Jo-Anne,
There have been very few studies done on the composition of breastmilk in
relactation or induced lactation. However, one thing that we do know is that
colostrum is not produced. An old study (with Peter Hartmann as co author no
less) found that the  milk composition was like mature milk from the very
beginning. So it would not make any sense to wean the older child. The
question of what the milk composition will do with the two of them is one
that doesn't have an answer. I know that someone was going to look at milk
composition with tandem breastfeeding when the children each had their 'own'
breast because a firend supplied milk samples but I don't know if they got a
large enough sample size. So speculation is all that can be done- we just
don't know.
Karleen Gribble
Australia
PS. By the way, no one has responded to my earlier question on pumping and
relactation. I realise that there is probably only speculation on this also
but I'm interested in everyone's speculation!

> If a mom has nursed her biological child for almost a year, and plans to
> adopt an
> infant, is there any way (for instance weaning the one-year-old
> temporarily or partially) to get the body to produce colostrum for the
> new baby? Since most of the information on relactation concerns
> breastfeeding the same baby or an older baby, there is no indication of
> what the milk composition is at various points of relactation

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