All Communities > Expecting September 2010 > Breastfeeding and milk coming in.

Breastfeeding and milk coming in.

Michelle - posted on 06/11/2010 ( 2 moms have responded )

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This is my first baby and I've read that it can take up to a week for the milk to come in depending on various factors. Is there a supplament that can be taken prior to giving birth that could help the milk come in sooner or be there when the baby arrives? Any advise?

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Sarah - posted on 06/11/2010

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Tanya pretty much nailed it. even when your milk hasnt come in, the colostrum will be there and is sufficient for baby until your milk letdown. Hormones and the stimulation of baby sucking automatically tells your breasts what to do.
You can get pregnancy/breastfeeding supplements though. Not really sure how they work but you can get them from supermarkets/chemists. They are generally to improve your health though, and wont affect your supply.
Goodluck, dont stress about it, even though it can be tricky to manage at the start, your body will naturally know when its time to flow.

Tanya - posted on 06/11/2010

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Your 'milk' is already coming in. Right now your breasts are filling up with colostrum. It is a yellowish thicker liquid. As you get closer to your due date you might start to leak a little, some women will leak as early as 6.5 months and some will never leak, it just depends on your body. Once you have baby you will feed him/her the colostrum as it is full of so much nutrients and vitamins that your newborn will need. From there the colostrum will start to be replaced with your milk, it is a normal automatic transitition. This is where it means that your milk can take up to a week to come in. If you are nursing on demand, as baby wants to eat not on a schedule as those try to tell you, your milk will come in faster.

You might want to contact your local Le Letche League and talk to the leader. You might also find it very helpful to attend a meeting or two before baby is born.

Hope this has helped you :)

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