Hi Kathleen,
I've actually been quiet for about 2 days... imagine that! And welcome to
all the new members! I see that "advertising" Lactnet at our conference last
week paid off :)
RE your mom who is 42 & a low milk supply. I've had age in the back of my
mind for some time as a possible prob. for milk supply. Now everyone, don't
jump all over me. I've seen it in more than one case when a woman of 38+ has
a first baby (haven't seen it in multips except myself), can't produce enough
- all other things being equal. I found an old (1974) edition of Greenhall's
Obstetrics that talked briefly about involution of the functioning glandular
tissue in "older" women. (Didn't define older, but I suspect anything over
35 was older in their book :/ ) I had no trouble with my first two producing
milk, though I was always on the "just enough" side rather than the abundant
side. With number 3, born at home at age 38, I never produced more than 3
ccs in the left breast, despite pumping religiously, putting him to breast on
that side first and third virtually every feed (he loved hanging out), etc.
Right side produced some, but not enough. After I went back to work part
time when he was 6 weeks old and was pumping with the classic, the most I
ever got at one pumping was about 3 1/2 oz. (Thought I'd died & gone to
heaven :) ) Wish, of course, that I knew then what I know now. I think
partly Tim was not a vigorous nurser, took 5 days to learn how to latch on -
finally invented my own version of what has since become the SNS to get him
to latch on -- etc. etc. We went on bf for a year with supplementation. At
7 mo I gave up on L side & nursed only on right. Would have to say I never
experienced any fullness first week or so. Only thing that had happened on L
side previously was a mastitis when daughter 2 was 3 weeks old, 6 years
before Tim was born. And that was treated and resolved almost immediately,
though milk supply did decrease somewhat and never got back to normal.
Since then (Tim's birth), I've been interested in milk production in "older"
women. Has anyone had any experience with women in their 50's who are having
their first - you know, the menopausal moms who are hormonally stimulated &
then give birth? Have they been able to bf? The only one we had here who
used an LC had twins (she was 56, her husband was 78 when the twins were
born), and she didn't attempt breastfeeding long enough for us to find out.
Anyway, this might be another thing for us to explore. Any thoughts, anyone?
Jan
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