Hi all

Cynthia asked:

>I'm reading notes from people who say "The concentration of lactose in
>foremilk is about the same as in hindmilk."  Whatever happened to the
>foremilk/hindmilk imbalance theory?  I thought there WAS more lactose in
>foremilk.

The problem with foremilk/hindmilk imbalance does not happen because there
is too much lactose in the foremilk. It happens when baby gets too much
foremilk and not enough hindmilk. This can happen as a result of timing
feedings with an emphasis on equal time for each breast at each feeding--the
old 10 minutes a breast bit, or even the 10 min on the first breast and as
long as baby wants on the second.

Babies are smart enough to try to nurse until they get the calories they
need. If they are doing it on "skim" milk--the lower fat foremilk--then they
take in a large volume of the foremilk, and therefore a larger amount of
lactose. If they are allowed to nurse on the first breast as long as they
wish (offering the second if they want it), they get to the hind milk, get
more calories in less volume, and in the process, get less lactose.

BTW, this is a pet subject of mine, and an article I wrote for Leaven on the
topic is on the LLLI web pages. "Finish the First Breast First" just makes
good sense, IMHO. It's a more natural way to nurse, puts the baby in charge
of his feeding, and helps a mom get her supply in sync with her baby's needs.

Melissa Vickers, IBCLC
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Huntingdon, TN 38344