Key findings
By conducting a longitudinal study, Dr Kent could determine if the variation was due to differences in infant age. Between one and three months of age Dr Kent showed a decrease in both the average frequency of breastfeeding sessions (from 7.6 to 6.6 per day), and the average duration of each breastfeeding session (from 36 to 29 minutes), and a concomitant increase in the average amount of milk consumed (from 106 to 126 mL).
Between three and six months the frequency and amount of milk consumed during each breastfeeding session remained constant, while the duration of each breastfeeding session decreased to 23 minutes. However, during the whole of the period of exclusive breastfeeding from one to six months the total amount of milk consumed each day remained constant.