Winnie writes:

>I remember hearing that the primary reason for the change in
>water/fat content through a feed was not a matter of different milk
>being produced.  The milk as it is produced is always high in fat.
>The milk that accumulates between feedings draws fluid from the
>circulation to maintain a balance of concentrations across the cell
>membranes resulting in the first milk being higher in volume but
>lower in fat.  As the percentage of "immediately produced" milk
>increases, so does the fat content.  If this scenario is true, then
>it would stand to reason that the shorter the interval between
>feedings, the higher the fat content of the next feeding.


I am getting more and more fascinated by this, and am still looking for a
great, red-hot analogy that will explain it to mothers (and HPs).

My understanding is that the foremilk is milk that trickles down from the
storage cells, leaving the fattier milk behind because it is stickier -
being fattier. Of course you're right in that the milk as it's produced is
all the same.

I used to demonstrate the effect in classes with a natural sponge dipped in
oil and into coloured water. Allow the sponge to drip and the coloured
water comes out first. Squeeze it  and the oil comes out - mimicing the let
down reflex.

When the baby finishes his session at the breast there is hindmilk in the
reservoirs and ducts, and that gets joined by foremilk that's trickled down
in the time between the baby's sessions. So the longer the gap between
feeds, the higher the proportion of foremilk. The shorter the gap, the more
hindmilk.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK

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