I feel Peter's work still fits in well with what we've always thought and
taught about growth spurts or appetite increases.  Peter talks about breasts
having a certain capacity and as they empty they manufacture more quickly.
The way I see it a baby going through a growth spurt feeds constantly for
one or two days draining mums breasts and stimulating her to produce milk
faster, and so consuming more milk.  When the growth spurt settles and baby
feeds less often then the breasts still have exactly the same capacity, but
baby takes it out less frequently and its manufactured more slowly.
Sorry my thoughts aren't flowing today, basically what I'm trying to say is
that the breast has the same potential capacity all the time and is always
trying to maintain the level at 'full' - if it's not being emptied often
then it's refilling more slowly, if it's being constantly emptied then it's
flat out trying to refill all the time.  So, yes, the baby does get more
milk during that time when he is feeding frequently.

I liken it to my young sons.  When they are going through growth spurts
they'll eat 10 WeetBix (cereal) for breakfast for a week - then just as I
buy the super jumbo box the growth spurt is over and they're back to their
normal 5 or so.

Does that fit in with others thinking too?

Denise Fisher
in Brisbane, Australia
where I wish you northern hemisphere people would please let us have a turn
at winter - my shorts and T-shirts are wearing out!