A mom with an 8-week breastfed baby said she was told to add flax seed
oil to her diet to help increase the length of sleep periods (during the
night, of course).

I've not yet gone back to the source of this advice to explore the
rationale, but would like to have some information before I do.

Perhaps the thought is to increase mother's fat intake in order to
increase the fat content of her milk. I found Arly Helm's post on milk
fat composition manipulation from the archives where she says the amount
of fat in breastmilk is not changed so much as the type of fat. However,
that discussion revolved around slow weight gain and Arly pointed out
there are more effective (mechanical) ways to increase fat content.

That's just a guess. I agree that sleeping through the night is a concern
of parents much moreso than is realistic - or appropriate, etc. But it's
a widespread mindset that won't change in the near future. I'd prefer
couples get good information on night sleeping and whether or not it can
be "managed". I'm sure some tired couples would buy anything, do
anything, pay anything to get an uninterupted night's sleep.

Any comments?

Thanks, Sue

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Sue Petracek              * [log in to unmask]
Bosom Buddies, Inc.       * www.bosombuddies.com
(888) 860-0041 Toll Free  * Helping mothers breastfeed successfully
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