Can milk composition vary from 1 boob 2 another?

[LROM]

My DD is now 9 months old, I started back to work and pumping when she was 3 mos old, and I've noticed for the last couple of months that when I pump both boobs at the same time, the milk from one often looks whiter and more opaque than the other which looks a little greyer/watery-er.

Is that quite common? Or rather uncommon? Is it based in the same thing as why one boob might produce more/less milk than another?

[LROM]

So does no answers to this mean I'm just a freak of nature? Yikes! Just bumping in case anyone has a theory this week they didn't have last week...

[MonkeysRUs]

It's perfectly normal. Women usually have one breast that produces more than the other. If one breast is fuller than the other, the milk is going to look a little more watery from that one since fat content is related to how empty your breast is.

[justKate]

Originally Posted by MonkeysRUs

It's perfectly normal. Women usually have one breast that produces more than the other. If one breast is fuller than the other, the milk is going to look a little more watery from that one since fat content is related to how empty your breast is.

I had an augmentation on one side and have oversupply issues generally, and often have dramatically different looking milk on each side. I mix the two bottles to try for more uniform consistency, but I don't think it's necessary.

All normal!

[Xerxella]

Hahahaha

I'm totally like this, too. My right side is the smaller side. And, I consistently get less milk from that side and it looks more like fore milk (watery, thinner, greyer) and my left side it's much richer looking (fattier, whiter, thicker). I've often wondered if my right side just doesn't respond to the pump as well. Because when I'm done pumping my right side still feels slightly full and my left feels more empty. So therefore maybe, I am getting just foremilk on the right side and fore and hind milk on the left (?) Luckily, I only work 2 or 3 days a week, so it doesn't have too big of an impact. I just make sure I nurse evenly the rest of the time. (It's not the pump. I've switched it all around and always have the same result.)

I don't worry about which goes to my daughter. It's all good, it's all milk.

[LROM]

Thanks all! It's already been a tough week, didn't want to also find out I'm a scientific anomaly on top of everything else LOL!

And that makes a lot of sense that the breast producing less milk may produce more foremilk - that's what's going on with me in that the greyer/thinner looking milk comes from the smaller boob that produces a little less milk.

Interestingly though, my LO has switched a couple times which one she prefers. We still nurse laying down during the nights and sometimes she goes out of her way to reach the less-producing boob even though she's gotta strain initially to do it (of course once I notice I just give it to her).

Thanks all!