At what point in the feeding....

506 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by dawndup, Jun 19, 2004

The Lucky One

Discussion Starter · Jun 19, 2004

does hindmilk get released for baby to drink?

Sometimes I have a hard time getting my 5 week old to nurse more than 8 or so minutes at a time and I'm wondering how much hindmilk he's getting. Luckily, he nurses very very frequently (like 20+ times a day) and a good portion of his feedings are 15-20 minutes, but other times he nurses so briefly, I wonder if he's getting what he needs in terms of the fatty hindmilk.

He's gaining well, btw. Went from 6lbs 10oz at birth to 11lbs at 5 weeks!

tia,
lisa

Save

1 - 3 of 3 Posts

wombat

· #2 · Jun 19, 2004

There's no specific time. The fact that your nursing very frequently, and most of his feedings are 15-20 mins and he's gaining well says he's getting plenty of hindmilk. Think of the short feeds as snacks or getting fluid. Foremilk is important too - it's like baby water.

Here's a good explanation about hindmilk:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fo...-hindmilk.html

Save

dawndup

· #3 · Jun 19, 2004

For what it's worth... since I pump at work, I can see when my milk changes consistency. If I am really full (like first thing in the morning if DD hasn't eaten much during the night), I have tons of watery foremilk and then just a wee bit of hindmilk at the end. Like my body knows that she needs to re-hydrate after not drinking much at night. But later in the day, if I'm pumping often, I see the hindmilk come out much sooner.

So if your baby is eating pretty frequently, I'd say even during an 8 minute feeding he is getting plenty of hindmilk. If he's emptying the breast then he is definitely getting hindmilk.

During those brief nursings you talk about, he may just be a little thirsty so he needs a quick nip to quench his thirst and then he's done. That's OK too. He doesn't need hindmilk at every feeding. Since he is gaining well, I wouldn't worry about it one bit

See less See more

Save

1 - 3 of 3 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month