Breast milk is different to cow’s milk in many ways, with one difference being the colour of the milk. We are used to seeing milk as a consistent white colour, but breast milk varies in colour. “Breast milk can range from somewhat translucent to a bluish colour to pale white to a creamy white or even yellow and it all usually depends on the amount of fat in the milk” says UWA’s Professor of Human Lactation Donna Geddes.
Indeed, the fat in breast milk varies depending on how much milk is in the breast and well as how much milk the baby takes from the breast at a feed. The fuller the breast the less ‘cream’ in the milk. Not to worry though because as the baby feeds the milk gets ‘creamier’ and the fat content increases. “Mums often worry about whether their baby receives enough fat from their breast milk, but they need not. Over the course of the day, it all evens out and the baby receives what they need. There is a normal range for the amount of fat consumed in breast milk, so it varies between babies. In fact, it is the volume of milk that a baby consumes rather than the fat content that drives infant weight gain.
Prof Geddes groups publication “Volume and Frequency of Breastfeedings and Fat Content of Breast Milk Throughout the Day” has shown that the fat content received in breast milk is similar for boy and girl babies. Further the amount of fat received does not depend on how many feeds the baby has throughout the day. This means that it doesn’t matter if the baby has few feeds of large volumes compared to a baby that has small frequent feeds.
“Breastfed babies receive a lot of calories from the fat in breast milk to help them grow rapidly. The type of fats in breast milk are also very special. They help with brain development and appear to respond to the mums and baby’s health” says Prof Geddes.
“Since we want our babies to receive as much milk as they need and all of the beneficial nutrients it’s best to allow the baby to finish their feeds at each breast without being too concerned about how long they are feeding”.
“We think that the increase in fat at the end of a breastfeed may also help the baby feel full. This is a good reason for not timing feeds but rather allowing the baby to finish suckling before stopping the feed or changing to the other breast” she adds.