The time since the last breastfeeding DID affect the fat content, but
not very much. The most important factor in fat content at the beginning
and end of the feeding was how empty the breast was.

A woman who feeds frequently will likely have faster milk production
than one who feeds less frequently, so her milk fat will dilute faster
as new milk is made. The breast likes to stay full, so it ramps up
production rapidly after feeding (another Hartmann lab study found that
a 30% full breast makes milk 5 times faster than a 90% full breast).

The calculation of breast fullness for each individual woman is a little
circular, but it's still useful as an approximation of relative breast
emptying over the research day.

But remember, other good research shows the most important factor to
infant growth is the VOLUME of milk taken, not the fat content of that
milk. The whole lactose overload = poor growth was a theory.

Catherine Watson Genna, BS, IBCLC  NYC

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