It's called re-lactation. It's possible for the female body to come back from “drying up” and produce milk again. In fact, many mothers of adopted children are able to pump and use several methods in order to stimulate their bodies to produce milk, even if they haven't given birth!
Reasons for lactating when not recently pregnant can range from hormone imbalances to medication side effects to other health conditions. The most common cause of breast milk production is an elevation of a hormone produced in the brain called prolactin. Elevation of prolactin can be caused by: medications.
It's not unusual for milky discharge to continue for up to two to three years after discontinuing breastfeeding and it typically affects both breasts.
This is called idiopathic galactorrhea, and it may just mean that your breast tissue is particularly sensitive to the milk-producing hormone prolactin in your blood. If you have increased sensitivity to prolactin, even normal prolactin levels can lead to galactorrhea.
Galactorrhea (guh-LACK-toe-REE-uh) is milk discharge from the breast that is unrelated to breastfeeding or that happens at least one year after stopping breastfeeding. It usually happens in both breasts, but it can also happen in only one. Both women and men can have galactorrhea.
Relactation doesn't happen overnight. You'll need to stimulate your breasts for 10 to 15 minutes on each side at least eight to 10 times every day. At least one of these sessions should be done at night or early morning when prolactin, the hormone that helps with milk production, is at its highest.
The milk production can continue for up to a period of 2-3 years. Breast milk, the healthiest food you can give to your baby, contains fat, which babies and even young kids need to grow and help their body absorb and process essential vitamins and minerals.
Sometimes a woman's breasts make milk even though she is not pregnant or breastfeeding. This condition is called galactorrhea (say: guh-lack-tuh-ree-ah). The milk may come from one or both breasts. It may leak on its own or only when the breasts are touched.
It could come from stimulation of the nipples, certain medications, or a hormonal imbalance. Although this is usually nothing to worry about, you may want to contact your local Planned Parenthood for a breast examination.
But people should be informed that nursing a 6-7+year-old is a perfectly normal and natural and healthy thing to be doing for the child, and that their fears of emotional harm are baseless."
There is no set timeline for the lactation suppression process. Instead, how quickly your milk dries up depends on several factors, including the age of your baby and your average milk supply. Breast milk can take days, weeks, or months to dry up. It is recommended that you gradually wean your breastfed baby.
As the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) states, “There is no evidence that extended breastfeeding is harmful to parent or child.”
Excess prolactin tricks your body into thinking it should lactate (or make milk), which is why you leak milk from your nipples. Other causes include: Taking medications including birth control pills, blood pressure medicine or antidepressants.
PHYSIOLOGIC CONDITIONS. Galactorrhea may be considered physiologic. Pregnant women may lactate as early as the second trimester and may continue to produce milk for up to two years after cessation of breast-feeding.
Once your body has begun producing milk, it can continue to do so indefinitely, provided that demand continues (meaning that you have a baby to feed or pump your breast milk). It is common for children to be breastfed for several years before weaning in many countries.
After one year, the AAP recommends breastfeeding for as long you and your baby wish to do so. The AAP also states that "There is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychologic or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer."
While there's no real cut off – it's never too late to try relactation – the longer you wait to get started, the harder a time you and your baby will have.
Relactation is not easy. It may or may not work for you. Women who relactate because of the emotional benefits of nursing generally feel more successful than those who focus on their milk supply. In a survey of women who attempted relactation, 75% felt it had been a positive experience.
It is a common practice in many cultures for a grandmother to relactate so that she may breastfeed her grandchild. It is truly an act of love.
Montgomery glands are the main white spots that become more visible due to pregnancy and hormone changes. Montgomery glands are present on both the nipple and the surrounding areola. They contain an oily substance that keeps the nipples soft and supple.
Breast massage therapy can ease the breasts' sensitivity and provide better blood circulation to the breast. Gentle massage can also increase milk supply. Massage can help warm up and loosen the tissues around the breasts' milk ducts and help the milk flow.
Hormone shifts
This sensitivity is known as cyclic mastalgia or fibrocystic changes. Around 50 percent of all women over the age of 30 experience this. Right before your period starts, your breasts may feel especially tender if you press on them, or they may ache.
In addition, if you choose to breastfeed for more than a year, it is possible you may reach the point where you become perimenopausal or menopausal while you are still breastfeeding your baby.