A question came up with a colleague of mine regarding whether there is a top
range for milk production. What we're wondering is this: what is the maximum
amount of milk that a woman can produce under optimal conditions? Is it
theoretically unlimited?  The most optimal situation would be
round-the-clock stimulation/removal, and probably the closest example we
have of this are the wet-nurses of old or the mother of quintuplets/etc who
tries to breastfeed.  I'm not sure if there is anything in the literature
regarding this and would welcome discussion, especially based on available
information.
 
We've also been pondering if a mom of a singleton can later induce a much
larger supply, or if downward calibration is largely permanent. Induced
lactation mothers are starting from scratch, building breast tissue. Natural
pregnancy lactation is a cycle of growth and then programmed cell death.
How do these two facts relate to each other?  Is there a point when milk
supply is going to diminish no matter what? 
 
In the dairy industry, there has been a lot of research on how to maximize
production. A cow being pumped every day does not produce the same amount of
milk forever; there is a production curve that eventually heads downward,
and it is after that peak that the cow is re-bred. The dairy people know
exactly when to re-breed so that they get the most out of the cow in her
lifetime. 
 
~Lisa Marasco

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