In 2008, researcher Katie Hinde was studying hundreds of primate milk samples when she noticed something surprising. Mothers weren’t producing one universal recipe. They were making different milk depending on whether they had sons or daughters.
Sons received milk richer in fat and energy. Daughters received more volume with different nutrients.
The pattern was consistent. It wasn’t random. It revealed something science had been overlooking. Milk isn’t static. It isn’t passive. It responds. It adapts. It communicates.
Hinde’s later work showed even more. When babies get sick, their mother’s milk changes within hours, increasing immune cells and specific antibodies. When babies nurse, tiny amounts of their saliva flow back into the breast, carrying information about their health. The parent’s body responds with exactly what the baby needs.
Human milk works the same way. It shifts with growth spurts, illness, stress, and time of day. It supports immunity, development, and regulation. It is a two-way conversation between parent and baby.
At La Leche League Canada, this is the relationship we support every day. Not simply feeding your baby, but connecting, communicating, and responding to your baby. Breastfeeding is complex and remarkable! You deserve real support! LLLC offers that support for free, across Canada, through trained Leaders who listen, understand, and walk with you.