How to check the fat content of breast milk

Many young nursing mothers are seriously concerned about the question of the composition of breast milk. Very often next to them are “well-wishers” to explain any concern and the crying of the baby that breast milk supposedly does not have sufficient fat contentand nutritional value. The first thing you need to remember - the color, appearance and taste of milk are not the indicators of its quality and fat content. The approximate fat content of your milk, you can determine at home.

You will need

• test tube, 150 mm in height; marker; ruler

Instruction

1. Take a clean test tube. Measure a distance of 100 mm from the bottom of the tube. Apply marker stamped.
2. Fill the tube expressed breast milk. It must be done immediately after pumping. Do not forget that women's breast milk can be divided into “front” and “rear”. “Front” is the milk released at the beginning of the feeding. “Back” – at the end of the feeding. The fat percentage in the “front” milk” is much lower than in the “rear”. When measuring the fat content of milk should be taken in the calculation is the rate of fat “hind” milk.
3. Place the test tube in a vertical position. The easiest way to do that, using special tripod or stand. Leave the tube with milk, not closing it at room temperature for 6-7 hours.
4. Measure the resulting layer of cream with a ruler. Each millimeter division of the line will correspond to one percentage of fat. Note that the fat content in breast milk depends on the degree of emptiness of the breast. The more breast milk, so it is less oily. And , accordingly, the smaller the interval between feedings, the more fatty milk your baby receives.
   
   By the standards of the world health organization, the average fat content of breast milk is approximately 4%.