Taste Test

When I was nursing my first son, my cousin asked me a question I hadn't really thought of: "what does breastmilk taste like?" She was surprised that I didn't know. All I could tell her was that it must taste sweet, because the wonderful smell of Chris's breath after a nursing session was like heaven. And his skin smelled ten times better than the bitter smell of my friend's formula-fed baby.

When Justin was born, another friend of mine had just had her baby and was nursing. While she and her husband were over one night, I was telling them about how an online friend had secretly substituted expressed breastmilk for cow's milk in her four-year-old's cereal to see if she would notice the difference. This little girl scarfed down her cereal and then drank every last drop of the stuff from the bowl. Then my friend's husband confessed that he had tasted a little bit of breastmilk from a supplemental bottle one day. He agreed that it was not only sweet, but very different from any other liquid he had ever tasted.

When Justin suddenly refused my breast two weeks later, I couldn't figure out why. He was obviously hungry, and he would eagerly latch on to my nipple, but he would pull off after a few sucks with an almost disgusted look on his face. My mom came over soon after and I explained what had been going on. The first words out of her mouth were, "What have you been eating?"

I thought about that. And then it hit me . . . I had been eating burritos with loads of hot sauce! No wonder Justin wouldn't nurse; my milk probably tasted like jalapenios! I started drinking water by the pitcher-full. Within a few hours, he settled down to nurse, but I could tell my milk was still "tainted" with hot sauce when I changed his next diaper.

Breastmilk can not only change in consistency (foremilk to hindmilk), but in flavor as well. In fact, it changes with every meal you eat. Some babies don't care, while others will inform you of their dislikes right away. Does that mean you should eat a bland diet? Not necessarily. Think of your breastmilk as a tasteful introduction to what will soon be on his plate. These new flavors are working those tiny taste buds and bringing them to attention.

The flavor of breastmilk can also change with hormones. Some mothers have noticed their babies become more picky around the time of their period. Mothers who are nursing while pregnant might find their child notices their milk changes as well. In fact, when the milk changes back to colostrum for the coming newborn, it is hard for a child to not to pick up on the difference. Every child is different though, and changes like these don't necessarily result in refusal.

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