Hi, Lactnetters,

I've been away for a couple of weeks, so am just getting caught up on
reading my mail. Our computer was on the fritz.

Did want to comment on the nutritive vs. non-nutritive sucking from my
experience as a mom and perspective as an LC.  The points that have already
been made are interesting to ponder.  There is so much left to learn about
BF, it can be mind-boggling.

My experience was with my 3rd BF child who is now 13 years. He was 4 years
and still BF when I noticed a tender lump in my breast.  The only other time
this happened was shortly after I became pregnant with him and was still BF
his older brother, who was 2 years at the time.  I suspected that lump was a
plugged duct, treated it as such and it resolved itself in a day or so.

So, when a tender lump showed up the 2nd time, assuming it was another
plugged duct, I treated it as such.  However, this time, it didn't go away
with the usual heat, rest and empty breast. After a couple days of this and
trying to manually express, I tried the "old juice jar" method and was only
able to express ONE drop of breastmilk.  I was just sure there was more milk
in there, but there wasn't!

Now, I realize that there is a huge difference between a 4 yr. old BF and a
newborn, but the situation has always intrigued me. If this kid was still
nursing X number of times per day, why was there virtually no milk?  I just
assumed that as long as BF was taking place that there would be a certain
volume of breastmilk.  Maybe the type of suckling changes as the baby/child
gets older. Does it change to strictly non-nutritive sucking or the more
favorable term coined here "comfort sucking" as the child is getting closer
to being completely weaned? This child did go on to BF until after his 5th
birthday and mom encouraged the complete weaning due to the uncomfortable
feeling in the breasts when he BF. Had always attributed this feeling to
BFing on an "empty" breast. Wonder if this is nature's way of "natural
mother-encouraged weaning". Does anyone have any thoughts or similar
experiences?

The lump?...it was discovered to be fibrocystic disease.  And, boy, did the
face of the surgeon who made the diagnosis ever turn red when I mentioned
that my 4 yr. old was BF. He only said afterward that he wondered why the
mammogram looked so different.

Melody Engberg, IBCLC, LLLLeader
Methodist Alliance Health Services
Memphis, TN  (Where the temperature was 67 degrees today, sunny and oh, so
spring-like - last Friday we had an ice storm and an overnite
record-breaking low of 4 degrees!!!)