Breast milk is a completely healthy diet for infants, which is why most breastfeeding mothers are concerned about their breast milk. If you too are a nursing breastfeeding mom and use a breast pump, you may notice watery-looking milk coming out of your breast. Don’t fret if this ever happens to you.

In this article, we’ll explain why breast milk seems watery and if this is normal. We’ll also discuss foremilk and hindmilk, which has a greater fat content, and share some tips to make your milk less watery. Keep reading!

Understand Breast Milk

You may have also come across two types of milk: foremilk and hindmilk. This means that the breasts produce two kinds of milk, which is not true! All of your mammary gland producing cells produce the same kind of liquid. The only difference between them is the fat content. To understand why the appearance of the fluid produced by the breasts appears to be watery, we must first understand the foremilks and hinds.

Foremilk is the first type of breastmil­e available when an infant first starts breastfeeding. Hindmilke is the last type of breastmil­ee available after a feed. The breast milk fat content varies according to how long the milky has been accumulating in the breasts and how much of the breast is emptied at the time.

As you produce more breastmilk, fat attaches to the edge of the mammary glands, while the fluid part of the breastmilk flows down the tubes towards your nipples, where it combines with any leftover milk from the last meal. The remaining breastmilk becomes increasingly diluted as the length of the interval between meals increases. This “fluid” breastmilk contains more lactose and less fat content than the breastmilk stored inside the mammary glands.

A feed doesn’t necessarily mean that your child has eaten enough fat. It could be that they’re eating well or that their appetite isn’t strong yet. You may want to baby nurse them longer feeds if they seem hungry but aren’t finishing quickly.

So, Why Does My Breast Milk Look Watery?

Foremilk which is the first milk that flows at the start of a pumping (or nursing) session is thinner and lower in fat than the creamier, whiter milk seen at the end of the session. This is why breast milk looks watery at times. Besides this, there can be several other reasons of water looking for breast milk including:

1. Brief Pumping Intervals

Nursing and pumping are related processes. As in nursing, foremilk comes out first, followed by hindmilk during the pumping schedule. While a short pumping session will release pressure, no hindmilk will be produced. When you stop pumping before your hindmilk is expressed, your breast milk becomes watery.

2. Changing the Sides Of the Baby Before Emptying Your Breast

If you switch breasts after feeding one side, your child won’t get any hindmilk from the new side until they finish the old side. They might also be full before finishing the new side. This means that each side would only provide foremilk to them at once.

3. Breast Milk Production Is High.

If you are a breastfeeding parent who is struggling to produce enough milk, you may be envious of mothers who have an excess of breast milk. However, excessive production can bring about a number of issues of its own. Because of overproduction, the breasts fill up more quickly and are harder to completely empty.

4. Longer time between nursing sessions

If you delay feedings for extended periods of time, your breast milk will continue to increase. If it increases so much that your baby cannot consume it in one meal, he or she will stop breastfeeding before consuming any hindmilk.

Is watery breast milk good for the infant?

Is watery breast milk good for the infant? Simply put, yes. Your baby should drink both full-fat and watery/low-fat milk because both are healthy for them. (Consider what happens when you eat; typically, you want something to fill you up and something to drink to keep you hydrated.)

What Happens When a Baby Consumes Too Much Watery Milk?

Your baby may develop lactose overload if they consume an excessive amount of the watery foremilk and insufficient amounts of the hind milk over time. (alternatively referred to as a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance). Similar to those experienced by people who suffer from lactose intolerance after eating dairy products.

Lactose overload happens when a newborn’s feedings have an unbalanced amount of fat, which prevents them from digesting all of the lactose content in the foremilk over time. This might occur if:

• The infant is missing too many meals.
• You have an excess of breast milk.
• The infant changes sides too frequently before finishing one breast entirely.

Do I Have Healthy Breast Milk?

It is recommended that babies be exclusively fed by breastfeeding during their first few months for the most optimal health outcomes. Babies who are fed exclusively by breastfeeding have lower risks of childhood obesity, diabetes and childhood asthmatic conditions. They also have lower risks of developing cancers including but not limited to, ovarian, and postpartum depression.

As mentioned above, the normal first breastmilk your breasts produce is water. To check if your baby is drinking enough, look at these three things:

Check Wet Diapers

Newborns usually start out having only one wet diaper per 24-hour period. After they reach maturity, they should have five to six wet diapering periods during the same 24-hour period. It is very important to watch for any sign of dehydration such as; being overly sleepy, not crying, dry mouth, fewer than five wet diapering periods, and sagging skin. If these occur, contact your doctor immediately.

Increase Bowel Movements

If your child is receiving enough breastfeeding, he/she should be having at least three bowel motions per day. They should look watery, yellow and soft.

Healthy Weight Gain

If you’re breastfeeding, the best way to know whether your breast milk is healthy is by seeing how much your child gains each day. A newborn typically loses 1 pound during their first 7 days, then starts to gain again after that.

Tips for Making Breast Milk Fewer Watery

After reading all of the material, if you still want to make your milk less watery, here are some suggestions.

1. Let the Baby nurse longer on one breast at a time.

According to La LECHE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL, it’s best to let your child decide when they’ve had enough to eat. If you keep them on one breast for as much time as they want, they’ll be sure to receive sufficient fat in the end. A deeper latch may also help their breastfeeding experience.

2. Increase The Number Of Times You Breastfed Babies

More water accumulates in the breast as it fills with milk. Even though more fatty milk is produced, it adheres to the tissue along the chest wall. Breastfeeding or pumping more regularly reduces the time it takes for the breasts to fill. Breasts that are less full give hindmilk more quickly.

3. Increase The Length Of Your Pumping Session By A Few Minutes

Don’t stop your breastfeeding session too soon. Before stopping your breastfeeding session, check if your breast milk has turned completely blueish color of breast milk or clear. If so, continue to pump for a few more minutes to get more fat hindmilk (or let your baby suckle).

4. Reduce Excessive Production

A lactation specialist can help breast milk moms determine why they’re producing too much breastmilk. They might also be able to suggest ways to reduce the amount of milk produced. It’s fine to make more milk than your baby needs to store, but if your baby doesn’t drink enough milk, it could lead to health issues.

Faqs:

Why is my breast milk watery in the morning?

If your baby had an extended nap or you did not breastfeed as often as usual, your nipples may feel fuller than usual. Breastfeeding mothers typically produce more foremilk (watery) breastmilk because they have stored more foremilk breastmilk in their bodies. This extra foremilk breastmilk can make your nipples feel fuller. However, if you are nursing every two hours, then you should expect to see your nipples feeling fuller after each feeding session.

Why is my breast milk watery on one side?

You may have nursed or pumped off of one breast for a long time during a feeding session and it got fuller. Maybe you didn’t switch sides or maybe you blocked the feed. Blocking feed is when your baby just feeds off of one breast only and doesn’t nurse off of both breasts. This helps your baby to receive the full amount of milk from one breast.

You might just lose weight from one breast if you’re nursing at night because your body adjusts to your baby’s changing demands for nutrition.

Is watery breast milk good for baby?

Breastfeeding is always recommended by healthcare provider because it provides your child with nutrients and antibodies. However, too much foremilk may lead to an excess of foremilk/hindmilk ratio which could result in lactose overload.

Summary:

Breastfeeding is a wonderful gift, and it can be an amazing experience. However, if you’re having any doubts or questions, don’t hesitate to ask for advice from healthcare providers.

If you’re worried about why does my breast milk look watery, don’t worry too much. It’s normal for breasts to produce watery milk at first. Over the course of several weeks, your breasts will get used to producing thicker milk.

If there are any breastfeeding concerns or issues you’d like to share, let us know in the comment section below.