As we have all discussed, mothers and infants are all individuals and every
situation is different.  I too, have discussed with mothers that are older
many different aspects of breastfeeding that affect their production.  the
main thing i emphasize is having the infants close as much as possible and
nursing as much as possible.  if they ask about their age or if they are not
nursing very often and have a poor understanding of what is usually required
to bring in a good supply,i do mention some things that can adversely affect
supply:  infrequent feedings, poor emptying of the breast, watching the clock
instead of the babies etc.  as well as age ( over 45y/o)  ,infertility, no
breast changes during pregnancy, and breast surgery. ( i work in a hospital
setting so i have usually read her chart and already know some history to
decide which of these aspects i should mention and which i don't need to)
i  guess mainly what i  am saying is that there is a lot we don't know about
lactation and we need to give the mother the benefit of our knowledge but we
sometimes also have to realize there is a lot we don't know.  just as we
don't know everything about menopause, the hormones influence, mood swings,
body reactions etc. (i'm giving away what age group i am now in) we have to
question aspects about breastfeeding since age expectancy has grown and
medical science as well as chance (the recent 54yo who conceived twins
naturally) , has made it possible for older women to carry children to term
or viability.
this is my opinion, for what it is worth , all of us are striving to give our
mothers the best possible chance of breastfeeding their children.  we are
working with a unique case each and every time and although they have things
in common with other cases we have dealt with THEY ARE ALL DIFFERENT.  that
is one of the reasons i love this profession and why when some  people
question why i  continue, after a frustrating day, that i do.
let's always remember the individuals we deal with as well as the
similarities. ( i think   for the most part we do or we wouldn't be here
asking questions and spending are precious time discussing these issues with
each other.
to sum up.  i think age can be one of many factors to influence production
but not usually the most important and not something to be mentioned
initially when the mother is trying to get started.  she needs to start with
the good basics of breastfeeding and deal with difficulties when and if they
arise as we all do regardless of age.
anna heh, ibclc,bsn
lactation consultant in a pgh. hospital (penna. USA)

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