"So -- how many of us Lactnetters are reading this at 3 AM because we couldn
't fricking sleep thanks to our "menopausal transition characteristics?"

Liz, Have you tried taking melatonin????  It works great!  And it doesn't
linger in the morning at all!  Our bodies make less of it as we age, so the
replacement of it is very helpful.  Whenever I am struggling, I take one and
am asleep within 15 minutes.  To make this conversation breastfeeding
friendly...melatonin is a L3.  "It is a normal hormone secreted by the
pineal gland in the human brain.  It is circadian in rhythm, with nighttime
values considerably higher than daytime levels.  It is postulated to induce
a sleep-like pattern in humans.  It is known to be passed into human milk
and is believed responsible for entraining the newborn brain to phase shift
its circadian clock to that of the mother by communicating the time of day
information to the newborn." ..."the effect of orally administered melatonin
on newborns is unknown, but melatonin has thus far not been associated with
significant untoward effects."  - Hale

Linda Hill RN, IBCLC


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