Worried about my foremilk and hindmilk ratio :(

Are you drinking a lot of water ? And maybe try a lower setting .

I would say that pumping for 1h30 is not efficient and will be contributing to the pain. If you're building up a milk supply I would suggest pumping for 15 minutes every 2 hours and at least once in the night between 2 and 5am. This will yield greater volumes. Also make sure you are drinking lots, eating well and regularly and oats are also recommended

You might have the wrong size flange, that would contribute to the pain and small yield. Measure your nipples (they could be different sizes so measure both), then add 4mm - that's the size you want.

@Rebecca thank you! Yeah, I am in pain :/ I was only pumping for longer because I was hoping to get the “better” milk which the baby gets at the end of the feed. You’re all right though. I should be drinking more and eating regularly. I don’t :/ And I’ll pump more often for less time, and at night too. I really want il to make it work 😭 One more question: would you then get rid of that milk that you’ve managed to pump for 15 mins? That’s not very nutritious milk, very watery, and not filling…

I would never throw any milk away and feed everything I pump.

@Rebecca thank you. I’ve read some women do not use the milk from the first 10 mins of their pumping. I will. Pumping causes too much pain for me to throw it away 😅

@Camilla thanks Camilla! When milk stops, I don’t go back to letdown milk again. I will now thank you :) And I’ll be drinking a lot more water :) May I ask - do you breast pump too? I’d so, how do you organise pumping and breastfeeding? My baby boy is not regular with his feeds so it’d be quite hard to organise it all :/

@Camilla Thank you!! I’m using Medela Swing Maxi - on the lowest setting I can get away with. I can’t be as specific with the settings as you (my pump only has up and down buttons to either increase or decrease its intensity). Could you share a link to what you got on Amazon?

Your milk looks perfect. Separation is normal, there is still fat in the lower milk as well and you can swirl to mix it all in. Both foremilk and hindmilk are good, as long as you fully empty the breast you will get the perfect ratio. Pump until milk flow slows significantly, time varies person to person but it’s usually 15-30 mins. You produced an amazing amount, it would be normal to get only a tiny amount of pumping on top of nursing all day. Great job, keep it up!

Your milk will have different percentages of fat, protein and water depending on babies needs and time of day and how much you drink and how well you eat. Don't forget it's their only source of hydration as well so it needs to have a lot of water in it to avoid dehydration. If your baby isn't gaining weight well and that's why your concerned look at increasing protein and healthy fats in your diet. If baby is gaining weight well your body will be creating the best breastmilk for them regardless of how "watery" it looks. Separation is normal when it's left to sit just make sure you shake to mix before feeding.

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