Is thin breast milk nutritious?

Many young women who have just become mothers will find that the milk they breastfeed seems as thin as water, which makes them confused. They think that such milk cannot ensure the baby's absorption of nutrients during feeding. So does thin milk have no nutrients?

1. Mother's breast milk is the best food supplement for babies. It has nothing to do with the thinness of the breast milk. The difference in color of the breast milk indicates that the nutrient structure is different. For breast milk that is thinner, the fat content in it will be slightly lower. For breast milk that is thicker, the fat content in it will be higher.

2. 7 days after giving birth, the mother will feel that both sides of her breasts begin to swell, which means that the milk has been secreted, so it is necessary to apply a hot and damp towel to the breasts in time to help clear the meridians. At this time, the milk secreted by the mother is milky white. In order to avoid milk accumulation, if the baby has leftovers, use a manual breast pump to extract them.

3. In many cases, mother's milk is divided into foremilk and hindmilk, that is, in the first ten minutes or so, the main components of the milk are water, protein and whey protein, which appear to be relatively thinner and contain relatively less nutrients. After 10 minutes, it turns into hindmilk. At this time, the color will be darker and the fat content is very high, which can help the baby grow faster. Therefore, the time of breastfeeding must be controlled within 15 minutes to ensure adequate nutrition.

Exclusive breastfeeding FAQs

For new mothers, during the breastfeeding process, many things need to be re-learned and paid attention to, such as breastfeeding posture and breastfeeding time.

1. Breastfeeding posture

Proper breastfeeding posture is important for exclusive breastfeeding

When breastfeeding, the mother can completely relax herself, squat or lie down in a comfortable position, and use pillows or mattresses to support herself or the baby while breastfeeding. Let the baby close to the mother, with his face facing the mother's breast and his nose facing the nipple, so that the baby can suck comfortably.

2. Pay attention to feeding at night

Many mothers feel very tired during the confinement period. In addition, they have to breastfeed and change diapers for their babies all day long, which makes them even more sleepy at night. New mothers must be careful when breastfeeding their babies at night. If they lie down to breastfeed, they must avoid blocking the baby's nasal cavity with their breasts.

3. How often should you breastfeed?

It is recommended that newborn babies be fed on demand, generally every 2 to 3 hours during the day. In the first 3 months after birth, newborns need to be fed 8 to 10 times every 24 hours. Breastfeeding usually helps the mother's body metabolize the large amounts of milk and prevents the breasts from becoming overfilled.