Does your baby have gas and discomfort? 🥺
One thing to assess is whether they are having frequent small feeds on the breast without completing a full feed, also known as “snack feeding”. This pattern can be more noticeable if you feed your baby to sleep, as they often have a partial feed before falling asleep, rather than completing a full feed 🤱🏻
Snack feeding exacerbates gas and discomfort as breastmilk consists of two main components: foremilk and hindmilk 🥛
Foremilk is the first component of breastmilk that your baby ingests at the beginning of a feed. It is a watery substance that primarily satisfies thirst, and, due to its watery nature, is digested faster. Hindmilk is the second component, which is rich in calories and fat, hence it satisfies hunger as it is slower for your baby to digest.
Both foremilk and hindmilk contain lactose which are essential for your baby’s development. However, a foremilk imbalance can create a lactose overload for your baby, as it passes so fast that it doesn’t have enough time to breakdown and be digested 😫
The undigested lactose travels to their large intestine where it ferments and creates excess of gas and discomfort. This gas is the primary cause of the symptoms associated with your baby’s foremilk/hindmilk imbalance, emphasising the importance of encouraging a full feed to fully drain the breast to ensure they get both the foremilk and hindmilk 💫
If you need support to implement these changes, book a consultation via our website to receive tailored support within 24 hours 🫶🏻💫🩷