What is foremilk? And what is hindmilk?

Foremilk is milk expressed at the beginning of a lactation session, while hindmilk is expressed at the end.

Because fat is "stickier," it tends to be expressed later on in a nursing or pumping session. Therefore, foremilk tends to be more watery and hindmilk tends to be fattier.

BOTH watery and fatty milk are important for your baby - fatty milk is not "better" than watery milk. Rather, a balance is ideal.

Some babies may get too much watery milk and not enough hindmilk, which is called foremilk/ hindmilk imbalance. It's far more common when nursing (due to switching sides too often) than exclusive pumping.

If you are worried about foremilk/ hindmilk imbalance, look at your BABY rather than your milk. If baby is happy and growing well, a thin layer of fat on your separated milk is very likely not an issue.