How does the concept of a wet nurse work? If continuously given a newborn while nursing a 2YO, does she continue to produce milk until there isn’t another baby?

Question

I also know that a nursing woman’s body can adapt the milk to provide for what the baby needs, but how does that work when the newborn needs a ton of stuff and the 2 year old needs something specific?

(I’ve been reading a lot of historical fiction lately)

In: Biology

Answer 1

Breast milk contains a hormone that stops/ reduces milk production. Removing the milk removes the hormone which then makes more milk! The more milk thats removed the more milk is produced. Once baby starts incorporating other foods into their diet, they need less milk so the weaning process works on the mother as well. It’s suggested that one pump the milk if baby is not hungry so as to maintain high milk production, but only to bottle feed as a last resort as sometimes a baby will refuse to return to the the breast afterwards (which is bad for mom and baby for a myriad of reasons, such as the nutritional catering you mentioned in your post, and it’s bad for mother baby bonding which is a can of worms in its own right)
The sound of a baby crying frequently induces lactation in women who are currently breastfeeding. Milk stains are quite common! Many women who have breastfed before, especially those who have breastfed multiple times, report feeling their breasts “starting to get to work/ getting ready” when they hear a baby crying even if they are no longer lactating at that point. OP might consider asking older female adults about this sensation and hearing their testimonies, but understanding that it varies from woman to woman. I am unsure of what the case is for geriatric women, but I assume that they would also remember if they had previously experienced this and if it eventually went away.