Research finds that the timing of breast milk feeding may impact your baby’s health | The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentIndependentNext articleIndependent Bulletin homepageSocial PartnerWe are 8 logo (opens in a new tab)AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleJulia MustoSaturday 06 September 2025 00:02 BSTDevice measures how much breast milk a baby getsResearchers have discovered that feeding babies pumped breast milk at specific times of day, aligning with their circadian rhythm, can enhance their health and sleeping patterns.The composition of breast milk varies throughout the day, with hormones such as melatonin peaking around midnight and cortisol being highest in the morning.Dr. Melissa Woortman from Rutgers University explained that these hormones, which regulate sleep and stress, transfer into the milk from the mother's bloodstream.Providing expressed breast milk at a time corresponding to when it was pumped is particularly advantageous for infants, especially those whose sleep patterns are still developing.Experts suggest labelling stored breast milk with the time it was expressed (e.g., “morning,” “evening”) to help align feeding times and maintain the milk's natural hormonal and microbial balance.In fullThere are optimal times of day to feed pumped breast milk to your baby, scientists discoverThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in