When does colostrum come in?

Question

I will be a FTM and I read all those posts about people expressing their colostrum before baby is born. I am 34 weeks and I don't have any colostrum leaking. Some days I have bits of dry colostrum in my nipples but that's all. When is colostrum supposed to come in a decent amount for the baby? There are babies who latch right after delivery, are they actually getting colostrum at that point? Thanks!

Answer

I didn’t have any leakage of any kind in pregnancy but I also never tried expressing anything 🤷‍♀️ I put my son to the breast right after he was born, he latched like a champ but no idea what, if anything, he got. Later that evening a nurse helped me check by expressing some (very uncomfortable process lol) and there was a little bit there. Baby seemed to get what he wanted because we never had to supplement and I was fortunate to be able to ebf. The kid still nurses a few times a day at 18 months so my total absence of any leakage and what felt like a slow start in the 24h after he was born apparently didn’t mean anything bad. I nursed absolutely in demand though from the moment he was born, no matter how often and in the early days that is so key for helping your milk come in.

Answer

Colostrum usually starts coming in around 28-30 weeks of pregnancy. I would not recommend expressing your colostrum until after 38 weeks because the nipple stimulation causes the hormone oxytocin to be released, and this hormone is responsible for causing uterine contractions in labor. Don’t worry, you will produce enough colostrum for baby once he or she is born. When baby is born, his or her stomach is only about the size of a marble, and in the first day or two after birth, baby will only get about 1-2 tablespoons of colostrum per feeding which is perfectly normal and meets baby’s needs for that time.

Answer

I can’t remember exactly when it comes in but it’ll be there by the time the baby is born for sure!

Answer

Honestly every body is different. There’s some women who leak before baby is here (I did) but after I had my baby I still had a significant amount of colostrum for my babe. Your body knows you’ve given birth after the placenta is released and will trigger a hormone that produces/pets down colostrum. Don’t worry if you’re not leaking now, you will have it in time for baby- your body knows what to do most of the time! 😊

Answer

No leaks during pregnancy and I'm an oversupplier as soon as baby is born 💁🏻‍♀️

Answer

I am exactly the same 34+1 day. No leaking but dry colostrum in my mipples and hard to remove. I so want to breast feed, this is my first baby. So hopeful boobs will produce when the time comes. 💙

Answer

I breastfed/pumped with my first kiddo for 15 months and my second kiddo will be 15 months next week and is showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. I never once leaked milk during either of my pregnancies. Some people leak, some don’t. It does not indicate anything about your ability to breastfeed.

When does colostrum come in?

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