Breast Milk - How's it Look?
I remember the first time I managed to fill a whole bottle with expressed breast milk. My milk looked very watery and it made me wonder if it was normal.
Most of my friends had weaned because they were told (by well meaning family) that their milk was "no good". So, was what I was looking at "no good"?
If you are expressing colostrum either before giving birth, to bring your milk in, or for your premature baby, you will find that it is yellowy in colour and it's very thick and creamy. As your milk comes in you may find that the consistancy becomes thinner and the colour may change to bluish/white.
Because your body makes your milk to suit your baby's needs no two mothers milk will look the same. So please don't be alarmed if your milk or colostrum looks different in colour or consistancy to someone elses.
Expressed breast milk will usually also separate into layers. This is because as you feed your baby your milk changes from a watery and thirst quenching fore milk, to a thick and creamy hind milk. When you express milk and allow it to stand, the fore milk moves to the top of the bottle and the hind milk will sit at the bottom.
The amount of fore milk and hind milk you express may vary depending on when you express and how soon after a breast feed you are expressing. This is because your body will adjust the amount of fore milk and hind milk produced at each breastfeed.
Should I be concerned about the ratio of fore milk and hind milk I am leaving for my baby?
In general, no, unless advised by your health professional. It should all even out over a 24 hour period so your baby will get everything he or she needs. If you are going to be away from your baby for longer than 48 hours straight and you find that you are mainly expressing fore milk, you can try expressing after a breast feed to get the rich hind milk.
How much hind milk your baby needs will depend on your baby's age and the length of time that you will be apart. But if you are concerned, speak to a breastfeeding counsellor and they will be able to advise you on your particular situation.
Breast milk will also freeze into layers and when defrosted it can have what looks like little white flaky clumps in it. This is simply the fat in your breast milk that has grouped together. Your defrosted milk is perfectly fine and still contains lots of the good stuff that your baby needs.
I remember my mum and my in-laws being horrified when they defrosted my expressed breast milk. They were sure it had gone off, so sure in fact they blamed it for my son's eczema. From that day on I made sure to defrost my milk in the fridge over night and pass it off as freshly expressed.
It's natural to want to give your baby the best. You just have to trust that your body knows what it's doing. Rest assured that it's making the best possible milk for your precious baby and whether it's being received via your breast, tube, bottle, or cup it's still the most natural source of nutrients, anti bodies, fats and vitamins that your baby can have, no matter what it looks like.
Please always remember to consult your health professional to find out information that is relevant to your specific situation.
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