Foremilk and Hindmilk

Okay so let’s talk how amazing breastmilk is. Or one of the many ways that is…

Here is a fun lesson in the wonders of breastmilk: I had been pumping 10oz in the morning and 10oz at night to donate. I decided to stop the morning pump session and pumped my nightly one a bit early because I was so crazy engorged.

In the photo above, check out the right side milk. It is the first milk pumped from my right breast. It is ALL foremilk from the pumping session I missed. Note how BLUE it is!!!!

The left side of the photo is ALL the fatty hindmilk that eventually found its way out after all the foremilk.

This photo is especially important to show why one should not to restrict a baby’s time on the breast, look at all the fat they would have missed! Pretty remarkable right?

Some fun info from kellymom: “Foremilk and hindmilk are not different types of milk–they are only terms that refer to whether we’re looking at milk at the start or end of a feeding. The term foremilk refers to the milk at the beginning of a feeding; hindmilk refers to milk at the end of a feeding, which has a higher fat content than the milk at the beginning of that particular feeding.”

“Because of the mechanics of milk release, the amount of fat in the milk available to baby gradually changes as a feed progresses. As milk is produced in the breast, the fat globules in the milk tend to stick to each other and to the walls of the alveoli (where the milk is made). Between feedings, milk collects in the breasts and gradually moves out toward the nipple, leaving more and more of the fat “stuck” further back in the milk ducts. The more time between milk removal (feeding or expression), the lower the fat content of the milk available to baby at the beginning of the feeding.”

Pretty incredible that this all came from ONE breast in one pumping session…

Breastmilk for the win!

Curious about what these pumping bags are in the photo? Pretty unusual to see a top on a pump bag, I know. They’re Kiinde pouches/bags (find them here) and are AMAZING! You may also notice they’re cheaper than most breastmilk pump bags (look at the 40 count! Like $7!!!) They have twist off tops (hence their name.. Kiinde Twist) and can attach RIGHT to your pump with a little connector AND directly into the Kiinde bottles! But seriously, you just have to connect the bottoms too to the pump bag, no pouring out precious milk and spilling it again!!!! I loved these when pumping (for many reasons clearly) and had the families I donated to use the kinde system to bottle feed! Learn more and purchase the starter system here on Amazon!

Worth it, I promise!!!!