still lactating?

[Claudiac]

hello to all,

i stopped breastfeeding five months ago but still have a white discharge. i've scheduled an appointmet with my gyno. anyone else encounter this?

[Lilah'sMommy]

I'm going to move this over to the breastfeeding forum, so you get some better answers.

[Claudiac]

thanks! wasn't sure where to post!!!

[~*~Janelle~*~]

I stopped bfing at around 6 months with baby #2.  I continued to have milk (more like colostrum) until she was around 2.  I think this is TOTALLY normal.  I would not worry.  Sometimes it takes a while for it to go away.

[Claudiac]

thanks! i had no clue that this was normal.

[Jocasta]

I continued to lactate for two years after my DS - I only breastfed for one month!  My SIL breastfed continously for six years (three different babies) and four years on she is still producing milk!  It's one of those annoying little facts that all the experts and pregnancy books don't feel inclined to share!!!  Anyone else surprised when they first realised that the milk came out of loads of little holes and not just one?  - Maybe we should all get together and write a book "pregnancy - what they won't tell you..." 

[Samuel's mum]

Lots of little holes - That one surprised me too!!!

It is completely normal but there's no harm in getting it checked out next time you go.

[Michaela's Mom]

I stopped bfing dd at about 5.5 months and i'm still producing a tiny bit of milk.

As far as the "holes" go, as far as i know (i stand to be corrected), the nipple has 3 milk ducts  so you should have milk coming from 3 places (holes) in the nipple.

Sharon

[Samuel's mum]

It's my understanding that the number of teeny holes varies widely.
Even the scientists can't agree - it seems to vary from 4 to 20 depending on who you read. (probably 3 is possible too!)

It's also possible to have more on one breast than the other.
It's actually amazing how little is known about breasts and breastfeeding by biologists and scientists never mind us poor folks.

There was some recent work in Australia that overturned some previous assumptions
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_1396786.htm

A lactating breast uses more energy than a human brain - put that on a bumper sticker!

[Jocasta]

That article was really interesting!

And yep, there were definitely more than three holes per nipple in my case!!!

[Lilah'sMommy]

Uh, yeah... mine looked more like a showerhead when the milk let down, back when I used to soak a full breastpad on the side I wasn't nursing on every time we nursed (which was the case for the first 7 months!).  Definitely more than three holes here, too!

I haven't tried to express any milk since we weaned earlier this month, but I have a feeling it's no more than a few drops, since that's what dd was getting at the end, anyway.  Maybe the cure for continuing lactation long after weaning is a new pregnancy?