BREAST FEEDING EXPERTS, come answer me this question! I'm curious how...

[Jacksmama]

... breasts can make different kinds of milk depending on whether it's daytime or night?

I'e read several times recently that night nursing is so important because we make better milk at night. How?? I wake up with the same breasts thah I took to bed with me. How can they function differently when its dark? Is it a matter of different hormones releasing at night... or what?

Thanks!!

Right I am out of date on this socan't say I understand for sure but I thought night nursing was important because it helped maintain your supply of milk rather than amsde better milk? Has that changed then (things often do)?

Higher levels of hormones at night so milk supply more responsive to stimulation?

Not "better milk" - more like important feeds for the overall breast feeding experience?

feeding between 3 and 4 am is prime time for stimulating your supply

but your breasts constantly make different kinds of milk responding to all kinds of variables - how thirsty your baby is, how hungry he is, how old, etc

I thought it was something to do with hormones that are released at night that help you body to maintain your supply/ That is why babies tend to cluster feed in the late evening/night time.

I am probably wrong though, but someone with more knowledge should be here to put me right soon

Well what has been said here was what I learned (I did the BFI course but maaaany years ago now, 2002)

So should we wake up kids (and mommies) who sleep through?

Agree with the others, it's about maintaining supply rather than producing better milk. Prolactin levels are higest during the night, so feeding then will boost supply effectively.

*highest

Hmmm... I could have misunderstood but I really thought I'd recently read on here that we make better milk at night.

Better how??

Bump?

Yes Charchar is right its due to higher levels of prolactin (the milk producing hormone not to be confused with oxcytocin which governs let down)

I must admit it makes me feel better about night feeds to knw this!

Just feed your baby godammit! Circadian rhythms suggest that night feeds are valuble but basically if we just fed on demand without worying about routine or what our MIL say it would be fine!
Trust yourself and your baby its nature nothing else could be better surely thats obvious!
Formula milk isn't!

Ermmm... I was just curious??!!? I wasn't asking because of I have any issues night-feeding - only that there are lots of people on here who know tons about breast-feeding and I had read this and wanted an answer. Don't know what you're getting so fussed about...

FYI, DS is 12 months old and was almost exclusively breast-fed until the last few months. He's never had formula except for the 3rd day of his life when he was very jaundiced and my milk hadn't come in yet. He's a milk monster and both he and I love nursing. We co-sleep so he can help himself at night. So obviously I don't care about "routine" or whatever anyone says.

I can only assume that Indiehendrix's post has gone onto the wrong thread because it doesn't seem to fit on this one, there's been no talk whatsoever of formula or not feeding at night

I have also heard the 'better milk' thing too Jacksmama and wondered why it's better. I see that someone mentioned that 3-4am is the best time to boost supply, which is nice to know as DD has been waking up without fail at that time since before Xmas!

3-4 am is when Jackbaby wants a middle of the night snack as well! I always thought it was because at that point he'd have gone without milk for at least 6 hours so he'd be hungry... but maybe it's because it tastes better at that time?

I'm hoping tiktok or someone else expert-like will see this thread and explain.

Prolactin - milk making hormone - has a 'biorhythm' of its own in the early days and weeks, and is higher at night. Don't know if there is a specific time of night - '3-4 am' sounds v. prescriptive to me, more likely there is a range.

Whether this means more milk is avail. to the baby at night, I don't know, but it could be a reasonable inference to make.

No evidence as far as I know that quality or taste is different at night - I would doubt it very much, but maybe the research just hasn't been done.

Breastmilk taste does differ slightly from mother to mother and reacts a bit to maternal diet, and fat content differs according to the volume of milk in the breast. So breastmilk is not a constant unchanging substance.

It is usually important to feed at night esp at first, and not allow long gaps between bfs, but this is more to do with the general need not to leave gaps between bfs - not time on the clock.