Many articles have been published in recent decades using several methods
of measuring breast milk consumption (which reflects production in most
cases--the two are obviously closely related). The most accurate method
utilizes heavy water and provides a good estimate of production during a
period of about 2 weeks (from which daily consumption can be inferred).
Much of the literature is misleading because it is based on obtrusive
methods of measurement, less than 24 hour measurement, or is based on
infants who are not breast fed in any way approaching the optimal.
Production increases with age in infants not given much else besides breast
milk. In young children, it is important to keep in mind that production
depends on how often the breast is offered and how much of other foods are
given. There has been a misleading tendency to assume that if several
studies show that, say 200 ml is produced at a certain age, this is some
kind of ceiling on the production of women with children of that age.

Since very few infants are exclusively breast fed, and we know that even
use of water and pacifiers can reduce production, it is fair to say we have
very little accurate knowledge to go on. Sandra Huffman summarized the
results of quite few of the available studies a few years ago and found
that in both developed and developing countries average production at a few
months of age was about 750 ml except for a study in Australia which found
over a liter. But this is not a ceiling either. Long ago breastfeeding was
a career for wet nurses and they could produce large quantities daily for
decades. Women with twins and even triplets can produce two or three times
as much as women with one infant.

Ted Greiner, PhD
Senior Lecturer in International Nutrition
Unit for International Child Health, Entrance 11
Uppsala University
751 85 Uppsala
Sweden

phone +46 - 18 515198
fax   +46 - 18 515380

home phone +46 - 8 191397 (can be used as fax also)