>All the women that I see nursing > 6 months all seem to sleep with their
>babies or stop breastfeeding very soon after the 6 month mark (which is
>usually when they return to work in Canada, if they return to work).
>
>Now is this coincidence? survival technique? or the reason they and their
>baby continue to nurse long term as baby continues to breastfeed
>frequently throught the night to make up for missed daytime nursing and
>hence never gets more used to bottles or cups versus breasts.
>
>Anyone have any comments? Any studies?

Karen, it is known that nursing during the night produces more prolactin
than day-time nursing, so it's quite possible that the night time
co-sleeping and nursing helps keep the prolactin levels high and therefore
helps keep milk production going.
Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Anthropology and Nutrition
Texas A&M University