How to determine the fat content of breast milk

When the baby behaves uneasily, is naughty and constantly whimpers, compassionate grandmothers say with confidence: "The child does not eat up!" Then the doubt creeps in at the mother, and what if the baby really cries because he is not full? Maybe my milk is not fatty enough and nutritious, the woman argues? But the child has a host of other reasons why he may feel discomfort and cry - cold, warmth, colic, and just boredom. At such moments, it is very important to know whether the woman’s milk is fat or if the child is eating up. With a small child, you do not really run around the laboratories, so we will determine the fat content of breast milk at home.

Is it possible to determine the fat content of milk by appearance

It seems to many that the fat content of breast milk can be determined by its appearance. Many women are sure that fat milk is thicker and more yellow. However, it is not. Milk has various shades of white not from the degree of fat content, but from the physiology of a woman. The shade of milk may also vary depending on the nutrition of the nursing mother. If a woman eats one raw carrot, the color of the milk will slightly change.

What milk to take for analysis

As you know, there is milk front and back. Front milk is less fat, it is designed to quench the thirst of the baby. And the back is more fat and nutritious. It is intended to satisfy hunger. That is why it is very important to give the baby one breast at a time. After all, the back milk is sucked out more difficult, and the child begins to be lazy. And then mother, considering that there was no milk left in her breast, offers the baby a second breast. And the child, therefore, does not receive nutritious back milk. This leads to underweight and anxiety. For analysis, we need back milk.

How to determine the fat content of milk

1. For the procedure for determining the fat content of milk, we need a glass and a ruler.
2. Strain a little milk with your hands or with a breast pump. Drain the milk into a glass and refrigerate it.
3. Do not cover milk. It must not be shaken or touched for several hours. It is best to leave the milk overnight.
4. In the morning, measure the width of the cream that settled overnight. One millimeter corresponds to one percent fat.

According to the World Health Organization, the average percentage of breast milk fat is four percent. With a slight deviation from this norm, you should not worry, because your milk is intended specifically for your baby.

In villages, the fat content and saturation of milk was checked as follows. Some milk was dripped onto a clean white cloth. When the material dried, it was necessary to see if there was a trace. Fat milk usually leaves a greasy or yellowish stain. And there is no trace of liquid milk.

How to increase the fat content of breast milk

If the fat content of your milk is less than two percent, if the baby is often worried, hangs on the chest for more than half an hour during feeding, does not want to let go of the breast, most likely he does not overeat. Then you need to try to increase the fat content and the amount of breast milk. This can be done using the following tips.

1. Eat more nutritious foods - honey (if the baby is not allergic to it), walnuts, dried fruits.
2. Eat dairy products - cow's milk, kefir, cheese.
3. To provide the child with enough milk, it is necessary to eat foods containing calcium - fish, herbs, cottage cheese, beans, spinach, raisins, cabbage.
4. Drink more fluid, which is so necessary for the production of breast milk. The fluid should be warm. It is very good to drink tea with milk.
5. Feed your baby often from three to eight in the morning. It is at this time that the production of the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for breast milk, increases. Feeding the baby at this time, you provoke the production of an additional amount of milk.
6. Do not refuse the baby and do not feed him hourly. On-demand feeding stimulates milk production.

If milk, on the contrary, is fatty, is also not very good. With high fat content, the child begins to suffer from constipation. In this case, a woman needs to drink more fluid and reduce the calorie content of foods, eat low-fat foods.

Sometimes a child may not hang on his chest for a long time because he is not full. Quite often, the reason for this behavior is psychological. After all, babies are very sensitive to the emotional state of their mother. If the child feels that the mother is tense and restless, the baby feels the danger and tries not to leave her mother, as from an island of stability and security in this world. Do not get hung up on problems, and your baby will be calm and balanced. And then you do not have to think about the fat content of milk.

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