Is It Possible to Have Breast Milk after 14 Years?
Some of you are asking if it is normal to have breast milk after 14 years. Breast milk can be produced for several years after you deliver a baby. The maximum time to produce breast milk is about ten years, but there are no limits. It’s a common misconception that women can only produce breast milk for the first year of their child’s life. Many women continue to produce milk after they have children and even adults. Breast milk production is a very complex process that isn’t fully understood. It involves several hormones, and these hormones’ levels are thought to decrease as women age.
Breast milk production is usually highest during the first three months of breastfeeding. After that, it will begin to decline. The breast milk production can continue for years, but the amount produced will gradually decrease. Many women who stop breastfeeding before their child is one year old will still produce breast milk for another 12 months or more.
Breast Milk after 14 Years? – readers responses
It’s probably expected, but see your doctor to be sure. As long as the milk flow is not spontaneous and not present unilaterally, it’s pretty standard. This is to say:
- The breast milk is not there all the time flowing
- Breast milk is in both breasts.
My youngest is just turning 18, and I can still express a drop or two of what looks like thick colostrum. It is also more common in smokers, women who jog or run, women with a hubby who does a lot of breast play, and women taking certain blood pressure medications.
In her breast book, Dr. Susan Love talks about persistent milk as one of those everyday things that no one ever talks about. Mother nature doesn’t forget that you’ve fed a baby.
I have even heard of several cases where grandma induced lactation for a new grandbaby. The mom went to work, and the baby wouldn’t stop crying, so out of desperation, she offered her breast to comfort the infant, and they were trying to figure out how to handle weekends.
If this mom is engorged, it’s free-flowing; if it is one side only, and if it’s bloody, it is abnormal. All those symptoms can be related to cancer or a pituitary tumor, and mom should be seen by her doctor.
Breast Milk after 14 Years? – Marie Davis RN IBCLC
I have no more breast milk in my breast about 3 to 6 months after weaning my baby. However, I believe it IS possible to have breast milk in your breast even if your child is very old or even if you do not have children. It is well known that women can induce lactation.
Some women who adopt babies and want to breastfeed can pump their breasts before the baby’s birth so that their breasts are ready with milk inside when the baby arrives. In some cases, I have heard of grandmothers breastfeeding their new grandchild because the baby latched on and there was milk in Grandma’s breast.
I have also heard that sometimes, when a woman has just had a stillbirth (the baby just died soon after birth), she is very emotional and can have breast milk in her breast for months even though she never nursed the baby.
Anyway, I think it is rare to have breast milk in your breast after 14 years – but it is not impossible. I recommend your friend see a doctor to ensure she has no more severe problems like breast tumors or hormonal imbalances. And if the doctor says that she is fine, then she is okay.
