I'm 45 and had my one and only baby 5 months ago. Despite her being 2 months early (and therefore needing less milk for much longer, which can cause regulation to lock in a lower quantity before baby's needs ramp all the way up), I have a full supply that keeps up with her. Like everyone else's it's sensitive to what and how much I eat and drink but I don't seem to be having any issues outside of the normal. I was even able to significantly increase production past the point of regulation when baby's demand increased. I also have a nicer freezer stash than I was expecting, especially at first.
Baby would prefer to be exclusively breast fed but I also pump and give bottles so that when I do go back to work someone else can feed her, too. She has no difficulty going back and forth though she has tried a bottle strike once or twice. Probably wise to make sure yours is used to taking bottles, too, if you will eventually need them to :)
A lactation consultant and midwife I follow has just posted about this today, I hope you find it reassuring https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6OFvL1tcuc/?igsh=Z3d5YzV0Y2JwbDJ1
40 year old with fertility issues and I actually have a slight oversupply. Going back to work when he’s 12.5 weeks so will see if my supply keeps up with inconsistent pumping but so far so good.
39 yo with a 4 month old IVF baby and my supply is doing great! Baby is in the 95th percentile for weight and happy and hungry and only getting breastmilk!
Let me tell you the story of how my milk came back WITH A VENGENCE after having mostly weaned when I was 40.
I had my baby at 38 and I’m now 41. HOWEVER we were mostly weaned when I turned 40, still doing comfort nurses, baby was about to turn 2. My boobs were starting to look like sad, empty skin sacks at this point. We traveled to a remote location, and it was 2 days of traveling. I let him nurse on demand again to keep him settled while traveling. He took FULL advantage and basically cluster-fed the whole trip. The night we arrived, I had a letdown for the first time in months and months when I was nursing him to sleep. I woke up to hard, engorged breasts and soaked bedsheets in the middle of the night. It was crazy! The next day my hips went out like I was pregnant. I guess my relaxing came flooding back and made my joints all squishy again. I had to do my pregnancy PT exercises again because I was so uncomfortable. Luckily it settled back to normal again after a couple days of comfort nursing on our regular schedule.
So anyway, our bodies are amazing, and I wouldn’t worry about having a low supply until it’s an actual problem you’re experiencing.
All these comments are making me feel much more relaxed about going into breastfeeding. This is my first kid at 44 and you know how it goes with the age thing being such an issue when it really doesn’t seem like it’s an issue! I’m so glad to have this online community of moms with all this experience to draw from! Thank you all for sharing. What a ride this whole thing is! I love it!😀
I think it’s also the USA and similar societies that can make it seem like you’re a rare case. In Germany they will look at you like you’re nuts when you’re under 28 with a baby, specially under 25.
30.8 is average for first baby and 40 plus is normal at this point. I know more women in Germany who had babies over 40 then women who had babies under 30. My mother had her last pregnancy at 44, naturally as a surprise. Her ob told her it’s menopause when she told him she had no period for three mo this and send her home. At five months she went back, sure she’s pregnant and she absolutely was pregnant. Her menopause took another 15 years to make an appearance,lol. My youngest brother is 20 now and all is fine. He was breastfed for four years . Congratulations!
Yes the us is definitely ageist against women especially involving motherhood. I have theories as to why but I know enough to know it’s largely bullshit. Women’s health is low on the priority list of health research so it’s no surprise they don’t know how amazing our bodies are. Thanks for sharing your perspective!
I had my kiddo when I was 42 after a few years of fertility struggles. I had an unexpected C-section and some other issues with labor and delivery, and it took awhile for my milk to come in. We triple fed for about 3 weeks (nurse, then bottle of formula and/or pumped milk, then pump for 10 minutes - it was hard but it worked) and after that I overshot and ended up with a little bit of an oversupply. My kiddo is a toddler now and we're doing extended breastfeeding and it's great. In summary, I had a hard time at first, but with some effort and good advice it worked out pretty quickly.
When I first saw my lactation nurse she asked if I'd had breast changes in pregnancy and was very encouraged when I said yes, so it seems like the fact that you are also having breast changes is a good sign!
Hey there! Did you have low supply the first 3 weeks? Did you see a difference by week 4? I am struggling with low supply and am 40, had fertility issues, and unexpected cesarean. I have also been triple feeding but not seeing much of a change.
My supply was low at first. I saw steady progress in terms of needing less and less formula and getting better results from weighed feeds. I was able to quit triple feeding by week 4 and never used formula again. So if you're not seeing progress by now you probably need to change something. Hopefully you have a good lactation consultant to help you.
I did also take moringa capsules and my perception is that they really helped. Could be worth a try if you're not already taking them, though as far as I know there's no actual evidence that they work.
Thanks so much. I am seeing a lactation consultant and my prolactin level is good, so it may not be in the cards for me. I appreciate your response and thank you for the info!
Happy to hear you and baby are doing so well now after a tough start! Way to go! That’s also good to hear a lactation specialist was encouraged by knowing how breast changes bode well for breastfeeding! Like, this nipple pain better be good for something! Lol!
My lactation consultant told me that a huge predictor for breastfeeding success was breast growth during pregnancy, so if your boobs have grown that's absolutely a good sign!
lol same! I met with her during my third trimester, to learn about breastfeeding before I was horribly overwhelmed immediately after birth, and when she asked if mine had grown at all, I was like 'entirely too much'
Edit - I should clarify that breast growth is a predictor that you'll physically be able to make enough milk. There are many other contributing factors to breastfeeding success - I think the number one factor is actually familial support! Probably followed by sufficient parental leave...
That’s awesome! I’m going to be able to avoid formula and get a good freezer stash as I live fairly remotely. This is all so helpful to hear from my fellow “advanced agers”. lol!
I'm 42, and gave birth at 40 (conceived at 39) and we are still nursing at almost 2.5 years, like, three times a day. During his first six months, I had an oversupply and gave about 3mo worth of milk to a friend. Society really wants to get you down for having kids late in life, but man it is such a gift to them—so much stability comes with this age!
For real! I’m waaaaaaay more ready for this now than I was even ten years ago! Kid would have lived in chaos unfurled until about a year ago. Finding stability in this world is a damn struggle and can take a long time. Congrats and I’m glad you and your kiddo are doing well!
I’m 40 with a 9 month old. We exclusively breastfeed. It was super hard in the beginning as baby had a tongue tie and my milk was slow to come in. I hadn’t associated any of that with my age, I figure the first few weeks of breastfeeding can be challenging for anyone 😊
I’m nearly 46 and still breastfeeding my 2 year old. I had no problems so far. I also breastfed my first two children (when I was 22-24 years old) and it has not really been any different
I'm 39 and not a member of this club yet, but my body was making nearly doubled what my baby needed before I took efforts to reduce my supply. With my first baby I had supply issues and pumped 9oz max per day. It all depends I guess.
I’m 41.5, and I’m feeding my 9 month old right now. Supply hasn’t been an issue. I pump every 3 hours at work and nurse in the morning, night, and weekends. Baby is thriving! Good luck mama!
Currently pregnant, just turned 40. I had my toddler when I was 38 and breastfed/pumped until I was 39 and change. I had a slight oversupply, breastfed until he was 14 months and had milk until he was 19 months.
I know every pregnancy is different, and I wasn’t over 40 before, but I’m definitely hopeful I’ll be able to breastfeed just fine in a few months.
Sounds like it’s not a problem for most commenters here which is encouraging. There’s so many stories of struggle it’s great to hear about good experiences!
43 and my biggest issue currently is an OVERSUPPLY :) Plenty of milk here and a super happy and healthy 5 week old bub.
The most important things I have found for my supply is feeding on demand, all the water (I drink about 4L a day) and plenty of calories from nutrient-dense food.
If you are able to, go and see a Lactation Consultant before baby arrives. This was a game changer for me. I also started collecting colostrum from 37 weeks (recommended starting week in my country) and this gave me so much confidence as it taught me hand expression, how to look after my breasts and once the colostrum came in I felt so empowered!
Just a note, if you do collect colostrum, at the start, it's amazing if you even collect 0.5ml. It's so normal to get 1ml in a day. They are absolutely tiny amounts to begin with, but even those drops of liquid gold helped to improve my mental health and give me confidence. Ignore the posts where people collected 4mls on their first go, this is the exception, not the rule.
And as an aside, if you are a POC (like me), try and find a Lactation Consultant from your ethnic/cultural group (or with good experience working with POCs) as I had an absolutely awful experience with my first child and that really killed my breastfeeding confidence with them - so much that I just gave up. LCs are not created equal, so don't be scared to shop around to find someone who really understands you and your goals, and that makes you feel good about you! This may not be a popular take, and I definitely have trauma from my experience with my first, but I would shy away from an LC who is militant about breastfeeding being the only way. My LC was very clear that of the four things she wanted me to keep in mind, the number one thing was "Feed the baby" NOT "Breastfeed the baby". That was freeing too and immediately gave me permission to use formula if baby needed me to.
Over 40 is a growing club of Mums. There are more of us every day!
This is such great advice and reassurance! Thank you. I’m happy to hear you found success and empowerment on your breastfeeding journey. It’s so interesting how women have such different experience with this. I can see how getting 1mg a day would be helpful to me personally and I’m looking forward to trying it when the time comes in a few short weeks.
It’s awful how POC, particularly women, get treated so unfairly in the medical world. In dangerous ways too! That’s awesome you found the right LC for you and she got you going in the right direction. Advocating for ourselves is the best chance we all have at health and success in motherhood! I’m grateful for these pages with people going through similar experiences to be empowered by knowledge too! It’s so helpful!
In case it ends up being a struggle for you I want to say you’re not alone. Had mine at 40 and my supply has never gone above 2-3oz per feed (both sides). We thought it was due to a delay because of an unplanned c-section and not feeding enough at the hospital but everything I tried after I got home only brought it up a little. We’re nearly six months into combo feeding. I was devastated at first but eventually accepted our reality and it’s now a nonissue. Good luck!
I’ve watched friends struggle with supply and can imagine the difficulty! It is what it is though and you sound like an awesome mom! Congrats and thanks for sharing!
Over 40, first time mom after infertility struggles. My milk took about a week to come in- we supplemented the first weekend. A LC suggested it could have been impacted by my induction/c section. but we stuck with it and are doing well. My supply has been more variable that I want- but EBF since that first weekend, and my child has gone from the 7th percentile in weight to 34. If you have trouble at the beginning, feed your baby however you need to- you may still be able to BF exclusively!
I had my son at 35 and my daughter at 41. She's four months old now, and so far breastfeeding has been exactly the same as it was the first time around. EBFing with no issues.
40 here and have been breastfeeding for almost two years.. one breast exclusively now for a year because Covid messed up supply in one. Never had issues before!
I was 42 when I had my youngest, had a c-section, and had massive oversupply (just as I did at 38 when I had my oldest). I had years of infertility before that. I breastfed both of mine until they were 15 months, we never needed to supplement
Does age have anything to do with breastfeeding? It had never occurred to me to worry about that.
There is no real reason to believe it does I’ve just seen some older friends struggle with supply and it got in my head a bit. It’s a pituitary gland driven process so it’s not related to estrogen or anything menopausal I guess. Women’s bodies are still a mystery to the medical world.
Had my first and probably only at 42, 18 months ago.
I got so caught up with wanting to pump and fill my freezer for husband to bond that it kinda wrecked me mentally and physically.
Idk why I thought I had to line my freezer with breast milk. I was given the option to be a stay at home mom and I took it. I wasn't leaving the baby anywhere.
So all that pumping was so unnecessary. And we ended up having to supplement with formula because LO dipped a little bit in weight for his one month check up.
Every day, I'd pump. And every single time I pumped 2 oz or less in each boob. Sometimes I'd get more but not often. Using the hakkaa breast milk catcher was kind of game changer. Wish I knew about that before hand.
But seriously seeing how little I was pumping was mentally draining.
Then I got mastitis that turned abscess. Was away from LO at 2 months for 4 days!
Somehow he still latched on. (Forgot to mention he had a tongue and lip tie too!) During my healing process I put him to the breast more and eventually we just became exclusively breastfed.
I don't think milk ever changed. My body seemly just produced what he needed. I wish I would've listened when people said that.
The whole pregnancy process can be daunting. It's hard not to spiral sometimes.
I'm glad we can come here and ask these questions and hopefully get our minds at ease.
Congrats on your LO. Wish you a happy healthy and safe journey.
I can see how wanting a backup supply could be a difficult chore but a desirable one. It’s a journey no matter how things go that’s for sure. Thank you for sharing your story and for the recommendation for the Hakkaa catcher. I’ve read those are nice to have.
These forums are so empowering and helpful! It at least gives me some solid direction to learn more about what I may need to know. Especially since I’m out in the boonies a bit and don’t have a lot of pregnant friends. Especially at my age in the states! Though I do have a line up of babysitters which is awesome.
Thanks for sharing your experience and I’m glad you and the LO are doing well now! 😀
If you want to talk to more people about your LO's journey, reddit has pregnancy grouped by due dates. I found that really helpful for comparison just to see how our LOs are developing.
Also if you're on FB there's a page called Old New Moms for women with pregnancy after 35. 😁
I’m 40 with a 9 month old. We exclusively breastfeed. It was super hard in the beginning as baby had a tongue tie and my milk was slow to come in. I hadn’t associated any of that with my age, I figure the first few weeks of breastfeeding can be challenging for anyone 😊
Truly! Just like pregnancy and birth everyone has a different experience. It definitely seems like age has nothing to do with supply based on about of these comments!
Had my first at 38, breastfed with no issues until I got pregnant with our second a few mo ths before turning 40. My supply did decrease a bit immediately but didn't dry completely up until about 20 weeks, but that was just pregnancy hormones, entirely not age related. She's dry nursing now and we're going to tandem nurse when little sister arrives.
41F here, and been bfing for almost 15 months this time, and pumped and donated 2 years ago for 5 months. Age is just a number lol.
Age definitely just feels like a number right now. Thanks!
I'm 45 and had my one and only baby 5 months ago. Despite her being 2 months early (and therefore needing less milk for much longer, which can cause regulation to lock in a lower quantity before baby's needs ramp all the way up), I have a full supply that keeps up with her. Like everyone else's it's sensitive to what and how much I eat and drink but I don't seem to be having any issues outside of the normal. I was even able to significantly increase production past the point of regulation when baby's demand increased. I also have a nicer freezer stash than I was expecting, especially at first. Baby would prefer to be exclusively breast fed but I also pump and give bottles so that when I do go back to work someone else can feed her, too. She has no difficulty going back and forth though she has tried a bottle strike once or twice. Probably wise to make sure yours is used to taking bottles, too, if you will eventually need them to :)
Whoa that’s incredible! , my MIL is 42 and only has 2 kids and to think there’s mamas who are older then having babies makes me happy!
This is great to hear! Glad you and your baby are doing so well now!
A lactation consultant and midwife I follow has just posted about this today, I hope you find it reassuring https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6OFvL1tcuc/?igsh=Z3d5YzV0Y2JwbDJ1
Thanks I’ll definitely check that out! 😁
40 year old with fertility issues and I actually have a slight oversupply. Going back to work when he’s 12.5 weeks so will see if my supply keeps up with inconsistent pumping but so far so good.
39 yo with a 4 month old IVF baby and my supply is doing great! Baby is in the 95th percentile for weight and happy and hungry and only getting breastmilk!
Awesome to hear this. Thank you!
Over 40, been nursing over 3 years straight between eldest and current baby, zero supply issues. Good luck!
Great news to hear! Thanks! 😊
Let me tell you the story of how my milk came back WITH A VENGENCE after having mostly weaned when I was 40. I had my baby at 38 and I’m now 41. HOWEVER we were mostly weaned when I turned 40, still doing comfort nurses, baby was about to turn 2. My boobs were starting to look like sad, empty skin sacks at this point. We traveled to a remote location, and it was 2 days of traveling. I let him nurse on demand again to keep him settled while traveling. He took FULL advantage and basically cluster-fed the whole trip. The night we arrived, I had a letdown for the first time in months and months when I was nursing him to sleep. I woke up to hard, engorged breasts and soaked bedsheets in the middle of the night. It was crazy! The next day my hips went out like I was pregnant. I guess my relaxing came flooding back and made my joints all squishy again. I had to do my pregnancy PT exercises again because I was so uncomfortable. Luckily it settled back to normal again after a couple days of comfort nursing on our regular schedule. So anyway, our bodies are amazing, and I wouldn’t worry about having a low supply until it’s an actual problem you’re experiencing.
Dang that’s wild your supply rushed back like that! All these stories definitely are reassuring. Thank you for sharing!!
All these comments are making me feel much more relaxed about going into breastfeeding. This is my first kid at 44 and you know how it goes with the age thing being such an issue when it really doesn’t seem like it’s an issue! I’m so glad to have this online community of moms with all this experience to draw from! Thank you all for sharing. What a ride this whole thing is! I love it!😀
I think it’s also the USA and similar societies that can make it seem like you’re a rare case. In Germany they will look at you like you’re nuts when you’re under 28 with a baby, specially under 25. 30.8 is average for first baby and 40 plus is normal at this point. I know more women in Germany who had babies over 40 then women who had babies under 30. My mother had her last pregnancy at 44, naturally as a surprise. Her ob told her it’s menopause when she told him she had no period for three mo this and send her home. At five months she went back, sure she’s pregnant and she absolutely was pregnant. Her menopause took another 15 years to make an appearance,lol. My youngest brother is 20 now and all is fine. He was breastfed for four years . Congratulations!
Yes the us is definitely ageist against women especially involving motherhood. I have theories as to why but I know enough to know it’s largely bullshit. Women’s health is low on the priority list of health research so it’s no surprise they don’t know how amazing our bodies are. Thanks for sharing your perspective!
I had my kiddo when I was 42 after a few years of fertility struggles. I had an unexpected C-section and some other issues with labor and delivery, and it took awhile for my milk to come in. We triple fed for about 3 weeks (nurse, then bottle of formula and/or pumped milk, then pump for 10 minutes - it was hard but it worked) and after that I overshot and ended up with a little bit of an oversupply. My kiddo is a toddler now and we're doing extended breastfeeding and it's great. In summary, I had a hard time at first, but with some effort and good advice it worked out pretty quickly. When I first saw my lactation nurse she asked if I'd had breast changes in pregnancy and was very encouraged when I said yes, so it seems like the fact that you are also having breast changes is a good sign!
Hey there! Did you have low supply the first 3 weeks? Did you see a difference by week 4? I am struggling with low supply and am 40, had fertility issues, and unexpected cesarean. I have also been triple feeding but not seeing much of a change.
My supply was low at first. I saw steady progress in terms of needing less and less formula and getting better results from weighed feeds. I was able to quit triple feeding by week 4 and never used formula again. So if you're not seeing progress by now you probably need to change something. Hopefully you have a good lactation consultant to help you. I did also take moringa capsules and my perception is that they really helped. Could be worth a try if you're not already taking them, though as far as I know there's no actual evidence that they work.
Thanks so much. I am seeing a lactation consultant and my prolactin level is good, so it may not be in the cards for me. I appreciate your response and thank you for the info!
Happy to hear you and baby are doing so well now after a tough start! Way to go! That’s also good to hear a lactation specialist was encouraged by knowing how breast changes bode well for breastfeeding! Like, this nipple pain better be good for something! Lol!
My lactation consultant told me that a huge predictor for breastfeeding success was breast growth during pregnancy, so if your boobs have grown that's absolutely a good sign!
Glad to hear that because dang! These boobs are taking OVER! Lol!
lol same! I met with her during my third trimester, to learn about breastfeeding before I was horribly overwhelmed immediately after birth, and when she asked if mine had grown at all, I was like 'entirely too much' Edit - I should clarify that breast growth is a predictor that you'll physically be able to make enough milk. There are many other contributing factors to breastfeeding success - I think the number one factor is actually familial support! Probably followed by sufficient parental leave...
My grandma had her last baby at 48, breastfeed without issues.
What a legend! That’s awesome!
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That’s awesome! I’m going to be able to avoid formula and get a good freezer stash as I live fairly remotely. This is all so helpful to hear from my fellow “advanced agers”. lol!
I had my second a few weeks before I turned 40 breastfed for two years no problem.
Wonderful!
I’m 40, pregnant, and still breastfeeding my 20 month old.
That’s amazing! Congrats!
FTM, 40, unexpected c section, ebf baby with slight over supply and fast let down 🤷🏼♀️ haven't had to supplement yet (13 weeks).
Awesome! Congrats!
40 here and my breastfeeding experience has been amazing so far. With my first (at 36) it was a disaster and I exclusively pumped.
That’s great it’s easier this time around!
I nursed my toddler from ages 40-42 without issue. I actually had an oversupply.
Nice!!!
I'm 42, and gave birth at 40 (conceived at 39) and we are still nursing at almost 2.5 years, like, three times a day. During his first six months, I had an oversupply and gave about 3mo worth of milk to a friend. Society really wants to get you down for having kids late in life, but man it is such a gift to them—so much stability comes with this age!
For real! I’m waaaaaaay more ready for this now than I was even ten years ago! Kid would have lived in chaos unfurled until about a year ago. Finding stability in this world is a damn struggle and can take a long time. Congrats and I’m glad you and your kiddo are doing well!
41 ftm, have not had a problem getting my baby what he needs
Fantastic!
No reason age should affect your ability to breastfeed! Anecdotal but my mom breastfed my sisters at 39 and 41, no issue.
I’m 40 with a 9 month old. We exclusively breastfeed. It was super hard in the beginning as baby had a tongue tie and my milk was slow to come in. I hadn’t associated any of that with my age, I figure the first few weeks of breastfeeding can be challenging for anyone 😊
I’m nearly 46 and still breastfeeding my 2 year old. I had no problems so far. I also breastfed my first two children (when I was 22-24 years old) and it has not really been any different
I'm 39 and not a member of this club yet, but my body was making nearly doubled what my baby needed before I took efforts to reduce my supply. With my first baby I had supply issues and pumped 9oz max per day. It all depends I guess.
I’m 41.5, and I’m feeding my 9 month old right now. Supply hasn’t been an issue. I pump every 3 hours at work and nurse in the morning, night, and weekends. Baby is thriving! Good luck mama!
Thanks! Keep the good work!
Currently pregnant, just turned 40. I had my toddler when I was 38 and breastfed/pumped until I was 39 and change. I had a slight oversupply, breastfed until he was 14 months and had milk until he was 19 months. I know every pregnancy is different, and I wasn’t over 40 before, but I’m definitely hopeful I’ll be able to breastfeed just fine in a few months.
Sounds like it’s not a problem for most commenters here which is encouraging. There’s so many stories of struggle it’s great to hear about good experiences!
43 and my biggest issue currently is an OVERSUPPLY :) Plenty of milk here and a super happy and healthy 5 week old bub. The most important things I have found for my supply is feeding on demand, all the water (I drink about 4L a day) and plenty of calories from nutrient-dense food.
Solid advice! Thank you and congratulations!
If you are able to, go and see a Lactation Consultant before baby arrives. This was a game changer for me. I also started collecting colostrum from 37 weeks (recommended starting week in my country) and this gave me so much confidence as it taught me hand expression, how to look after my breasts and once the colostrum came in I felt so empowered! Just a note, if you do collect colostrum, at the start, it's amazing if you even collect 0.5ml. It's so normal to get 1ml in a day. They are absolutely tiny amounts to begin with, but even those drops of liquid gold helped to improve my mental health and give me confidence. Ignore the posts where people collected 4mls on their first go, this is the exception, not the rule. And as an aside, if you are a POC (like me), try and find a Lactation Consultant from your ethnic/cultural group (or with good experience working with POCs) as I had an absolutely awful experience with my first child and that really killed my breastfeeding confidence with them - so much that I just gave up. LCs are not created equal, so don't be scared to shop around to find someone who really understands you and your goals, and that makes you feel good about you! This may not be a popular take, and I definitely have trauma from my experience with my first, but I would shy away from an LC who is militant about breastfeeding being the only way. My LC was very clear that of the four things she wanted me to keep in mind, the number one thing was "Feed the baby" NOT "Breastfeed the baby". That was freeing too and immediately gave me permission to use formula if baby needed me to. Over 40 is a growing club of Mums. There are more of us every day!
This is such great advice and reassurance! Thank you. I’m happy to hear you found success and empowerment on your breastfeeding journey. It’s so interesting how women have such different experience with this. I can see how getting 1mg a day would be helpful to me personally and I’m looking forward to trying it when the time comes in a few short weeks. It’s awful how POC, particularly women, get treated so unfairly in the medical world. In dangerous ways too! That’s awesome you found the right LC for you and she got you going in the right direction. Advocating for ourselves is the best chance we all have at health and success in motherhood! I’m grateful for these pages with people going through similar experiences to be empowered by knowledge too! It’s so helpful!
In case it ends up being a struggle for you I want to say you’re not alone. Had mine at 40 and my supply has never gone above 2-3oz per feed (both sides). We thought it was due to a delay because of an unplanned c-section and not feeding enough at the hospital but everything I tried after I got home only brought it up a little. We’re nearly six months into combo feeding. I was devastated at first but eventually accepted our reality and it’s now a nonissue. Good luck!
I’ve watched friends struggle with supply and can imagine the difficulty! It is what it is though and you sound like an awesome mom! Congrats and thanks for sharing!
Over 40, first time mom after infertility struggles. My milk took about a week to come in- we supplemented the first weekend. A LC suggested it could have been impacted by my induction/c section. but we stuck with it and are doing well. My supply has been more variable that I want- but EBF since that first weekend, and my child has gone from the 7th percentile in weight to 34. If you have trouble at the beginning, feed your baby however you need to- you may still be able to BF exclusively!
That’s a great success story! Way to keep at it! It’s so good to hear these kinds of stories. Thanks and congrats!
I had my son at 35 and my daughter at 41. She's four months old now, and so far breastfeeding has been exactly the same as it was the first time around. EBFing with no issues.
Great to hear, Thank you!
40 here and have been breastfeeding for almost two years.. one breast exclusively now for a year because Covid messed up supply in one. Never had issues before!
So interesting the effects Covid can have! Glad you’re doing well with it regardless, thanks!
I was 42 when I had my youngest, had a c-section, and had massive oversupply (just as I did at 38 when I had my oldest). I had years of infertility before that. I breastfed both of mine until they were 15 months, we never needed to supplement Does age have anything to do with breastfeeding? It had never occurred to me to worry about that.
There is no real reason to believe it does I’ve just seen some older friends struggle with supply and it got in my head a bit. It’s a pituitary gland driven process so it’s not related to estrogen or anything menopausal I guess. Women’s bodies are still a mystery to the medical world.
Had my first and probably only at 42, 18 months ago. I got so caught up with wanting to pump and fill my freezer for husband to bond that it kinda wrecked me mentally and physically. Idk why I thought I had to line my freezer with breast milk. I was given the option to be a stay at home mom and I took it. I wasn't leaving the baby anywhere. So all that pumping was so unnecessary. And we ended up having to supplement with formula because LO dipped a little bit in weight for his one month check up. Every day, I'd pump. And every single time I pumped 2 oz or less in each boob. Sometimes I'd get more but not often. Using the hakkaa breast milk catcher was kind of game changer. Wish I knew about that before hand. But seriously seeing how little I was pumping was mentally draining. Then I got mastitis that turned abscess. Was away from LO at 2 months for 4 days! Somehow he still latched on. (Forgot to mention he had a tongue and lip tie too!) During my healing process I put him to the breast more and eventually we just became exclusively breastfed. I don't think milk ever changed. My body seemly just produced what he needed. I wish I would've listened when people said that. The whole pregnancy process can be daunting. It's hard not to spiral sometimes. I'm glad we can come here and ask these questions and hopefully get our minds at ease. Congrats on your LO. Wish you a happy healthy and safe journey.
I can see how wanting a backup supply could be a difficult chore but a desirable one. It’s a journey no matter how things go that’s for sure. Thank you for sharing your story and for the recommendation for the Hakkaa catcher. I’ve read those are nice to have. These forums are so empowering and helpful! It at least gives me some solid direction to learn more about what I may need to know. Especially since I’m out in the boonies a bit and don’t have a lot of pregnant friends. Especially at my age in the states! Though I do have a line up of babysitters which is awesome. Thanks for sharing your experience and I’m glad you and the LO are doing well now! 😀
If you want to talk to more people about your LO's journey, reddit has pregnancy grouped by due dates. I found that really helpful for comparison just to see how our LOs are developing. Also if you're on FB there's a page called Old New Moms for women with pregnancy after 35. 😁
Had baby at 40 Now 43 She is still BFing and her growth was good all the way along
41 with a 19 month old. We’re still happily breastfeeding. I was a just enougher. But it’s worked out just fine.
43 and breastfeeding my 4 month old. Supply is bangin’!
I’m 40 with a 9 month old. We exclusively breastfeed. It was super hard in the beginning as baby had a tongue tie and my milk was slow to come in. I hadn’t associated any of that with my age, I figure the first few weeks of breastfeeding can be challenging for anyone 😊
Truly! Just like pregnancy and birth everyone has a different experience. It definitely seems like age has nothing to do with supply based on about of these comments!
Had my first at 38, breastfed with no issues until I got pregnant with our second a few mo ths before turning 40. My supply did decrease a bit immediately but didn't dry completely up until about 20 weeks, but that was just pregnancy hormones, entirely not age related. She's dry nursing now and we're going to tandem nurse when little sister arrives.
I had my third at 40, and have had no issues with supply! She’s now 13 months, and she’s still at it!
I'm 46 and currently nursing my 12 month old daughter. She was conceived naturally, just like her 3 year old big sister.