Why does my breast milk become thinner?

When breastfeeding women are breastfeeding, some careful mothers will find that their milk has become thinner and will be very worried whether the quality of their milk is poor. In fact, breast milk is divided into foremilk and hindmilk. Foremilk is the milk that comes out first during breastfeeding. The water content of foremilk is usually higher, so the color looks clearer. Hindmilk contains nutrients and looks milky white. Sometimes mothers may feed their babies with foremilk.

Reasons for thin milk

Many mothers find that their milk is thin and clear in color during breastfeeding, so they worry that their milk quality is poor. In fact, this is most likely due to the influence of "foremilk and hindmilk". Foremilk refers to the milk secreted in the first two or three minutes during breastfeeding. Because it contains a richer water content, it looks clearer in color. Hindmilk is the milk after foremilk. It contains more nutrients, looks thicker and is whiter in color.

Therefore, the "thin milk" seen by many mothers mainly refers to the foremilk part. In addition to the main factor of foremilk, some mothers also have the following reasons:

1. Mom is malnourished. The synthesis of breast milk is entirely absorbed from the mother's body. For a healthy and well-nourished mother, her diet will not significantly affect her breast milk, and the protein content in her breast milk is relatively constant. However, if the mother's protein and energy intake during pregnancy and lactation is insufficient or borderline deficient, the mother's nutritional status will affect the secretion level of nutrients in breast milk. The content of fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins in breast milk decreases, so mother's milk appears thinner.

2. The diet is too greasy. If the mother's diet is too greasy, the greasy food will dilute the milk, making the milk appear thinner and clearer.

3. Emotional influence. If a mother experiences negative emotions such as tension, bad mood, anxiety, etc. for many times and for a long time during breastfeeding, her own health will be affected, which in turn affects the synthesis of substances such as protein, sugar, and fat in breast milk.

4. Disease factors. If some mothers suffer from colds, mastitis, or diabetes, the effects of medication may affect the synthesis of milk to a certain extent, and then affect the quality of the milk, resulting in thinner milk.

5. Affected by seasons. In the hot summer, the milk of many mothers will automatically become thinner to provide more water to the baby, so the baby does not need to drink extra water even in summer.

What to do if your milk is thin

1. During the breastfeeding period, mothers can reasonably increase the supply of various nutrients, especially high-quality protein, calcium, zinc, iron, iodine and B vitamins. At the same time, attention should be paid to the appropriate proportion between the nutrients. For example, the heat supply ratios of protein, fat and carbohydrates should be 13%-15%, 27% and 58%-60% respectively.

Among them, protein intake should be controlled at around 80g per day, which can be obtained from lean meat, eggs, pig's trotters, milk and dairy products. Fat is controlled at around 166g, which can be obtained from foods such as soybean oil, walnut oil, and meat. Carbohydrates should be controlled at around 350g, which can be obtained from foods such as rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes, yams, beans, grapes, peaches, etc.

2. Pay attention to the intake of calcium and vitamin D. If the mother is calcium deficient and her milk is thin, the body will absorb calcium from the mother's own bones in order to ensure a constant calcium content in the milk, which will cause the mother to suffer from bone softening, osteoporosis, back and leg pain, etc. Therefore, in daily life, mothers can drink more soups with high calcium content and get more sun exposure.

3. Supplement water-soluble fiber. Many mothers lack water-soluble fiber such as vitamin B1, B2, and C in their diet, which changes the nutritional content of breast milk. Therefore, mothers should pay attention to reasonable supplementation in their diet. Among them, common water-soluble fiber foods include barley, beans, carrots, citrus fruits, etc.

4. A survey on Chinese mothers' breast milk showed that in addition to low calcium content, the fat content, zinc and DHA content were relatively low. Edible oil, nuts, butter, animal fat, marine fish, etc. should be increased in appropriate amounts to promote the baby's brain development and retina formation, and improve immunity.

5. Try not to be picky about food. Especially for vegetarian mothers, the nutrients in the body are not comprehensive, which affects the synthesis and nutritional content of milk. Therefore, mothers should pay attention to the absorption of comprehensive nutrition during breastfeeding, and remember that they are not eating alone, but also for the baby.