The Breast Milk Feedback Cycle: A Revolutionary Visual Teaching Tool for Lactation Education

Marie Farver RN, IBCLC

10.28.2025

ABSTRACT

New parents commonly deal with concerns about milk supply. Having effective education regarding this issue will help allay concerns, and set parents on better footing for breastfeeding their newborn. Marketing strategies often take advantage of these fears to sell products with unproven claims to increase milk supply. Having an effective tool to educate parents may protect them from falling prey to such false advertising. The Breast Milk Feedback Cycle is a simple, intuitive, and evidence-based teaching tool that makes learning how breast milk is produced much more effective. The simple pictorial explanation breaks down this process into understandable and physiologically valid steps. Parents familiar with the concepts taught in the Breast Milk Feedback Cycle will have a greater understanding of how breast milk is produced.

KEY WORDS: Newborn, lactation, prolactin, oxytocin, feeding

Breast milk is produced in a feedback cycle. Many parents are unaware of the process of breast milk production. It is commonly assumed that certain foods, drinking more water, or taking herbs leads to greater milk supply. Equipped with the proper knowledge can lead to greater breastfeeding success, less anxious parents, and ultimately healthier children. The Breast Milk Feedback Cycle is a simple tool for teaching parents accurately about breast milk production. It begins with an introduction with a pictorial base. As the instructor teaches, she will complete the pictorial tool. Learning occurs more effectively when more senses are engaged. With this tool, there is the visual aspect of the pictorial tool along with the auditory aspect of the teacher's instruction. As an alternative, this tool may also be used as an illustration along with a written explanation. As the inventor of this tool, it is the author's intent to make it widely available for use to benefit the breastfeeding dyad as well as breastfeeding educators.

The Teaching Process

The picture begins by drawing a circle with a plus sign through it. The lines of the plus sign extend slightly beyond the line of the circle to make it easier to label. The teacher explains that it is a way to illustrate how breast milk is produced. The teacher then writes a capital B at each of the endpoints. She then explains that it is anatomical.

[Figure 1 - Basic anatomical structure with Brain, Breast, Breast, Baby]

The top B stands for the mother's brain, the two Bs at either side represent the two breasts, and the bottom B is the baby. These locations represent a picture of the breastfeeding dyad. The teacher then completes each of the words after the capital "B."

[Figure 2 – Initial Diagram Complete with Labels]

Next, arrows are drawn in a clockwise fashion along the outside of the circle. The first arrow goes from the breast on the anatomical left to the baby which is at the bottom of the pictorial display. The teacher explains that this is showing that the breast is given to the baby. Next an arrow is drawn from the baby to the breast on the anatomical right. As she draws this, the teacher explains that the baby sucks the breast. The next arrow is drawn from the anatomical right breast to the mother's brain at the top. As she draws the arrow, the teacher explains that there's a nerve from the breast to the mother's brain, and as the baby sucks the breast, this nerve is stimulated and triggers the mother's brain. The final arrow is drawn from the mother's brain to the breast on the anatomical left. As a teacher draws this arrow, she explains that the stimulation of this nerve to the mother's brain causes her pituitary to produce two hormones: oxytocin and prolactin. At this point the teacher will draw a capital O then a slash and then a capital P to represent oxytocin and prolactin: O/P. The teacher then explains that these hormones go to the breast to cause breast milk production, regarding prolactin, and breast milk release, regarding oxytocin.

Next, the teacher draws an arrow pointing horizontally from breast to breast, along a straight line in the middle of the picture between the breasts. The arrow points toward the breast on that side. The capital letters F, I and L, are written in the middle of that line, standing for feedback inhibitor of lactation (FIL). The teacher then explains that FIL is a nutritional protein in breast milk. When the breast is full of milk, this protein inhibits increased production of breast milk so that the breast does not overfill. When the breasts are emptied, and the baby drinks the milk which includes this nutritional protein, the inhibitor is removed and this triggers further breast milk production. A good way to explain this is to say it operates like an ice maker: when it is empty, it is stimulated to produce more.

[Figure 3 - Complete cycle showing arrows, O/P hormones, and FIL]

Then the teacher will summarize the chart to say that breast milk is produced by feeding the baby: the feeding will stimulate production and release of milk. Breast milk is also produced by breast emptying, because breast emptying will stimulate breast filling.

Practices That Impact Production

Next, the teacher explains how practices can impact this breast milk production cycle. First, an X is drawn through the arrow that points from the anatomical left breast to the bottom that is labeled baby. The teacher then explains that if the breast is not given to the baby, the stimulation will not occur. This may happen when there is separation, such as lack of rooming in. Next, the teacher draws an X through the arrow that goes from the baby to the breast on the anatomical right. She then explains that if the baby is not sucking the breast, the stimulation will not occur. This may happen when the baby is given something else to suck on other than the breast, such as a bottle or pacifier. Next, an X is drawn through the arrow from the breast on the anatomical right to the mother's brain. The teacher then explains that with this lack of sucking, the mother's brain is not stimulated to produce the hormones oxytocin and prolactin. Lastly, an X is drawn through the arrow from the brain to the breast on the anatomical left, explaining that because these hormones are not produced, there is no stimulus for milk production. The summary is then given that these are practices that can interfere with breast milk production.

[Figure 4 - Cycle with X marks showing interrupted pathways]

Conclusion

The conclusion is then given that the Breast Milk Feedback Cycle makes it easy to remember how breast milk is produced: a positive feedback cycle that simply involves feeding your baby.

References

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