baby drains the first breast, the baby receives hindmilk. Hindmilk has less fluid and is more concentrated with fat and protein. It’s important for the baby to be allowed to finish nursing on the first breast before being switched to the next breast. You will know the baby is done when the baby pops off or begins falling asleep. Switching the baby too soon, such as on a set time-table, could mean that the baby receives too much low-calorie liquid and not enough fat. Excess foremilk intake, called a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance, can lead to slow weight gain, fussiness, gassiness and greenish frothy stool.
Toddler milk. Misinformed people may try to convince a mother that her milk no longer has benefits for her baby after the baby reaches a certain age. In fact the milk continues to provide nutritional and immunological benefits as long as the child continues nursing. Toddler milk supplies protein, fat, vitamins and antibodies. some in even greater quantities during the second year and beyond. It’s interesting to note that the American Academy of Family Physicians cites an increased risk of illness for babies weaned before the age of two. (Breastfeeding Position Paper).
Supply and demand. In addition to its marvelous ability to change qualities, breast milk readily adapts to changing quantity needs. Breast milk production operates on the principle of supply and demand. The more milk the baby demands, the more milk the breasts produce. A mother may worry about her supply if the baby suddenly desires to nurse more often, but those additional nursing sessions will actually increase her supply to meet the baby’s needs. Similarly, a mother may worry if her breasts feel empty, yet the rate of milk production increases when the breasts are less full, and slows as the breasts refill.
Angela,
Every every expectant mother; every new mother should have your web site address. I just wish your information, and a place to ask questions and share suggestions would have been available 36 years ago!
West Coast Review
Thanks Bayonne! I appreciate your comment!
Thank you for putting this forum together! What a great resource for women and their families. Fantastic job. Please keep those informative and supportive posts coming!
Thanks from Asheville, North Carolina
Thanks Jill! I appreciate your support!
Good info on the amazing changing properties of breast milk, succinct and accurate. I will be featuring this article as an item in my RSS feed on Saturday October 14. It will run for two weeks. Thank you, Angela.
I am honored, Matia! Thanks for your interest in this article.
Thank you! My daughter is now turning 14mos and I have decided to continue until “whenever”. My husband has been so sceptical, and many others unsupportive… thankfully I have stood firm for my daughter’s sake, as well as my own! Neither one of us are ready to stop, and now, more than ever, I am determined to keep going as long as we can, especially until she turns 2!!! You have also waylaid some of my own uncertainties about supply and consistancy of my milk! Thank you again!!! Too bad I didn’t have this info when my son was nursing, we only lasted 4mos ): And what a difference I see in my two children!!!
Thanks again!!!
Heather, that’s wonderful that your nursing relationship is going so well and that you’ve found the inspiration to continue (thanks for leaving a comment to let me know!) You might enjoy reading more information about toddler nursing which can be found by clicking on the “toddler nursing” and “extended breastfeeding” categories in the sidebar on the right side of the page.