Still Producing Milk!!!

I am having the same problem. My son is 18m and I still leak when he cries. My doctor told me that its normal and that I shouldn't worry. I hope this ends soon or at least after we are done having kids.

Hi B.
My mom still produced small amounts of milk up until she had a hysterectomy when she was 52. It would happen with triggers like a baby crying. She was always amazed.
L.

Hi B.,

I'm not a doctor, but I am the mother of 2 children so I thought I would give you some advice :) How do you know that you're still producing milk? If you're doing anything to manually stimulate the process, ie. squeezing it just to see if it's still there (I'm not trying to be inappropriate :)), your body takes that as a signal that you're needing breastmilk, so it continues to produce it, even in super small amounts. Your best bet is to not let your curiousity get the best of you, and just leave it be. Because breastmilk is on a supply and demand system, if you don't demand anything, your body will eventually understand that it no longer needs to supply anything.

Hope that helps!
C.

The last few years before I had my twins, my only child was a teenager and I could still squeeze and see milk droplets form.
I was pretty worried about it at the time cause I thought something was wrong, but Dr (and my own research) said that it was fine unless it looked brown or green (UGH!) :)

K.

I had 21 months between my oldest and middle child and produced milk (a small amount) from the time I quit breast feeding to the time I had my second child and after I quit breast feeding until the time I had my 3rd I still produced a small amount of milk and there is almost 3 years between my middle child and last child. After I had my daughter and finished breast feeding her it was like my body went into overdrive to produce milk even after 3 months of not breast feeding I would still get engourged...I decided I would have to start pumping, after I pumped quite a bit of milk from both sides in about a week my production stoped, I still have some left but it doesn't leave wet spots on my shirts anymore...YEAH!! If you are concerned about the milk production I would contact a lactation consultant or even your doctor.

My girls are two years apart and I was producing milk the whole time in between them.

Hello,
My son is 26 months and I quit breastfeeding at 2 months of age to get on birth control and am still producing milk. just drops, but it's still awful. The conidition is known as Galactorreah (spelling?). It can be caused by a tumor on the pituitary or hypothalamus or because of other reasons. I had the MRI done to see if my pituitary was normal and it's fine and so is my hypothalamus. I quit actually leaking milk when I got off of birth control and all medication. Birth control has been known to start milk production (for women who have breast fead previously) or prevent the stopping of it. I got on birth control pills when I was still producing milk. I got off of everything and told my husband to leave me alone for a couple months and the milk production stopped. This was about when our son was 16 months old. for fear of getting pregnant, I got on the shot and the milk has come back. Very minimal, but it's there. The only solution for me is to get off of all birth control and that's going to happen when we want another one. Hopefully, this helps.

I never nursed my first child and had milk for 6 years it was really wierd i think it was from my birth control because i got the depo shot while i was still in the hospital. i got off the shot and finally dried up!! Im pregnant again so i guess i will see what happens next. hope that helped you know your not the only one. :)

I produced for about a year and a half after. I was told it was cause of hormones and the meds I was on. When i disconitued these meds and in 2 weeks i was dry again. So I would consult your dr and maybe he can find the route to your problem.

It is very common to continue to produce milk for months and even years after your baby has weaned. Our bodies are designed to insure our children's safety. Sometimes babies will go away from the breast and end up nursing again due to illness or need so our body often continues some lactation.
W. Jones
Breastfeeding Educator
http://www.mosaicbaby.com

I haven't nursed a baby in 3 years and i can still squeeze out the tiniest drop. I'm not sure why this is, but I do know that it's not uncommon!

Hi, I thought I was the only one with this issue. With both of my children I was still lactating even over a year after not breastfeeding. I am one of those women who over produce milk even while breastfeeding. Are you on any birth control because I think that may have something to do with it. Also eventually mine went away so I wouldn't worry too much about it but I would let my doc know just in case. I'm glad to know its not only me.
S.

I would say that is normal, this is strange, I am 36 and my oldest child will be 18, I have been producing breast milk since I was 7 months pregnant with her. I have a son 11, another daughter that is 9, and a baby girl 22months, and even with the breaks between having children the milk never dried up. The good thing is, it's not so much that it leaks, the down side is, I live in central NY and it gets really cold, and there are time when tears roll down my face,because my breast hurt so bad, because they are so sensitive.

i have that too sometimes. and i hve not been breast feeding in like 4 years.
C.

It can be normal to produce a small amount of milk for some time after breastfeeding. It may also be a sign of an endocrine problem especially if you also have menstrual changes. High prolactin can be caused by prescription drugs, hypothyroidism or pituitary tumors.

My daughter weaned at 33 months, so... a few months back. I'm still producing milk.

I have to say... it's not too encouraging to know it could happen for a couple more years!

I assume you are just able to hand express some? That is where I am at.

I guess I have no advice, just wanted to commensurate.

My oldest just turned 6 and I still have a small amount of breatmilk and I stopped breastfeeding when he was 8 months old. my Gyno says it is normal for some women he also told me that the studys have shown that the longer that you produce breastmilk the less likley you are to get breast cancer. Hope this helps.

I have two children and nursed both, my youngest I stopped nursing 10 months ago and I still produce some kinda milk too! It is strange, it happened with my oldest though too. You are not alone. I'm not sure why it happens, although you could look it up on WebMd or google it.

I was never able to breast feed and was still producing milk well into my daughters fourth year.

Hi B. :) from what i understand, as long as your nipples are stimulated, you will continue to produce milk. Not to be vulgar, but i know someone who's husband liked the milk & because he was always stimulating them she continued to produce it for years....i dont know your badroom life lol but i do know that is one possibility, good luck

My first was born 9 years ago. He attempted to nurse up until my milk came in...and then quit. I produced milk for about a 18 months afterward. My doc told me that so long as it wasn't painful it was completely normal and most likely was a chemical/hormonal imbalance. I've had two other kids since then and haven't had a problem. If you're concerned about it, call the doc. :)

i waited five years in between two of my girls i produced small amounts of milk the entire five years ....i did finally ask my ob about it and was told it is normal some women produce all thier lives after a childbirth

Wow, do I feel more normal after reading all this! My son is 7 and has not been nursed in over 6 years, but I still make milk. I made way too much milk when I was nursing and it took about 2 years for it to get to be a small enough amount that I wans't ruining bras and shirts. Now, sometimes I will see a drop and my husband encounters some fairly often, but it doesn't interfere with my life anymore. Although I have heard that may be why we have not been able to get pregnant again.

I know, not helpful. But, I hope your problem works out!

Hi B.,
I have the same problem, for 2 years I have been producing since I stopped nursing my son. My ob checked prolactin and thyroid levels, which were fine. She said if the milk is only coming from one duct, which mine was, it could be an indication of a benign or malignant tumor. She recommended a mammogram, which was fine, and said if all the above check out ok, it is just a bother and not a worry. If you are 35, go ahead with a mammogram just to make sure all is well, no sense in sitting around worrying about it. Hope this helps and good luck!