What happens to your breasts after bf'ing. Does anyone know?

[belgianmama]

I've got this question that has been in my mind for a long time now. It's been nearly 1y since I've stopped bf'ing, but I've noticed I can still express some colostrum. Do your breasts carry on producing this for the rest of your childbrearing years when you've bf a baby once? Or will it go? I've tried to look this up, but all info related to lactation that I can find is what happend during pregnancy & during bf'ing, not after. I'm just curious if anyone knows more. Any reactions would be grately appreciated.

why are you trying to express .. if you stimulate your breasts they will produce milk .. because they have done it before .. if you leave them alone they 'should' stop .. but you will always be able to start the process up again with enough dedication

leave your norks alone belgian

Ah now I don't express normally. Just that I noticed that I still had those crusty bits on my nipples (not sure how to describe them) and so I wondered if there was still milk in there so I gave them a squeeze and out came colostrum. A few months later & wondered if it was still there & to my greatest amazement it was. So I was just wondering if it's something that mother nature gave me just in case I meet a hungry motherless newborn

It depends on the person, I think. I have friends who could still express some milk over a year later. But other people (myself included) there was nothing there almost straight away.

One friend in particular had loads of milk for months after giving up feeding.

I'm still the same belgianmama. I stopped just over a year ago but if I give my right nipple a squeeze a few drops still appear

It makes sense I suppose that it depends on the individual, QGM. I still wonder how it happens though.

I found it fascinating, mainly because mine dried up within about a week. I am v envious as well. It is lucky that you have so much milk and that it flows so easily.

I'm glad somebody else has noticed this, with me its been 2 years and I can still get milk. I had no problems with supply at all when breastfeeding, gallons of the stuff, wonder if thats the reason.

I had masses of milk with baby 1 and then had milk for yonks after, with baby 2 I had sod all milk but had milk after for ages and ages.
so that theory didn't really follow suit for me jenkle.
?

sorry, jenkel.

(Oops forgot to change my name back after I started a rather sensitive thread)

Agree with GQM.

My milk dried up quickly after DS and didn't notice any other spurts until pg with DD.

However a friend of mine still spurts milk when she hears random puppies crying etc(?), let alone other people's babies, and she finished bf her youngest years ago.

Agree with the OP that it would be interesting to know if there's been any proper medical research into this - why some people continue spurting and others don't etc.

Funny you're asking that I was thinking the same thing yesterday. I'm pregnant with number 2, and was still BFing when I got pregnant. I stopped about 4 months ago (as soon as I figured out I was pregnant), and last week in fact (I'm now 17 weeks pregnant) my breasts 'stopped' producing proper milk and started on the clear colustrum stuff. It was painful though, it really felt the same as my first 'real milk' let down about 4 days after birth of DS. I had to massage my boobs and put warm compresses, and now no more white milk only colustrum! It's amazing really isn't it how our bodies work?

I've been getting let down as well (without leaks luckily). It usually takes me by surprise & I let out a little surprised Oh, with the resulting funny looks . It happens mainly when I see other bf'ing mums. I think it's because it made me think of my own bf'ing days... Oh I do miss it .

Blueberry, I've bf my ds while pregnant as well. He stopped when I was 16 weeks. I was told milk changes into colostrum around that time anyway, so I assumed it was the change in taste that made him stop. I didn't get any pain during that change though.