Julie asks,

> .  What could cause this inability of her
> body to produce enough milk beginning right at the 3 month mark?  I'd love
> to help her avoid this problem next time...
>
Julie, I think this is always a puzzle -- and there seem to be a lot of
mothers that report the same thing.  I often wonder if the answer is to be
found in the very early days of breastfeeding -- that these mothers simply
don't breastfeed often enough to lay down adequate prolactin receptors to
maintain milk supply beyond that three month mark.  I do talk to mothers
about the frequent feeds (and/or pumpings if baby isn't feeding) helping to
assure a robust milk supply down the road -- putting money in the bank, as it
were.

I'm not sure if that is the answer -- I suspect it isn't the only one, but it
might help this mom next time to make sure she does a LOT of feeding the
first few days.

On a different note, we've been talking about whether or not babies sense
*hunger* the first few days of life.  Well, I wish I knew the answer.
Catherine posited that at least some babies do -- they seem RAVENOUS.  And
then there are the babies that everyone says -- "Well, they SHOULD be hungry
-- it's been 3/4/5 hours since they ate."  My question to all of you is one
I've asked before -- what mechanism causes the sensation of hunger in humans.
 It's not just an empty stomach.  It's not just a drop in blood sugar.  What
is it?  Why is it that we can eat dinner at 6:00 pm and be STARVED at 9:00
pm?  Or, conversely, eat dinner at 6:00, and not *feel* hungry until 9:00 the
next morning?  Why is it that some babies do not seem to sense hunger -- and
don't seem to be interested in eating....they might suck, but the type of
sucking is the "hanging out" variety, not the breastFEEDING variety?

Jan Barger, RN, MA, IBCLC -- Wheaton IL
Lactation Education Consultants
www.lactationeducationconsultants.com

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