Breast-milk production and energy exchange in human lactation

The milk production of one mother was determined post-partum for a period of 13 weeks, during which time breast milk was her infant's only source of food energy. The weight changes of both the mother and the male infant were recorded during this period. The food intake and activity pattern of the mother were also recorded for 4-week periods: at 2, 6, 10 weeks after birth and 2 weeks after the cessation of lactation, which was maintained for a period of 27 weeks. The infant regained his birth weight of 3310 g on the 14th day of life. His weight gain for the duration of the study, which averaged 233 g/week, was considered satisfactory. The daily milk production increased gradually from an average of 241 g during the 1st week post-partum to 995 g during the 12th week. The infant's maximum milk intake and hence food energy intake per kg body-weight was (range) 198-204 g milk and 550-560 kJ/kg respectively during the 3rd to the 7th week, followed by a gradual decrease from the 8th to the 13th week after birth. The estimated efficiency of energy conversion for breast-milk production was consistent with other values reported in the literature.