I am fascinated by the research in this area, including the information Catherine Genna posted. I think it shows, more than anything, how little we really understand about feeding babies, and how important it is not to "mess with mother nature." When we let babies nurse freely, the process works. When we start scheduling or restricting or supplementing, we mess things up. I think I have posted before about some of the interviews I did with people researching how infant feeding affects later obesity. One of the theories about why breastfeeding reduces later obesity rates is that with formula the baby has to consume larger volumes to get the needed nutrients, and so gets used to consuming more. This makes some sense when you look at the data on breastmilk volume. I think I've also mentioned the importance of "on-demand" feeding - the idea that when babies are scheduled or forced to wait for feeding, they will take in more milk than they really need at each feeding because they can't be sure that they'll get to eat next time they are hungry, and this sets them up in a pattern of wanting to over-eat at each feeding. I am impressed by this research on obesity because I think it shows the unforeseen long-term consequences of attempting to manage infant feeding - by introducing schedules or supplements or even going to formula full-time. Teresa Pitman Guelph, Ontario *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [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