Chris  writes:
 
<<You say  that the milk changes, 'reconfigures itself to meet the age of the
baby.'  That's where I'd love to see your sources. Woolridge reports that
milk  increases in caloric content when suckling is more frequent, but I
think this  happens because of changes in the suckling pattern/breast
drainage pattern,  not because of the baby's age. Lactose is pretty constant
at 7%. Are there  significant changes in protein content between 1 and  6
months?>>


 
Chris, do you remember  Susan Carlson who spoke at the 1992 ILCA conference?  
(I know, I know, this  is really dating ourselves....).  Anyway, her talk was 
on the composition  of human milk and the changes therein.  She indicated 
that the average  caloric value of human milk was around 20 kcal/ounce at 2 
weeks, and averaged 26  kcal/ounce at 4 months.  She had been doing research for 
one of the formula  companies at one time, trying to assess human milk so that 
the formula companies  could mimic it -- and I remember her saying that they 
never would be able to if  only because of the changes in caloric value.
 
ILCA did an ISM on her  talk that year, and I reviewed it which is why I 
remember it so very  clearly.
 
It's one of the reasons  I've felt all along that breastfed babies don't need 
nearly the volume that  formula fed infants do -- their energy levels aren't 
as high, breastmilk is much  more bioavailable than formula, and the caloric 
value changes over  time.




Jan Barger, RN, MA, IBCLC -- Wheaton IL

_Lactation Education  Consultants_ 
(http://www.lactationeducationconsultants.com/)  
_My Mother of the Bride  Blog_ (http://www.motherofbridebyjan.blogspot.com/)  
_Torrey's  Wedding Webpage_ 
(http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/view/co_main.aspx?coupleid=3216252686617334)  






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