Expert: Joanna Liberty - 12/20/2011

Question
QUESTION: Hi there, I am having an issue with foremilk/hindmilk ratio. My baby is 4 months and I have been exclusively breastfeeding him the entire time. I went back to work and recently have noticed that my pumped milk has a blue tinge to it, and Dr. Google informed me that it was because of too much foremilk. My LO's poops have been green and he is waking up more at night. Is this possibly the reason? If so, how do I fix it and make more hindmilk?

ANSWER: Different mothers have different colors of milk when they pump, and the color does not mean that you are not getting a good ratio of foremilk and hindmilk. When I pump, my milk typically has a yellow tinge to it, but my midwife had milk with the blue tinge like you are describing. It's all good!

Green colored stools for babies can have different meanings - it can be a sign of food sensitivity (like my son gets green poops if I have dairy), you ate a lot of dark green veggies recently, you have a diet rich in iron - green is in the spectrum of normal. Bright (like neon) green poop can mean baby has a food allergy or sensitivity.

How many wet and dirty diapers is your baby having in a day? Is your baby still gaining weight? When you are pumping, how much milk are you getting in each session? These questions will answer better if you are getting enough milk for your little one.

Don't be hung up over the ratio of hindmilk to foremilk - this is one case where Dr. Google tends to freak out new mothers, especially since you're at a sensitive time when you're returning to work and pumping.

As long as baby is still gaining and has enough wet and dirty diapers, you're good! Baby will let you know if something is wrong much better than the Internet.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: He pooped 4x today and has plenty of wet diapers. He is up to 14 lb and 9 oz, which is more than double his birthweight! woot!

Ok, so I shouldn't fret about this?

Thank you for your response, Joanna. I promise I will have more questions. :)

Answer
He's gaining, which is awesome. In months 4 and 5 he should be gaining around 0.6 ounces per day. If he has at least 1 dirty diaper every day or every other day he's good and if he has 5-6 wet diapers (or more) per day, that's great!

The question of hindmilk and foremilk is really common in nursing mothers as is the question about the color of the milk and whether it's enough for baby - we really stress out when we're pumping! Pumping can be really hard on us emotionally, and it helps to be relaxed to do it, so this is one I would let go unless you see a problem in his development, weight gain or diaper use.