How does breast milk taste?

Breast milk is the best food you can offer your baby, at least during its first 2 years of life. Each woman is different and, therefore, each breast milk produced will also be different. What’s more, it will vary in quantity, flavor, density, color, and even smell depending on the moment of lactation in which it is found.

There are myths that ensure that breast milk has different flavors depending on the mother’s diet and according to the stage of lactation in which the mother is. And the truth is that there is a lot of truth in this, since, unlike artificial formula milk, the breast milk produced by each woman is different. Breast milk varies in taste, density, color and even smell. Its taste is usually sweet, but it depends on each woman and at the moment of lactation in which we are.

Why breast milk is the best for the baby

Breast milk is the best food we can offer the baby for several reasons. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), exclusive feeding with breast milk is recommended during the first 6 months of life and, together with complementary feeding, until at least 2 years of age.

The components of breast milk are mainly water, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and immunoglobulins that help the newborn’s immune development, which prevents possible infections or diseases in the future. The concentration of the components of breast milk varies depending on the needs of the infant.

If the baby that has been born is a premature baby, the milk produced by that mother will be ideal for a premature baby of that gestational age, adapting to their nutritional needs and the immaturity of her digestive system. Similarly, breast milk is also adapted to the number of newborns, for example, if there has been a twin birth, enough milk will be produced for both newborns. Likewise, it has been shown that babies who drink breast milk have fewer food allergies than babies fed with commercial formula milk.

What are the foods that change the taste of breast milk?

As we said, the fact that the breast milk produced by each woman is different makes the milk produced unique, and of course, food has a lot to do with how it will influence the composition of the milk that is produced.

A pregnant woman’s diet must be varied and healthy and, above all, take into account those foods that she must exclude from her diet during the months that breastfeeding lasts, except for alcohol, there is no food prohibited as such in lactation, just maintaining a healthy and balanced diet and adequate hydration. Also, something curious that happens with breast milk is that its color can be variable. We are used to seeing breast milk as white or, intuitively, thinking of white when we talk about milk, but the truth is that breast milk can be of different shades, it has certain yellowish tones and a consistency and smell different from milk.

Breastfeeding is much more than food

Beyond food, which, of course, is essential for the sustenance of the little one during the first months, breastfeeding is life for the baby in many ways.

This is so because the mother’s arms and chest are his shelter, the safest place in the world for the little one who has just been born, since the only thing he has known until his birth is his mother’s womb. However, now, with his coming into the world, he has to face different stimuli outside of his mother. Breastfeeding, is also attachment, affection, bond, protection, empowerment and confidence in the wisdom of our body.