In an earlier post by someone else:
I have a question I've been wondering about for a while, and the
thread on one breast/both breasts per feeding has prompted me to
finally ask.  Why are we still discussing foremilk and hindmilk?
Peter Hartmann's research has shown that there isn't really much
change in the fat content of milk during a feeding.  In other words
the foremilk/hindmilk theory is just a myth.  He actually
demonstrated this with several mothers and their nursing children at
the LLL Western Division Conf. this past August, and  I understand
he wrote an article that appeared in JHL a couple years ago on this topic.
I'm curious about why no one has mentioned this.  I thought Peter Hartmann
and his work were respected within the lactation community.


Dr. Michael Woolridge, of England, did some truly elegant studies where a
tiny tube was attached to the mother's breast and drew off aliquots (tiny
fractions) of milk from the baby's mouth during the feed.  His research
shows that not only does the volume of milk increase as the feed progresses,
following a let-down, but that the fat content goes up.  The first test tube
samples from the first minutes of the feed are blue and watery, and as the
feed progresses, the color of the milk gradually changes to white and
creamy, very rich-looking.  Analysis of the milk shows much higher fat
content of the milk from the end of the feed.  My understanding of this is
that the fat globules adhere more tightly to the interior of the milk ducts
and cannot be removed until the lower fat milk is gone, then as the baby
continues to nurse, they are dislodged.  It may be overstating the case to
talk about "low fat" and "high fat", but certainly "lower fat" and "higher
fat" would be appropriate to refer to the milk at the beginning vs. the end
of a feed.

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Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.                         email: [log in to unmask]
Anthropology Department                               phone: (409) 845-5256
Texas A&M University                                    fax: (409) 845-4070
College Station, TX  77843-4352