Why is breast milk salty

Mother's milk should be very sweet. I believe everyone has heard that mother's milk comes from mother's blood, so mother is the greatest person in the world. When babies drink breast milk, they are willing to drink it because of its sweetness. However, some babies will find that breast milk is salty during breastfeeding. This may be due to the different physical constitutions of each person. Let’s take a look at why breast milk is salty.

We all know that breast milk is mostly composed of sugar, protein, fat, inorganic salts, vitamins, minerals, etc. It tastes sweet and adults cannot feel the saltiness. If we adults feel it is a bit salty, it means that there may be some problems in it and we need to pay attention to it.

1. Reasons for colostrum: The milk secreted in the first few days after delivery is called colostrum. Although it is not much, it is very concentrated and its color is similar to butter. Compared with mature milk, colostrum is rich in antibodies, abundant in protein, lower in fat, and contains various enzymes and carbohydrates that babies need, which are not available in any other food. Relatively speaking, it contains less lactose, fat and water-soluble vitamins. The immune substances in colostrum can cover the surface of the baby's immature intestines and prevent the attachment of bacteria and viruses. Colostrum is the first milk to be secreted, so it has a slightly salty taste. Don't worry about this, as it will naturally change over time.

2 Due to physiological reasons, breast milk may be sweet or salty. This is caused by individual constitution and is normal. The baby's taste buds are different from ours and are very sensitive. Even if we taste something salty, he will feel it is slightly sweet.

3. Inflammatory causes such as breast disease can cause breast milk to become salty. There may also be too much milk stored in the breasts, or even lumps, and the milk may become salty at this time. It is best not to feed the baby the milk that has become salty. It is better to use a breast pump or express it by hand and then breastfeed.

4 Dietary reasons: Milk is produced due to blood osmosis, so the taste of milk is the same as blood. If you consume too much salt on a normal basis, the milk will be salty. So, this is normal, as long as there is breast milk, you can feed it to your baby.