We must be careful not to be misled here: the milk from a baby’s biological mother is something entirely unique. When we say a child is ‘weaned,’ it doesn’t mean they stop drinking milk altogether. They continue to consume milk from the market, from sheep, or in the form of formula. However, the crucial point is the transition away from the original source.

​Even if the child continues to drink milk, the ‘scent-enzyme’ connection that directly triggers the brain and matures the retina is specifically calibrated to the biological mother. My theory suggests that while any milk provides nutrition, the specific ‘processing’ speed in the retina and the maturation of the brain’s membranes are most effectively driven by the original, biological maternal milk.”