I’ve seen several posts now circulating about blue breast milk having more antibodies for baby when mom or baby is sick. It’s become viral in some circles but it’s not actually based on fact. Breastmilk can be many colors. Breast milk can have a natural bluish hue caused by the presence of whey protein (which accounts for 50-80% of the protein content in your milk depending on your stage of lactation). This blue hue is usually more visible when the volume of your milk is high and the fat content relatively lower. This can happen for many reasons: You may notice this blueish color more when you’ve has gone a longer time between pumpings, like first thing in the morning, when your breasts are fuller from sleeping longer at night. A blueish tint in expressed breast milk is mainly due to the higher whey protein composition which is seen at the beginning of feeding. As the breast continues to empty, the composition gradually increases the casein protein, which is higher in fat, giving it that creamier, white or yellow color. It’s a gradual change as the feeding progresses. When using a pump to empty the breast, you may not see the blue color when you more fully empty the breast. Those that use a Haakaa or a milk catcher like a @lacticups may note a more blue color in the milk they collect as these devices often only catch leaking drip milk, which is a higher whey protein, lower casein content milk.

Be assured, the bluish watery milk and white creamier milk have the SAME components and are the same milk. There are not two different types or kinds of milk. It’s just the ratio of the various components like water and fat that can change based on how you’re feeding and pumping.

Those who feed their babies frequently or empty their breasts often and more thoroughly tend to have thicker milk. Those with an exceptionally robust milk supply or those who go long stretches between feeds tend to have a more bluish hue to their milk.

Regardless of the color of your milk, it is safe and perfect to feed your baby

For more information on fore milk/hindmilk imbalance or lactose overload CLICK HERE

We are carry mammals. Like kangaroos and monkeys, our milk has very little fat and protein and our babies come out extremely immature. So we are meant to carry our babies around for frequent feeding and all cares until they are able to fend for themselves (which is years). Kangaroos stick their babies in a pouch to do this while monkeys hang on their mamas backs. Our strong arms and curvy bodies are designed to hold on to our young.

Nest mammals, like dogs and cats, have a higher protein and fat content in their milk. They leave their babies in a nest for several hours a day and come back frequently to feed. While we are carry mammals, our society tries to make us think we are nest mammals. How often are we told a baby should be able to sleep in a crib away from us only to be picked up and cared for a few hours later and then put back down again?

There are also cache mammals such as rabbits and deer. They find a safe place to leave their babies and return every 12 hours or so to feed them. Because this is how their bodies are designed, their milk is much higher in fat and protein in order to sustain them for long periods. While we would like to think our young babies will be cache mammals overnight and nest mammals during the day, our milk does not have this capacity to sustain our young in this way.

There is a clash in what our biology wants and what society dictates. Your baby doesn’t know it’s a carry mammal in a nest society. It expects to be a carry mammal and will behave that way from all of its instincts. Don’t be surprised if your carry mammal wants LITERALLY carried for years and finds the best soothing and comfort when held in your strong arms on that gorgeous, curvy body.
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Breastfeeding shouldn’t hurt, other than tenderness in the first few days after birth. When I see pictures of young babies breastfeeding like the one on the left, I cringe and want to reposition them. Their face is unevenly touching the breast, the head is turning away from the body, and the body is really far away from mom. In this position, as baby tries to bring their head back to midline for more comfort, they literally give mom a “titty twister”. You can see the nipple twisting with tension on the areola even in this picture. This nipple twisting also pinches the nipple like pinching a straw and slows milk flow. When mom complains of nipple pain, the first thing to look at is baby’s position. In the second picture, baby’s face is coming straight and evenly to the breast and nipple. Their chin is pressing into the breast and the nose is off the breast allowing good breathing. This allows milk to freely flow and there’s no twisting or pinching of the nipple. Baby’s body is super close to mom which is more comfortable for baby’s head and neck. If you’re experiencing any nipple discomfort while breastfeeding today, check your baby’s position and see if it makes a difference.

As baby gets older and more proficient at breastfeeding (over six months) they can often wriggle into unusual positions and not cause pain. As long as you and baby are comfortable and there’s no nipple pain, position is up to you. .
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When we know better, we do better. In my generation, pediatricians generally recommended weaning babies from their bottles by two years of age. Today professional organizations recommend weaning 100% off the bottle by no later than 14 months unless there is a medical reason to continue the bottle. Many of my feeding specialist colleagues recommend bottle weaning by 12 months.

Reasons to wean the bottle around a year:
Contributes to tooth decay
⭐️ May impact speech and feeding skills with prolonged use
⭐️ May contribute to how the face, teeth, palate and other oral structures are formed (or misformed)
⭐️ Prolongs an immature suck pattern in the mouth beyond when developmentally appropriate

This does not mean you need to wean from the breast at one. The muscles and way the muscles are used with breast vs bottle are completely different.
In fact:
⭐️ Breastfeeding promotes good formation of the face, palate and teeth
⭐️ Does not increase the risk of dental decay
⭐️ Introduces baby to a wide variety of flavors which makes them more prone to trying those same foods in their solid forms

Natural weaning is the biological process of gradually decreasing milk supply as baby gets older. This process starts around 7-9 months as baby takes more solid foods and progresses toward sleeping longer stretches at night. It ends when baby finally weans (which may not be until 2-3 years old!!). Natural weaning doesn’t mean that you need to wean baby from the breast. Decreasing milk supply doesn’t mean you’re at risk of losing your supply, either. Your breast is designed to match the stage of development your baby is in.

Milk supply iss highest from month 1-6 when baby is going through multiple growth spurts. They need to double their birth weight by 6 months. Milk is also the only food in their diet. Therefore, your milk supply is supposed to be at its highest to meet their nutritional needs. From 6-12 months, weight gain slows but their need for milk volume needs remain stable. It is natural as baby transitions from a full milk diet to a milk+solids diet to then a solids+milk diet that breast milk supply will shift along with it. Your milk supply varies compared to baby’s solids intake and there is a wide range of normal based on your individual baby. Some babies love solids and eat them in large quantities many times a day. Other babies continue on a mostly milk diet until almost 1 year. At 12 months, milk finally takes a back seat to solids, but still fills in nutritional gaps and acts like medicine against illness. From 12 months on there continues to be a wide range of normal for milk supply depending on your child’s eating and feeding habits. Some babies continue to nurse occasionally over night while others seem to become boob barnacles again and would happily stay on the breast all day, every day.

So what does this mean? If you’re exclusively breastfeeding you may not notice anything. You can continue to bring baby to breast for as long and often as baby wants. You may notice baby spacing out feedings or not nursing as long. They may want the breast more when teething or going through growth spurts or developmental leaps. They have days with little interest in the breast.

Moms who pump (either exclusively or because of work) report overflowing milk in the early weeks, often able to pump 4-6 or even 8-10 ounces in a morning pump session. By 4 months supply regulates and mom gets about 3-5 ounces per pump in place of a feeding. By 9 or 10 months it can feel like your trying to wring out a wet rag to get even 2-4 ounces a pump session. As long as baby has unrestricted access to the breast when your not working and you still have a regular pump routine in place no intervention is usually needed. Every journey is supposed to look different because it is your unique journey.

Did you know mastitis may be related to your posture?!?

Fluid dynamics is the science of how fluids are supposed to move in our bodies. All of the fluids in our bodies are supposed to be free-flowing and unobstructed for optimal health. Milk is a fluid that flows through ever narrowing ducts and pores. Lymph is a fluid throughout your body (and breasts) that helps transport waste from cells and tissues in your body to help flush it from your system. It also helps reabsorb milk that doesn’t get emptied to a pump or baby. Anything that increases resistance of the movement of this fluid can increase the likelihood of getting a plugged duct or mastitis in the breast. Increased resistance can be caused by:
⭐️ Breast implants or history of breast surgery causing scar tissue in the breast
⭐️ Sleeping in the same posture especially on your side where you put pressure on the breast for extended periods of time at night
⭐️ Tight fitting clothing or bras that constrict movement of milk and lymph between feedings
⭐️ Shoulder injuries from sports where there is inflammation or scar tissue
⭐️ Neck injuries or issues with neck mobility
Tension in your body
⭐️ Not moving the body enough/sitting for prolonged periods of time in the same position
⭐️ Increased overall inflammation in the body such as from infection or excessive fluids from IVs used during labor and delivery
⭐️ Having very large, heavy breasts which act more like an appendage where milk and fluid can fill the lower quadrant of the breast and have difficulties moving out again

What can you do?
❤️ Shake your breasts!! Get that fluid moving by massaging and shaking the breasts.
❤️ Lean over and dangle your breasts to reduce pressure on them and help them free flow
❤️ Practicing yoga can actually work as well, especially as you do poses like downward dog where you’re changing the orientation of the fluid in your breast related to gravity.
❤️ Avoid restrictive clothing and bras
❤️ Get a massage!! Having hands on the body helps get the fluid inside moving in the right direction
❤️ See my video for lymphatic drainage massage