How long should a baby nurse to get hindmilk? After about 10 to 15 minutes of breastfeeding, the milk flow slows and transitions to the sweet and creamy hindmilk, which contains vitamins A and E, and has more fat and calories than foremilk.
By offering the other breast when the first is finished, and repeating breast compressions if needed, your baby will get the correct balance of foremilk and hindmilk automatically. Using both breasts when needed (and sometimes three or four!) will drive up and maintain your supply.
Some babies take a full feed in five minutes while others take 40 minutes to get the same amount. As long as your baby is breastfeeding effectively, you can let him decide how long to feed for and he will get all the fat he needs.
Newborns may nurse for up to 20 minutes or longer on one or both breasts. As babies get older and more skilled at breastfeeding, they may take about 5–10 minutes on each side.
Older babies may take five to 10 minutes, or less, on each side. Short nursing sessions are normal – and perfectly fine unless your baby is having trouble gaining weight. Some babies are snackers – they nurse for a minute or two, take a break, and then go back.
If your baby is healthy, gaining weight, and seems content after most breastfeeds, they're getting what they need. Babies who are feeding well can take anywhere between five minutes and 40 minutes at each feed.
If you see bright green and frothy poop in your baby's diaper that almost looks like algae, they're probably getting too much foremilk – the low-calorie milk that comes first in a feeding – and not enough hindmilk, the higher-fat, super-nutritious stuff that comes near the end.
Not Enough Hindmilk
If your baby does not breastfeed long enough at each feeding, they may not get enough breast milk, and they certainly won't get enough hindmilk. Another issue that can prevent your baby from getting enough hindmilk is overabundant milk supply.
Light green: Consistent green stools in a breastfed baby can indicate an imbalance of foremilk/hindmilk. Foremilk is the low-calorie milk that comes first in a feeding.
Foremilk and Hindmilk
Foremilk is the milk that is released during the beginning of nursing, immediately following let down. It will immediately quench your baby's thirst as it has a higher water content. Hindmilk is the milk that comes at the end of the nursing session, during expression.
The Haakaa breast pump helps you collect both foremilk and rich hindmilk. Because it's only a piece of silicone, there's no electricity nor any cords required, making it so easy to integrate into your daily routine!
If your breast milk fed baby is waking up constantly hungry during the night, make sure that they are actively feeding at the breast for enough time for them to get foremilk and hindmilk. Hind milk tends to contain more fat, which will keep babies satisfied, and asleep, for longer.
If you have an overabundant supply of breast milk, you can have an excessive amount of foremilk. 2 This is especially true if you offer both breasts each time you breastfeed because your baby will get mostly foremilk on the first side, then switch over to the other side and get even more foremilk.
That can lead to lactose overload, a condition marked by digestive discomfort and changes to your baby's stool. As for how often it actually occurs? Despite how common it is for breastfeeding moms to worry about having a foremilk and hindmilk imbalance, lactose overload doesn't occur that often.
If your breasts are really heavy and full before your baby breastfeeds, hand express or pump for 1-2 minutes and discard your foremilk. Foremilk flows at the beginning of the feed and if your breasts are really full…. this milk can flow fast and furiously!
Does the amount of fat in mom's milk make a difference when it comes to baby's growth? The research tells us that baby's milk intake (the volume of milk – not the amount of fat in that milk) is the only thing that has been correlated with infant growth in exclusively breastfed babies.
Usually blueish or clear, watery breast milk is indicative of “foremilk.” Foremilk is the first milk that flows at the start of a pumping (or nursing) session and is thinner and lower in fat than the creamier, whiter milk you see at the end of a session.
How long should a baby nurse to get hindmilk? After about 10 to 15 minutes of breastfeeding, the milk flow slows and transitions to the sweet and creamy hindmilk, which contains vitamins A and E, and has more fat and calories than foremilk.
Despite views to the contrary, breasts are never truly empty. Milk is actually produced nonstop—before, during, and after feedings—so there's no need to wait between feedings for your breasts to refill.
Plus, breastfeeding doesn't cost any money. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends breastfeeding up to 2 years or more. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that moms feed their babies only breastmilk for the first six months.
On average, most exclusively breastfed babies will feed about every 2 to 4 hours. Some babies may feed as often as every hour at times, often called cluster feeding. Or may have a longer sleep interval of 4 to 5 hours.