At 2:02 PM -0800 6/2/06, Ellen Steinberg wrote:
>Joy writes: Milk volumes in the Hartmann labs use the method they have
>developed
>and used for many years now where they weigh the mothers (not the
>babies - found to be more accurate) plus do volume calculations on
>the breast using a computer, video camera and stripes projected
>across the breast. They have written it up as a 'computerized breast
>measurement' system and it is very accurate.
>
>Joy, I think then that the answer to my question about whether these
>researchers were measuring mom's production capability or baby's actual
>consumption is that they were more closely measuring mom's production
>capability.
No, Ellen, I think you have misinterpreted what they found from what
I wrote. They measured *exactly* how much milk the baby took from the
mothers over 24 hours, by test-weighing the mother. They go into the
home and set up their equipment and are with the mother for every
feed, top-up, every time the baby's lips meet the breast, day and
night for 24 hours.
> I do not doubt the accuracy of these measurements, especially
>since they have been corroborated by several studies. And I also accept
>that milk production capability remains relatively constant from 1-6 months.
No, capability is *much* greater than what the mothers are producing
for one baby. They measured the baby's appetite, not the mother's
capability.
Apologies if this wasn't clear in my earlier post.
>
>What I am still left wondering is whether babies who are larger eat more.
This I don't know for sure, but don't think so. What they have found
in the Hartmann studies is that each baby has his own individual
relatively constant volume of intake - ranging from less than 500 ml
per 24 hours to over 1000 ml. I am fairly certain that there was no
correlation with anything obvious, such as baby's size, feeding
pattern, mother's storage capacity, etc. It seemed 'random'.
Joy
--
******************************************************************
Joy Anderson B.Sc. Dip.Ed. Grad.Dip.Med.Tech. IBCLC
Australian Breastfeeding Association counsellor
Perth, Western Australia. mailto:[log in to unmask]
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