Worried about foremilk/hindmilk imbalance or green poop? Nikki Mather our Wilmslow-based IBCLC explains the science and what’s really going on with your breastmilk.
You’re scrolling through a parenting forum late at night when you see it. Someone is describing their baby’s symptoms—explosive green poop, terrible gas, constant fussiness—and another commenter replies with certainty: “Oh, that sounds like a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance.”
Suddenly, your heart sinks. You start to question everything. Are you switching breasts too soon? Is your baby only getting the “watery” milk and missing out on the “good fatty” milk? An entirely new layer of anxiety has just been added to your feeding journey.
As a Lactation Consultant here in Wilmslow, this is one of the most common and stressful myths I help parents navigate. The good news is that the concept of a “foremilk-hindmilk imbalance” is largely misunderstood and has caused far more worry than it’s worth.
Let’s debunk the myth, look at the simple science using a fresh analogy, and help you get back to trusting your body and your baby.
The common belief goes something like this: The breast produces two different types of milk. Foremilk is the watery, sugary “drink” that comes at the start of a feed. Hindmilk is the creamy, high-fat “meal” that comes at the end. If you switch breasts too early, your baby fills up on sugary foremilk and misses the fatty hindmilk, leading to gas and poor weight gain.
While this sounds vaguely logical, it’s a harmful oversimplification. It incorrectly suggests your breast is like a factory with two separate production lines, and it puts all the pressure on you to time things perfectly. This simply isn’t how your amazing body works.
There are not two types of milk. There is only one: your breastmilk. The composition of that milk simply changes as a feed progresses.
Let’s try a new way of thinking about it: the salad dressing analogy.
Imagine you have a bottle of homemade vinaigrette that you’ve just shaken up. When you first tip the bottle to pour, the liquid that comes out is often the slightly thinner, sharper part.
As you continue to pour and the bottle empties, the rich, thick oil that was clinging to the inside ‘shoulders’ and sides of the bottle starts to wash down and mix in. The very last bit of dressing you pour is always the richest and creamiest. It’s not two different dressings; it’s one dressing that becomes creamier as the bottle is emptied.
Your breastmilk is exactly like this. The fat globules (the “oil”) in your milk are sticky and cling to the walls of your milk ducts. As your baby feeds and effectively drains the breast (empties the bottle), more and more of these fat globules are washed down into the milk.
The key takeaway is this: the fat content of your milk is not determined by the clock, but by how effectively your breast is being emptied.
Maddie McMahon, Breastfeeding Counsellor, Doula & Founder of Developing Doulas uses a simple oil and water method to describe this here.
If it’s not a foremilk/hindmilk “imbalance,” then why is your baby so uncomfortable?
Often, the real culprit is oversupply or a very fast let-down.
When a mother has a very abundant supply, the baby gets a large volume of milk very quickly at the start of a feed. This rush of milk is naturally higher in lactose (milk sugar). The baby’s gut, which has a finite amount of the digestive enzyme lactase, can become overwhelmed by this volume of sugar.
This is known as lactose overload. The undigested sugar ferments in the baby’s gut, which leads to the classic symptoms:
Gassiness and discomfort
Explosive, watery, or frothy green poop
General fussiness and signs of colic
The problem isn’t the type of milk; it’s the sheer volume and speed at which the baby is having to handle it.
The solution is to stop timing feeds and start watching your baby for their cues of fullness.
Finish the First Breast First: Instead of switching after 15 minutes, allow your baby to feed on the first breast until they are finished. They will tell you they are done by pulling off on their own, looking sleepy and content, and having those wonderfully relaxed, open hands.
Offer the Second Side: Once they have fully finished the first side, offer them the second. They are in control. They may take it, or they may be completely full and not interested. That is perfectly fine.
Focus on an Effective Latch: A deep, comfortable latch allows your baby to control the flow of milk more effectively and drain the breast more efficiently, which will naturally increase the fat content of the feed.
If you have a significant oversupply, strategies like “block feeding” may be helpful, but this should only ever be done under the guidance of an IBCLC, as it is a tool designed to reduce your milk supply.
If you’ve been worrying about this myth, please take a deep breath and let it go. Your body is brilliant, and by focusing on feeding your baby from the first breast until they are full and content, you are giving them exactly what they need.
If you are in Manchester or Cheshire and are still struggling with a fussy baby or symptoms of oversupply, please reach out. A one-to-one consultation can help us get to the bottom of it and create a simple plan to make feeding a more comfortable and happy experience for you both.
