Foremilk vs Hindmilk: The Myth That Won’t Die- Ep5
In this episode, Katie and Johanna pull apart the confusion around foremilk and hindmilk.
They talk about how mums are told there’s “watery” milk and “fatty” milk, why it feels like there are three or five different milks once you add colostrum, transitional milk and mature milk into the mix, and how this has made feeding feel far more scientific than it needs to be.
They explore fat globules sticking to the “bunch of grapes” inside the breast, the hot water tap analogy, different milk ejection reflex patterns, the famous six-minute feeder, high sugar milk in oversupply, explosive green “bubble bath” poo, unsettled but thriving babies, and why you can never truly “empty” a breast.
Throughout, they keep coming back to the same theme: nuance – and actually reading the baby, not just the rules.
Takeaways
• There is one milk that changes – not separate “watery” and “good” milks.
• Fat globules stick inside the “bunch of grapes” and are released gradually.
• The hot water tap is a useful way to picture how milk fat changes during and between feeds.
• Different mums have different milk ejection reflex patterns; some give most of their milk in the first few minutes.
• Some babies are six-minute, one-side feeders and still completely satisfied; others take both breasts and longer feeds.
• High sugar milk in oversupply can lead to a very full, thriving but grumbly baby with lots of gas and explosive green, bubbly poo.
• We can’t fully empty a breast – babies remove around two-thirds, and some milk always remains.
• Old rules like “20 minutes on the left and 20 on the right” don’t fit every mum or every breast.
Want to go deeper?
Head to The Latch Revolution to learn more about our course Decoding The Suck: Gentle support for Babies With Sucking Difficulties.
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Keywords: foremilk, hindmilk, watery milk, high sugar milk, fatty milk, oversupply, unsettled baby, reflux, explosive green poo, bubble bath poo, milk ejection reflex, six-minute feeder, 20 minutes each side, bunch of grapes, hot water tap, storage capacity, breastfeeding class, new mum confusion
Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Listeners should always seek the guidance of their own healthcare provider, midwife, or lactation consultant with any questions they may have regarding their own situation or that of their clients. Katie James and Johanna Sargeant do not accept responsibility for any decisions made based on this content.
New Zealand