In a message dated 2/28/2003 9:28:51 AM Central Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

> When someone asks you how many calories per ounce is in true milk and
> colostrum, what is you answer?  I have most of the book published on
> breastfeeding and have been an IBCLC for over 10 years so you are wondering
> why I am asking this question.  I am finding different answers to this
> question and with some of the new works by Hartman and Paula M. I am just
> wondering if I need to update my old knowledge base.  Looking around to see
> if another rut looks better that the one I'm stuck in. HA HA
>
Caloric value of milk changes from beginning of the feed to the end of the
feed; from woman to woman, according to the time of day, and age of the baby.
 It also varies according to size of the mom -- a skinny little mom who
didn't put on much weight during pregnancy will have a larger volume of milk
and a lower milk fat content (caloric content); a chubby mom or one that put
on more weight during pregnancy will have a higher fat content milk, but a
lower volume than her skinny counterpart.  I don't think we know the answer
to that question....  If you look at the work of Peter Hartmann, you'll see
that fat can vary as much as 30 to 50 gm/L -- that is, 8 kcal/oz up to 14
kcal/oz in just fat alone.  This is, of course, in addition to the protein &
carbs (lactose) in the milk as well -- both of those are much more stable
from woman to woman.

Whoever decided that human milk only has 20 cal/ounce wasn't playing with all
the numbers correctly.  And yet we've hung with that forever because that's
what's in the literature.

My lecture on Composition of human milk says that colostrum has 18.76
kcal/ounce.  I'm not sure I believe that either -- but that's the only thing
I can find in the literature.

So what I say is that we don't know because Mother's Milk is Magic....

Jan Barger, RN, MA, IBCLC, RLC
Wheaton, Illinois
www.lactationeducationconsultants.com

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