Does Age of mother make a difference with milk production?

[gumby74]

I have been having a lot of problems keeping up with the demand of my now 6 month old son. I have been supplementing since he was 4 months. Currently, he is going through about 24 oz from the hours of 7am-4 pm. I am only able to pump about 7-9 oz total. My first son is going to be 4 in June and I never had any problems having enough milk for him. At that time, I was a stay at home mom and now I am interning in a city that is about 75 miles away and I only am able to pump twice. I'm assuming this has a lot to do with my supply issues, but I am wondering if anyone knows if as a woman ages, does the milk supply dwindle? I am going to be 36 in November??? Please help!

[ssh]

From personal experience I'd say age makes maybe a little difference. With my first DD I had more leaking and definite feelings of letdown at age 26. 20 years later with my second DD I still had plenty of milk, even some engorgement after the milk came in, but no leaking or feelings of letdown. My second DD weaned herself when I was 50. I don't think being 36 would make your milk supply noticeably less. I bet your supply issues are more because of pumping and not having as frequent of feedings.

[kriket]

Your age may have a little to do with it. I really suspect the lack of 'demand' is affecting your supply. I notice my supply drop through the week when I work, and I only work 5 hours!

Do you work every day? Is there any way to rearrange your schedule? I know there isn't always that option.

Some women say they pump when they drive. I am a fan of only driving when I drive, but if it came down to it, and I though my supply was getting too low. I may think about it. May. It seems dangerous.

Oh, and who is feeding him? Are they feeding too much? If you are home during the night, most babies will reverse cycle. It sucks in a way, because you have a baby attached to you all night and your sleep suffers, but they get what they need and your supply doesn't die.

24oz in 9 hours for a 6 month old sounds like a lot. Most BFed 6m. olds eat about an ounce an hour, so he should be in the 8-12 range, not 24. I mean, all babies are different, but I have noticed a trend.

I think you are doing good pumpin 9oz in 9 hours. Like I mentioned, an ounce an hour is really all you can expect yourself to make. Unless you are a super producer, or have twins or something!

[mambera]

I was in the same boat: WOH and pumped exactly 1 oz/h, which was never quite enough. I think supply often varies from baby to baby and isn't usually related to age.

Anyway, I did pump in the car. It was really helpful and did not affect my driving at all. I'd hook it up at the beginning of my commute and not think about it again until I stopped the car.

[ewe+lamb]

From what I can understand I don't think it has a lot to do with your age, however more to do with your work schedule and the limited time that you have to pump, if you can pump in the car with one of the battery run pumps which suction onto the breasts so that you don't have to hold them on then I would tend to agree with the pp that this may be a solution for you. You could also regulate that amount that baby is getting by using a slower flow nipple or a medela soft cup, then you could up your night nursings and bring your supply up. The reason I don't think that this is your age is due to the fact that there are many cultures in which the grandmother often nurses her daughter's baby if the mother isn't about - the grandmothers can often be around 35 and more hence I would be surprised if the age factor had much to do with it - personally, I think it's more our society that sends this sort of message to us - we're sort of done by the age of 30!! lol

[gumby74]

Thanks for the advice.....I have pumped in the car before while driving and I have to say that it hasn't been the smartest thing I have ever did. Mostly because my commute is about an hour and a half and there is only so long that I am able to tolerate the sucking motion (kwim?) DS2 has started limited solids, so I am hopeful that the more of those he eats during the day, the fewer ounces of formula he will need and then my supply might keep up a little bit better. It's just so frustrating to feel like I am letting him down by giving him so much formula when his brother didn't get an ounce the entire two years I nursed him. Lately he has been getting up every two hours at night and I wonder if it is his way of trying to compensate for the lack of nursing during the day??? Thanks again....I really appreciate everything everyone has said.

[mambera]

Originally Posted by gumby74

Thanks for the advice.....I have pumped in the car before while driving and I have to say that it hasn't been the smartest thing I have ever did. Mostly because my commute is about an hour and a half and there is only so long that I am able to tolerate the sucking motion (kwim?)

That is a rough commute mama. I totally KWYM about the sucking, sigh. It sounds like you don't want to do this (which is fine obv) but I just wanted to say you could easily flip it off when it gets to you and just leave the whole apparatus attached. Since you are worried about supply you could even use the drive to power pump (10 min on, 10-15 min off, repeat for 1 h) which is supposed to be very good for supply.

It's just so frustrating to feel like I am letting him down by giving him so much formula

I totally know how this feels. But honestly, your son is 6 months old, his gut is closed, the formula is not going to be harmful any more than any other non-BM food would be. He is still getting lots of good Abs from your milk and you are working hard for him. Don't drive yourself crazy.

when his brother didn't get an ounce the entire two years I nursed him.

Pumping is a whole different ballgame, isn't it. It still bugs me that I might have been able to EBF my DD if I'd been home with her instead of working and pumping. Sigh.

Lately he has been getting up every two hours at night and I wonder if it is his way of trying to compensate for the lack of nursing during the day???

Probably, but could you try to see it as a positive development? His reverse cycling reduces your pumping burden and increases his total BM intake... try repeating that to yourself a few times when he wakes you up for the third time at 3 am.

[gumby74]

Mambera......thanks for all the helpful advice. I truly appreciate it. I think I might try the pumping while I am driving.....that might work. I need to work on giving myself a break a little bit and know that he will be fine. I sure love that little guy

[JessBB]

So, did I read this right - your ds is taking 24 ounces in the 9 hours you are at work? That is a TON of milk - probably his whole day's needs. The rule of thumb is an ounce an hour. There is a milk calculator and tons of info @ kellymom.net, nak but I'll try and find some links later. GL!

[Megan73]

Mambera rocks, as always.

Two things.
First, I'd check out the milk calculator and resources about bottlefeeding a breastfed baby at kellymom.com. It does sound like he's drinking a LOT of milk. Few mamas can keep up if there's overfeeding by bottle going on.
Second - and I don't think this is the OP's problem - but I did want to raise the fact that some LCs think (anecdotally, there's no research) and the book "Making More Milk" speculates that older moms may have more supply problems.
There IS research showing that PCOS and obesity can contribute to low supply but I'm curious whether the age/low supply link would be borne out by research and what the mechanism is. Is it hormonal, related to age-related health problems or what?
Just wondering as a 37-year-old low-supply mom nursing a toddler and hoping for another nursling.

[choc]

Milk supply in older mothers

I have been breastfeeding my son now for over eight years, and I am now 51 years old. So, I would say, it is still possible to make milk as you grow older! My initial experience with using a breast pump was not at all good. I gave up on it after a short while for lots of reasons. I found that my milk would not deliver for a machine, but I had no problem breastfeeding. I feel that over the years my son and myself have had many benefits from breastfeeding. He is certainly healthy and bright. I don't think there is any wrong or right way of doing it. Mum and child need to decide what works for them. The more natural you can get it, I think the better it works.

[spughy]

I think age can be related to low supply but only tangentially - and mostly via fatigue. IME older moms fatigue more easily (especially older moms who are working demanding jobs) and are more affected by sleep deprivation. Hormonal issues can have an impact too, and these are probably more likely in older women.

BUT I don't think 36 counts as OLD!!! I think when people talk about "older moms" they are talking about women who have their first baby in their forties. Even the medical profession doesn't consider you in any way old enough to be the slightest bit concerned with your pregnancy until you're over 35 before conception, which you were obviously not. So don't jump the gun, you're not old yet! Definitely the huge amounts your boy is eating during the day and the limited capacity you have for pumping would be the culprits.