How many stages does breast milk have?

As people have a deeper understanding of breast milk, more and more mothers pay attention to breastfeeding. In recent years, milk powder incidents have occurred frequently. Breast milk is the best food for children. Although breastfeeding is good, there will be problems in the process of breastfeeding. Some mothers lack knowledge about breast milk, which easily leads to the waste of breast milk. Generally speaking, how many stages are breast milk divided into?

How many stages does breast milk have?

Breast milk is divided into 3 stages

Many mothers think that all breast milk is the same. In fact, both the composition and proportion are constantly changing, and breast milk is also divided into stages.

1. Colostrum

Colostrum is the first breast milk produced by a mother after giving birth. Colostrum is golden and viscous. Although colostrum is not good-looking, it has the highest nutritional value. It contains more protein, minerals, and immune factors than ordinary breast milk. Colostrum also promotes defecation and can help the baby excrete meconium faster.

2. Transitional milk

About 3 to 14 days after delivery, the breast milk secreted by the mother changes from colostrum to transition milk. The breast milk at this stage looks thin and white, containing a small amount of colostrum and some mature milk, but because of the relatively low fat content, it looks very thin. Breast milk at this stage also has high nutritional value. If the mother misses the colostrum, she must not let the baby waste the transition milk.

3. Mature milk

About 2 weeks after delivery, breast milk begins to turn into mature milk. Breast milk at this stage will continue until the baby is weaned. Mature milk is divided into foremilk and hindmilk. Foremilk is thinner and contains a small amount of fat. It is mainly used to quench the baby's thirst. Hindmilk has richer nutritional value, so mothers must be patient when breastfeeding and try to let the baby eat for a while longer so that he can suck more hindmilk.

Breastfeeding tips

1. Remember the three early breastfeeding

Early contact, early sucking, and early milk production. You must pay attention to these "three early" after delivery, which can effectively solve the problem of difficulty in milk production.

2. Don’t waste colostrum

Colostrum is the most nutritious breast milk, and it can help babies build their first line of immunity, so we should not "judge a book by its cover". It is best to feed your baby all the colostrum without wasting a single drop.

3. Learn the breastfeeding posture

New mothers feel that breastfeeding is very tiring. This is mainly because they do not master the breastfeeding posture well. When breastfeeding, the baby needs to be in the most comfortable posture, and all parts of the mother's body must be supported. Otherwise, breastfeeding for more than ten or twenty minutes will make you exhausted. Many new mothers have suffered from tendonitis during breastfeeding. This is the reason.

4. Correct breastfeeding posture

The most painful thing that every new mother encounters during breastfeeding is being bitten by the baby. Breastfeeding requires the baby to hold the mother's breast correctly so that breast milk can be sucked out very effectively, making it easier for the baby to breastfeed and the mother will not be bitten while breastfeeding.