Keith and Dalia Abrams wrote: > Someone posted about initiation of lactation being triphasic (my husband > deleted the post before I got to replying... sorry I don't remember the > exact words or who posted). I found this description of how lactation > changes in the first months really interesting and it got me wondering. Re > the first stage, putting down prolactin receptors: do we do this again with > each baby, or does it only occur after the first birth, or do you add more > receptors with each birth and does this maybe explain why the milk comes in > faster for multiparas? Where are these receptors? In the pituitary? And > what about tandem nursing (nursing an older baby/child and a newborn > together)? Also, how does tandem nursing effect the second stage: "hormonal > lactation" I think you called it? (SNIP) Bwaahaahaaha! I wrote that post and I have to say I have NO IDEA. I know lactation is pretty *hormonal* in the postpartum time frame - while we are lactating on the endocrine system. Later (and I always associated 3-4 months as later) we start to switch over to the autocrine system. I have recently learned on this list and through Jan Barger (and others) that the first few days/weeks we are laying down prolactin receptors but the where's and how's haven't quite been explained to me yet (or I have failed to remember them). I have never tandem nursed and my experience with tandem nursers is pretty limited. Hopefully someone else can answer all these great questions for us. -- Monique [log in to unmask] *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html