True foremilk-hindmilk imbalance usually only occurs when there is too much milk or where feeds are timed. Many parents are told by other people to worry about their baby getting the fatty ‘hindmilk’, but all breastmilk has some fat in it. Fat content of breastmilk naturally varies throughout a feed and throughout a day. Early in a feed, a baby gets breastmilk that is lower in fat. Towards the end of the feed, he receives breastmilk that is higher in fat. Simply put, the emptier your breast is, the higher the fat content and vice versa. In the early part of the day, if you have very full breasts, fat content will be lower. Later in the day, as your breasts soften, the fat content will be higher. If you follow your baby’s lead and breastfeed your baby whenever he is looking for the breast, your baby will get what he needs.
Many mothers worry that they don’t have enough milk if their breasts feel soft, or if they cannot feel their let-down reflex. After the early weeks, your body adjusts to your baby’s needs. The full feeling that you may have had in your breasts in the early weeks disappears. This simply means that your milk supply is now 'in sync' with your baby’s needs. Some mothers never feel their let-down reflex. Fortunately there are other ways to tell when your let-down reflex occurs. Your baby’s sucking changes from a shallow, quick suck to a deeper, more rhythmic suck and milk may drip from the other breast.
Yours in health and happiness
Sandy B Simmons
Want to chat and find out more? Schedule a free 20 minute chat
