THE STRUGGLE to breastfeed is a defining feature(标志性特征) of early motherhood for many women. Of the approximately 90% of mothers in rich countries who start breastfeeding, a quarter give up within a few weeks, often because they fear they are not producing enough milk to feed their babies. For many years doctors have assumed that true cases of poor supply are rare, occurring in no more than 5% of mothers. The prevailing(主流的，占主导地位的) advice to worried parents from health authorities in places such as England and America has, therefore, been to stimulate the release of milk by either putting the baby to the breast more often or using a breastpump(吸奶器).
母乳喂养的挣扎是许多女性早期母亲经历的一个标志性特征。在富裕国家，大约90%的母亲开始母乳喂养，但其中四分之一在几周内就放弃了，通常是因为她们担心自己产奶不足，无法喂养婴儿。多年来，医生一直认为真正的乳汁不足病例很罕见，发生率不超过5%。因此，英国和美国等地的卫生当局给焦虑父母的主流建议是，通过更频繁地让婴儿吸吮或使用吸奶器来刺激泌乳。
This advice, though well-meaning, is turning out to be inadequate. Many women who follow it still end up with(最终处于（某种状态或结果）) babies who fail to gain enough weight—a clear sign that the mothers are not producing enough milk. Studies of breast-milk production involving hundreds of women in America and Australia in recent years suggest that the proportion(比例，份额) of mothers who produce too little milk is far higher than previously thought: between 10% and 20%.
这一建议虽然出于好意，但事实证明并不足够。很多遵循该建议的女性最终仍然出现婴儿体重增长不足的情况——这是母亲乳汁产量不足的明确信号。近年来在美国和澳大利亚涉及数百名女性的母乳产量研究表明，乳汁产量过少的母亲比例远高于先前认为的：在10%到20%之间。
Researchers are beginning to understand why these numbers are so elevated(升高的，高的). For many women, the explanation lies not in how they breastfeed but in the composition and function of unique cells in the mammary gland, an aspect of their biology over which they have no control. Further research may one day lead to treatments. But even in the short term these discoveries should help destigmatise(去污名化，消除污名) low milk supply. “In the last ten years it has become more [accepted] that there is a biological reason for these cases,” says Yarden Golan Maor, who studies human milk production at Cornell University. “And it’s not, you know, you’re just not trying hard enough.”
研究人员开始理解为何这些数字如此之高。对许多女性来说，解释不在于她们如何哺乳，而在于乳腺中独特细胞的组成和功能——这是她们无法控制的一个生物学方面。进一步的研究或许有一天能带来治疗方法。但即使短期内，这些发现也应有助于消除低奶供应的污名化。“过去十年中，人们越来越[接受]这些病例存在生物学原因，”康奈尔大学研究人类乳汁生产的Yarden Golan Maor说，“而且，你知道，并不是你不够努力。”
Leaky pipeline
漏出的管道