How much 'cream' should there be?

[scgd]

Expressed bm that separates when in the fridge, how much of the creamy bit should I expect to see as mine never looks like much, does this mean my milk quality us poor ?
TIA X

The level of cream in breastmilk is dynamic - it changes all the time.

Please don't worry about it.

If you have expressed when your breasts feel full or full-ish, there may be less cream than if you expressed when the breasts are emptier.

This is because the level of fat in the milk varies according to the volume of milk in the breasts, so this will change all the time.

In any case, milk without much fat in it is still good stuff :)

As tiktok said, this changes so much! My expressed milk seems to vary from jersey-cow-type full-fat to skimmed!

Honestly, you are thinking too much about it, it varies, don't be worrying about it.

Thanks for replies I've always been a bit worried because ds weighs less and looks small compared to his other baby friends who are all 2-6 weeks younger than him. Was talking to one of the mums who said she stopped expressing because her milk became less quality and there was just a really thin layer of cream but my em has always been that way. He was also born at 36+3 slightly prem so she just worried me slightly as I thought my milk was normal. When I try to express with 'empty' seeming boobs nothing comes out, how long is recommended on expressing ? I currently do4-5 mins but usually only get an ounce at a time if I'm lucky

Maybe expressing isn't for me?

Expressing isn't for you if it's causing unnecessary worry and distress for you. But there doesn't seem to be any cause for concern. Don't be worried by how your milk looks or the size of your baby. Look at how he is, if he's well hydrated, weeing, pooing, alert, developing normally, gaining weight etc. What you can express is what you can express. A pump isn't as effective as a baby and at different times you'll express more or less effectively.

If you can express and see it as the opportunity to feed your ds in a different way- perhaps it allows you a couple of hours rest or for somebody else to take a turn- then enjoy it for what it is.

There's nothing wrong with your milk judging by the way it looks and how long it takes to express it.

A good breastfeeding counsellor would help you a lot I think.

I could never express more than 1-2oz until I returned to work when DD was 8m old and was away from her for long periods. At work I can usually express 6-8oz per day in 2 20min pumping sessions(so not quite enough for her and she has a bottle of formula most days too, but seems to be enough to keep my supply up for weekends when I do all her feeds). Don't bother pumping for ages, 5-10mins a side seems about right. In the early days I'd try pumping for 20-30mins per boob but never got anything more after 10mins pumping.

I had to spend a night in hospital on Fri and missed her dream feed and 6am feed. When I expressed at 6:30am I managed to pump off 9oz in one session and there was barely any cream. So it is definitely true the fuller the breasts the less fatty the milk.

So yeah, your milk is fine, looking at what and how much you express can be very misleading. But even if expressing doesn't work for you now, if you need/want to do it once you return to work it may still be possible.

Is your LO following their centile line ok now? If so, don't worry if they're slim - it's perfectly healthy!

The more you express on top of feeding, the more your supply increases, so the easier it is to express a certain amount without "emptying" your breasts, so the easier it is (temporarily) to express off a batch of lower fat milk. But this should settle down as your supply adjusts to whatever amount/frequency you want to pump.

Fwiw, the above is based only on personal observation!

scgd just a word about your baby compared to other babies - my mate and I had our babies 3 days apart, we both EBF on demand, and they're both 6 months old now.

HER baby is a beautiful 15lb girl.
MY baby is a great big (and of course beautiful) 27lb boy.

Is her milk "better" than mine, or vice versa? Nope. Me and my husband, and our families, have bigger babies than her and her husband and their families. Also, bigger isn't necessarily better - I sometimes hold her girl for her and my arms sigh with relief!

Heh, her little girl was rolling and sitting up months before my lazy lummock, too!

So please don't worry. If your babies is weeing, pooing, seems alert and happy, then the chances are your milk is absolutely perfect for him or her, as it is intended to be.

Thanks so much for the reassurance everybody. He is gaining weight, and has been on the 25th centile consistently. Am trying to build up a little supply for the freezer because I have to return to work soon it just seems to take forever to get just a couple of ounces, however after your great advice I'm left feeling much more reassured about the quality of it X

I have a massive baby (99th percentile for length and upper 90s weight) and my expressed milk has only a very thin layer of cream. It does change depending on time of day, which boob, what I eat blah blah blah. Worrying about it only hinders supply. I listen to comedy on the iPod, seems to work

Thanks katey1010 thanks for your advice, am feeling much happier after all your input v reassured :-) because ds came early I never made it to my breastfeeding workshop therefore never got to ask questions as I knew NOTHING about bf, I wasn't even interested in bf but gave it a go it was the best decision I ever made and am so glad I persevered :-)