The Five Senses of Expressing

Expressing milk isn't a task just for your ta-tas ... in fact, all five senses are involved, some directly and others indirectly!

Check it out:

SIGHT

• Freshly expressed milk will blend into a seemingly homogeoneous mixture
• Chilled milk will separate, with cream rising to the top (it will blend again once warmed or if shaken gently)
• Milk comes in many shades of white, yellow, and even red
• If you consume a lot of artificial colors, it will pigment your milk!
• Sometimes my milk looks blue-ish when I first pump - then it becomes a creamy white after being chilled (see below - left is chilled, right is fresh)

TASTE

• No, I haven't tasted my breastmilk. But I've heard what you eat will "flavor" it, thereby shaping your baby's tastebuds!

SMELL

• Breastmilk smells like milk - but it's a very mild smell
• Just like milk, it will sour when left out too long
• After a while, your milk will start to smell like your baby (for obvious reasons)

TOUCH

• When you express, you should feel a tug on your nipples and the suction of the pump
• However, it should not be painful!! Pain is your body's way of telling you you're doing it wrong
• Check out this post for more information on how to get the "perfect latch" when expressing

SOUND

• I don't know there is a "sound" to expressing - though my pump definitely makes a lot of hums, squeaks and shreaks
• Interestingly, when your baby cries it can cause your milk to let down! Mother Nature is pretty amazing at guiding new moms