Lisa wrote:
 
<<When it comes to  advanced maternal age, many women do well but some women 
do
not. I've worked  with several mothers now, often grand multips, who have
previous successful  lactations but with a later, spontaneously conceived
pregnancy, suddenly have  milk supply problems. My latest did fine with her
first 8 but has had  problems with her last two. Each woman's situation is a
little different, and  it is hard to generalize except to acknowledge that
women are by far the most  fertile and well-functioning in their teens and
twenties, and then things do  generally slow down after this, though they
usually work well for another 1-2  decades. The concept of the bell-shaped
curve suggests that there will always  be those few on both outer edges that
do not conform to the norms, and there  will be good reasons behind them. Is
the shape of this curve changing?   Maybe that is the question we should be
asking.>>

******************************************************************************
******
 
One of the older OB medical  texts (Williams & Greenhill, I think, 1974) 
stated that after the age of 35,  functional breast tissue begins to turn to 
stroma.  I agree with Lisa that  there are many factors that impact this, and 
certainly not all women will have  milk supply issues when bearing babies after age 
40.  But all things  considered, I would rather work with a 22 year old 
primip than a 42 year old  primip when the issue is milk supply.  
 
I don't worry as much if the 42  year old is a multip, but I've seen too many 
moms who have successfully lactated  with the first two or three or four 
babies have difficulties with the last one  or two.  Sometimes I think this may be 
due to the effect gravity seems to  take on the breast -- making the nipple 
larger and occasionally the "sweet spot"  where the baby needs to compress 
further "up" the breast so it is harder for the  baby to access.  I know there is 
going to be immediate screeching for  RESEARCH -- and since there isn't any, 
this is an observation, I suggest that  someone consider doing it.





Jan  Barger -- happy to be home from NC & NM where it was much colder than in 
 IL!!
_Lactation  Education Consultants_ 
(http://www.lactationeducationconsultants.com/)  
_My  blog_ (http://www.motherofbridebyjan.blogspot.com/)   
_Year of the  MC_ (http://www.marriedcouplebytorrey.blogspot.com/)  



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