> There was an study, published many years ago that concluded something
> like that, though if I remember correctly the quantity was 90% in the
> first 5 minutes.  It's just nonsense, and yet this bit of information
> has passed from mouth to mouth for years.

I agree with Jack. For one thing, Jelliffe's book Human Milk in the
Modern World had a limited press from Oxford University Press, and has
been out of print since the mid-80s. Oxford Press wanted him to do a 2nd
edition update, but he was busy with other things and then, tragically,
died before getting to it. Most OBs, let alone LCs, will have seen or
read this book.

I was unaware of Boette's study - at least it gave the baby 10-15
minutes. I immediately asked myself things like "how old is the baby?"
since this could be true for the larger/older baby, of course. The
originial study on this (which "found" baby got "all they needed" in 5-7
minutes) was done in the 30s - never challenged; taken as gospel truth
and widely disseminated in medical schools. Most OBs know about this
one. The original study about the "available milk in a few minutes"
wasn't challenged until the late 70s (?). I believe Kittie Frantz was
one of the first to do so at the USC Breastfeeding Clinic and found
continuous "let-downs" every 5-7 minutes as long as there was nipple
stimulation. She postulated that the original researchers noted the
initial let-down, then stopped their investigation as the milk tapered
off, concluding that there was no more milk and that must be "all" the
baby needed. She thinks they stopped a minute too soon; if they had just
continued to watch, they'd have seen another let-down.

Katharine West, BSN, MPH
Sherman Oaks, CA