Morning vs. Evening Breast Milk

Not all breast milk is created equal! 

The composition of breast milk changes over the course of the day.

Morning breast milk has entirely different hormones in it than evening breast milk.

Just as your body’s hormones naturally shift throughout the day, so too do the hormones in your breast milk.  

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Morning Vs. Evening Breast Milk:
Fat Content and Volume

 Fat Content of breast milk

The fat content of breast milk gradually increases throughout the course of the day, with the highest levels being right before bed. 

This might be why babies tend to cluster feed at night so they can get the fattier milk to satiate them to go longer stretches at night.

Volume of breast milk

The volume of breast milk gradually decreases during the day, with volumes of breast milk produced being highest early in the am.

This is because prolactin (the milk production hormone) is highest at night while you sleep.

Morning Vs. Evening Breast Milk: Mineral Content

 Different minerals in breast milk peak at various points throughout the day. 

Morning Breast Milk

Studies show that morning breast milk contains more amino acids and proteins. Perhaps it contains more of it to meet the physical demands of being active during the day.

Breast milk produced during the day also contains higher levels of antibodies and white blood cells than evening milk.  This may be to help the baby’s body deal with pathogens and viruses as it’s exposed to it throughout the day.

Evening Breast Milk

Evening milk contains higher levels of DNA building blocks, perhaps to help restore the body as it rests during sleep.

Did you know?

You can’t change the amount of fat in breast milk, but you CAN change the type of fat.

So be sure to add good, healthy fats to your diet whenever possible.

Studies show that maternal levels of DHA (one of the most important types of omega-3s) DIRECTLY influences the levels of DHA in breast milk.

So take a daily, high-quality DHA fish oil supplement to ensure you and baby are getting enough.

We love THIS gummy DHA supplement, because it tastes like strawberries (and not yucky fish oil).

Morning Vs. Evening Breast Milk: Circadian Rhythm Hormones

A circadian rhythm is your body’s internal clock.

It affects everything from sleep to hormones to body temperature to food digestion.

Studies show that evening breast milk contains three times as much melatonin as morning breast milk.

Melatonin is a hormone the body produces in response to darkness. It helps prepare the body to sleep. 

Because breast milk contains so much melatonin, theories suggest that breast milk might actually help shape a baby’s circadian rhythm.  

Evening milk also contains more tryptophan (an amino acid that induces sleep) than morning milk. 

So when your baby breastfeeds before bedtime, they’ll get some soothing hormones (melatonin and tryptophan) to help them naturally fall asleep.

Conversely, morning milk contains adrenaline and cortisol that promotes alertness and tends to have a slight energizing effect on the body.

Should you separate morning breast milk and evening breast milk because it’s so different?

Some suggest you keep milk you pump during the day separate from milk at night.  Label it correctly, and then just feed it at the correct time of day.

This may or may not be feasible for you depending on your situation. 

Tips that may be helpful if you want to separate milk according to time of day:

• label your bottles in the order that you pump throughout the day and tell your caregiver to feed them in the correct order

• label your milk with the time you pumped, and then try to feed it to baby around the same time (give or take!)

• store your milk in an “am pitcher” and a “pm pitcher”

Do what works for you! 

And don’t beat yourself up if you end up giving some breast milk pumped during the day to your baby at night or vice versa. 

And always remember, a mother’s worth is based on love, and not ounces!

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