lactation

Type: Concept

As of November 2026, lactation has been mentioned in one podcast episode on How Did This Get Made? (Feb 2026). Repeatedly discussed due to the film's wet-nurse/brothel subplot and questions about realism, fetishization, and bodily autonomy.

Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands in addition to the period of time that a parent lactates to feed her young. The process can occur with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The process of feeding milk in all female creatures is called nursing, and in humans it is also called breastfeeding. Newborn infants often produce some milk from their own breast tissue, known colloquially as witch's milk.