Is it possible to increase fat contents in your breastmilk without affecting your waistline?

Question

I wonder if it's possible to modify or "customize" the ingredients or contents in your breastmilk through the food you eat.

Has anyone tried?

Thanks.

Answer 1

your milk is perfect the way it is. it has just the right amount of fat in it already so eating more fat will only add fat to your body not to your milk content.

Answer 2

You can change the KIND of fat in your milk, but not the amount.

Most nutrients will increase to a certain extent but not past a certain level.  On the other hand there are a few that if mom takes in excessive amounts can occur in toxic amounts in breastmilk (mind you these levels would also be unhealthy for mom)

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/milk/c...

What affects the amount of fat and calories in a mother's milk?

    * Mom's diet? The research tells us that mom's diet does not affect the average amount of fat or calories in her milk. However, mom can change the types of fat in her milk by altering the types of fats that she eats (Lawrence 1999, p. 106-113, 300-305; Hamosh 1996, Hamosh 1991, p. 123-124). An increase of one fatty acid could generally be expected to occur concurrently with a decrease in another. For example, one study has shown that black mothers in South Africa who eat a traditional maize diet have less monunsaturated fatty acid in their milk than urban mothers who consumed more animal proteins and fats (van der Westhuyzen 1988).

    * The degree of emptiness of the breast is what research has shown to drive breastmilk fat content, and thus calorie content. The fuller the breast, the lower the fat content of the milk; The emptier the breast, the higher the fat content of the milk (Daly 1993). For more information see I'm confused about foremilk and hindmilk - how does this work? and How does milk production work?

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/vitami...

What if I would like to take extra vitamins or other nutritional supplements? Is this safe?

    * Most mineral supplements (e.g., iron, calcium, copper, chromium, zinc) taken by the mother do not affect breastmilk levels.

    * Water soluble vitamin supplements (e.g., B vitamins, vitamin C) taken by the mother usually increase breastmilk levels. Breastmilk levels of some water soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C, only increase up to a certain point, then remain steady – even if mom increases her dose.

    * Fat soluble vitamin supplements (e.g., vitamins A & E) taken by the mother can concentrate in human milk, and thus excessive amounts may be harmful to a breastfeeding baby.

    * The safety of herbs and other nutritional supplements should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis – some are safe and some are not.

Answer 3

No.  Your milk is always perfect for your baby, no matter what YOU eat.

If you are concerned about the fat content of your milk, remember that the milk is produced in two stages. At the start of the feed, baby gets the foremilk, which is rather thin and watery -- not much fat, but it quenches baby's thirst and provides some instant-gratification.  Later in the feed baby gets the hindmilk, which is rich in fat and satisfies baby's hunger.

So... be sure that baby is getting plenty of hindmilk.  Keep baby on one breast until she comes off on her own.  Burp her and her back on the same breast. After she comes off again, offer the second side.  Next feed, you can offer the same breast again, or offer the other one first.  

(What you DON'T want to do is what some dated sources will still recommend -- timing feeds and taking baby off after a certain number of minutes and then switching sides.  That just gives baby lots of foremilk.)

Answer 4

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/milk/c...

it's pretty much impossible to change the fat content in your milk, but there are some things you can do to make sure that your baby gets more of the fat.

Answer 5

My third son was/is very small for his age.  I was nursing him for a long time and worried that maybe it was the fat content of my breastmilk. I asked my doctor, and he said what the pp said - that the content of the breastmilk of women in famished countries was the same as that of well-fed women - it will take from your body what it does not get from your food to make sure that it has the perfect ratios.  That being said, the "hindmilk" or the milk that comes after the baby has been nursing on one side for a long time, is higher in fat.  This is not because of anything you eat.  If you are concerned with trying to get more fat to your baby, I suggest nursing each side until it is empty to be sure that the baby is getting the hindmilk.  

Answer 6

Well once my mom bought me some weird egg-like thingys, you were supposed to chew them with warm water & then spit them out, i think it's kind of a chinese thing for making your milk of better quality, but it was GROSS so i only did it once & never again.

Yuck! But it was supposed to help get your baby full with less milk.

God Bless