Hartmann wrote:

>The difference between early and late lactation is very interesting.
>Certainly things are somewhat different as far as control is concerned.
>However, I do feel that what is in the mothers mind is of great importance.

I've been thinking about this too. I think that another factor is the baby
itself. A young baby will be easier discouraged when the supply drops
temporarily, and thus getting breast aversion and sometimes even breast
refusal, while older babies mind less.

I've seen it with my own child. He is almost three years old. The last half
year  I've experienced a serieus drop in my milk supply during the pre
menstrual period. One time it was really bad. Even at nigth my supply was
almost nil. Still my son kept nursing and nursing and nursing. He didn't
mind the supply was down. It was like if he knew it was temporarily. (and
it was!!).  Would this have happened when he was say 7 months old, he would
have become very hungry and frustrated, starting to refuse my breast,
making me uncertain, and so starting the cycle of a diminishing supply,
maybe even ending in premature weaning. I see this happening a lot.

Annelies Bon
Breastfeeding Resources http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/abon/bfbronnen.html
breastfeeding counsellor of the Dutch bf org "Borstvoeding Natuurlijk"
mailto:[log in to unmask]
living in a small city, Almere, near Amsterdam, The Netherlands