As a mother, you want the best of the best for your baby. You’re always looking for ways to make things better. So it’s only natural to want to know how to make breastmilk fattier.
The supply and quality of breastmilk diminish over time. You can actually see it becoming less fatty. That’s when you start to think of different methods to reverse the effect. Focusing more on a healthier diet and reducing stress more than anything else.
But what exactly is it that you need to make breastmilk fattier?
The answer lies below!
Contents
Why Is Breastmilk Fat So Important?
The process of development in a baby is a crucial one. And breastmilk fat encourages healthy development. Here’s proof of that. So don’t hesitate to find different ways to up your fat content in milk.
Brain development is one of the main reasons why breastmilk is so important. The milk also helps your baby’s body absorb vitamins that are fat-soluble.
Apart from this, the nervous system and eyes rely heavily on the fatty acids present in breastmilk. So you’re not just feeding your baby. You’re making sure that he/she develops properly.
How to Make Breastmilk Fattier: 5 Different Ways
Per ounce, breastmilk contains around 1.2g of fat. But this varies throughout the course of the day. It can either decrease or increase based on your feeding session.
More often than not, this variation in your fat content stems from the amount of breastmilk fullness at the time of nursing. When full, your breasts offer relatively less fat than when nearly empty.
So how to make breastmilk fattier? Here are five effective methods that might work for you:
1
Consume Unsaturated Fats
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What goes into you determines the quality of your breastmilk and its production. Your baby ultimately gets whatever you decide to eat. With that fact in place, it would make sense to consume healthier or unsaturated fats. To make the milk fattier that is! (Saturated fats: lactation and milk composition)
These fats are widely available in avocados, nuts, eggs, salmon, and olive oil. But you need to balance it out.
What I mean to say is this. Add extra unsaturated fat while reducing the saturated kind. This is what your diet should look like.
2
Drain One Breast, Then the Other
You ask “how can I make my breast milk thicker?” And here’s what I would say. Let your baby use up all the milk in one breast before you switch to the other.
Allowing your newborn to suckle from both the sources is not helpful. Many moms complete an entire session without even making this switch. Did you know that? So for fattier milk, drain one breast, and then move on to the other.
The greater part of the fat in your breastmilk is present in the thicker hindmilk. And this tends to stick to your alveoli walls. That means you’ve got to wait till the end. It’s the last few drops remaining that contain a higher fat content. (Hindmilk and foremilk)
3
Nurse More Often
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What’s the first milk that comes out when your newborn latches on to the nipple? It’s the foremilk, right? As he/she continues feeding, this milk tends to become fattier. So isn’t it common sense to believe that the more the nursing, the fattier the milk? Nursing at short intervals rather than several hours favors fat content.
How to make breastmilk fattier is not such a difficult question you see. The rule is quite simple here. Feed more regularly, which keeps your infant full. While also ensuring that he/she receives some fatty milk.
4
Perform Breast Compressions
Massaging the breasts does sound like an effective solution, doesn’t it? It helps in stimulating milk ejection response. And you can do that while your baby is suckling.
Here’s what you need to understand about it. Encircle your breast using one hand. Squeeze it to stimulate milk flow, which encourages the little one to continue gaining nourishment. Apply a little bit of pressure up until your baby stops breastfeeding.
If squeezing does no good during nursing, you can try doing it at the time of filling those milk bags. The goal is to learn how to make breastmilk fattier. Whether in the boob or bottle!
5
Pump Some Milk before Nursing
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How to get more fat in your breast milk? If you want to know the answer, then you’ve got to be willing to put in the extra effort.
Washing milk bottles is something you don’t want to do. But you sort of have to in order to make the breastmilk fattier. Pumping is necessary at this point. Even if it’s just for a few minutes prior to nursing!
As you already know, foremilk is less fatty than hindmilk. So by getting some of the foremilk out, you’re making room for the hindmilk. And that does sound like a fantastic idea.
The first portion doesn’t contain as much fat as the final portion. So this is where pumping comes into the picture.
How to Use a Breast Pump?
Conclusion
Breastfeeding is an important part of the journey. It benefits your infant in so many ways. And as a mother, you need to make sure that your baby’s receiving the best care. Even if that means improving the quality of your own breastmilk! It is possible to do that. And I have discussed five different ways to achieve the goal.
Just keep one thing in mind. Fat milk comes out last. So the longer your infant breastfeeds, the thicker the milk he/she gets. Also, don’t forget that minimal fat is a lot better than no fat at all. So it’s no big deal to continue feeding even if your milk doesn’t contain enough fat.
There’s no need to perfect everything. Simply opt for a healthy diet and less stressful life. The rest just falls into place on its own. I know that it’s easier said than done. But as a parent, you have to go that extra mile to make sure that your baby is healthy.
Follow the methods discussed above, and you’ll understand how to make breastmilk fattier.
Are there any other tips you would like to share? You can pen down your breastfeeding experience too. Your thoughts and feedback are always welcome.
Thank you for reading. I hope you found the post helpful.
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