The Amazing Circadian Rhythms of Breastmilk: Why and When Your Baby is Most Hungry
Imagine you’re driving home after picking up your older child from preschool. Halfway home, the baby starts whimpering. Then crying. Then screaming. He wants to nurse, of course.
Listening to the 4-year-old’s descriptions of favorite books and fun songs at school, you rush the baby into the house and plop down onto the couch to begin filling his hungry belly. He nurses efficiently and seems satisfied.
But then it’s time to make dinner. In the kitchen, you begin trimming meat and cutting vegetables. The baby sits in his bouncy seat, amused by his big sister’s nearby twirls and leaps. Until he’s not.
He resorts to crying again, voicing his request for more breastmilk. So, you stop your dinner preparations and resume your spot on the couch once more, attempting to satisfy this hungry little one.
This routine repeats itself a couple more times, and your usual dinner time comes and goes. You finally somehow manage to finish the meal, and everyone does get to eat eventually. But, whew, it was hectic!
If you’re a breastfeeding mom, this might sound familiar. Even if you don’t have an older child or children, you’ve likely encountered similar situations.
But why? Why is your baby almost insatiable during the late afternoon and early evening hours? It’s because of breastmilk’s circadian rhythms! A circadian rhythm is like an internal body clock influencing sleeping and eating patterns over 24 hours.
The mother’s hormones and even amino acids in breastmilk are powerful, sending signals to your baby’s brain. Let’s take a closer look at the amazing circadian rhythms of breastmilk.
Understanding the Role of Prolactin
Prolactin is the hormone that helps your body make milk. It rises quickly in the first days following the birth of your baby. You probably know the phrase “when my milk comes in.” Well, milk comes in because of prolactin.
Interestingly, prolactin levels have a typical 24-hour cycle — just like the human body’s circadian rhythm. Prolactin peaks in the early morning hours around 2-5 a.m., while the lowest prolactin levels happen in the late afternoon to early evening. That’s one of the reasons why making dinner is so hard! (The others might include the sleep deprivation and sheer exhaustion that come with parenting.)
Decreased prolactin levels mean you have a hungry baby because there is less quality and quantity of milk in the early evening. It does require you to cluster feed, spending more time with your baby at the breast to help him or her feel "full." This is also a time when the breastmilk contains tryptophan, which is an amino acid that serves as a precursor to melatonin, a hormone that causes drowsiness.
During the night, prolactin levels rise, as does the quality and quantity of your milk. Have you noticed that your baby sleeps for longer stretches and can go hours without a feeding in the morning? That’s because the high-quality, fatty milk keeps him or her satisfied. If you have errands to run, the morning is often a good time to complete them because your baby needs to eat less often. Morning milk also contains cortisol, a hormone that promotes alertness during the day.
In the afternoon, the baby will begin to nurse more, and the cycle replays. This is a normal 24-hour rhythm that repeats itself every day until you approach the six-month mark, usually around the time your baby starts solid foods. That’s when prolactin levels return to close to normal. However, your body will continue to produce milk as long as your baby keeps coming to the breast.
Recognizing You’re Not Alone
When we see clients at our sister company, The Breastfeeding Center — whether or not they partnered with us at The Birth Center — many women don’t know about this 24-hour cycle.
Some moms feel stressed and overwhelmed, afraid that they’re doing something wrong in the late afternoons and evenings. But that’s not the case! Every woman around the world who is breastfeeding is encountering the exact same thing as you. This is what you should expect.
If you’re a new mother who’s struggling, we hope this is encouraging to you. It is often especially reassuring to first-time moms who seek lactation help at The Breastfeeding Center. We see the light bulb come on as women realize, “There’s nothing wrong with me or my baby!”
If you’re part of the current generation of new moms, you might not have many family members who breastfed before you. Especially when something is foreign, you don’t realize how much time it takes. This is the case with those cluster feedings that begin in the late afternoon or early evening. It’s a lot, but there is also great value in that time spent with your baby.
Seeking Help If There Is a Breastfeeding Problem
Cluster feeding in the evenings is normal and should be expected with newborns and during a baby’s growth spurts. However, it’s important to recognize the difference between ordinary cluster feeding and abnormally long nursing sessions.
If you’re sitting and nursing your baby for two or three hours and you’re not able to do anything else because your baby is unhappy, it would be wise to talk to someone. Our lactation consultants at The Breastfeeding Center specialize in helping with these situations.
There are various reasons this could be happening. A couple possibilities include:
1. A tongue or lip tie, which can make it difficult for a baby to transfer milk.
2. An oversupply of milk that can cause the baby to ingest too much foremilk. Foremilk has a lot of lactose, which can irritate the gut.
To correct a breastfeeding problem, we have to see mothers and babies in person. We’d love to sit with you and hear your story. To schedule a lactation appointment, contact us at The Breastfeeding Center within The Birth Center.
