My wife is told that babies need a smaller volume of breastmilk than they do of formula (assuming pure breastmilk or pure formula) because breastmilk is “denser” than formula.
Is there any truth to this, even allowing for the possibility that this is some imprecise concept of “density”?
I think she means caloric density but I don’t think there is any truth to it. There are special formulas out there with really high caloric densities for extreme situations. Nothing is stopping them from matching breast milk exactly.
Breastmilk changes in caloric density based on the age of the child, breastfed babies generally need about 20-25oz of breastmilk per day for the whole time they are exclusively breastfeeding. As I understand it formula fed babies need 20-25oz of formula per day when they are newborns but then need to add more ounces as they get bigger and their calorie needs get larger.
There exist formulas with higher calories per oz but I am talking about regular formula.
No, I’m pretty sure the amount of breastmilk the baby will consume can change over time as the baby grows. I’ve heard they need a fairly similar volume to what they’d consume in formula, but it’s just harder to figure it out short of weighing the baby before and after each nursing session. There may be some statistics for babies who are getting breastmilk exclusively via bottle (can’t eat directly from the source, for whatever reason).
In addition, the density of breastmilk is not consistent in the least. The first part of a nursing session, the baby is getting much waterier milk (it’s what’s stored up between sessions) then the baby gets the denser stuff afterward, that is produced on the spit.
From my own experience as a working mom: there was one time when my daughter was not feeling well and didn’t nurse much at all for 24 hours. The first time I pumped after that, I produced two bottles full of what was essentially skim milk - much waterier, blueish in color, no layer of cream.
Actually no.
It makes me wonder what happens when people donate breastmilk, do they have to indicate how long ago their baby was born to give an idea of the calorie content. I would guess that most people who donate have finished breastfeeding their own children so maybe that’s the expectation.