When does breast milk come in?!

[formerblonde]

Hi
I'm 38+4. Was sort of expecting much fuller boobs and possible leakage by now?! All I've had is a tiny amount of discharge. (sorry if tmi !) I'm just worried I'll have nothing in there for bub! Does labour kick start the process? I've hardly grown at all during pregnancy (much to my disappointment)
Any advice
Thanks

Some women leak colostrum from around 17 wks but some women won't have any at all until after the birth.
Actual milk won't come in til around 3 days after the birth.

It's the removal of the placenta which begins the process of your body producing milk and it takes a few days and is encouraged by regularly putting the baby to the breast and encouraging lots of skin to skin. Until it's in, you'll produce colostrum which is a calorie-rich fluid and very, very good for the baby. You may be leaking this in small amounts already but not all women do. You need v little of it to satisfy a baby..

Have you met your hv yet? Do you have a local surestart centre? You should be able to access a bfing workshop before you give birth. The kellymom website is also v good.

I didn't have any sign until after dd was born. I then had loads of milk. Really don't worry.

My boobs have not grown one inch either and no leakage at almost 35 weeks.

Find it odd to imagine them ballooning, but then, I still find it a bit odd that there is a baby in my tummy!

I am 39 weeks and no leakage at all yet

My boobs never got bigger :( only full a few days after birth. Had loads of milk and still feeding my 14 month old now. Definitely pop along to a bf drop in if you can

My milk came in three days after birth. Was just a teeny bit of colostrum until then. Boobs are massive now. I can virtually see them getting bigger as they fill up!

Thanks ladies that has reassured me! I just thought being preggers= bigger boobs from the off and that pre birth leaking was pretty much a certainty. Had a class on breastfeeding as part of antenatal, our local children's centre is also really good though so I know I can get support from there if I need
X

The odd crystal of colostrum but nothing else at 31w.

Milk comes in later if you have a traumatic labour or blood loss during delivery.

It's unmistakable when it does come in though...

5 days after birth with DS1 (EmCS), 3 days with DSs2 and 3 (VBACs). Have never leaked before birth, but BF all three for between 1 and 2 years

Really interesting reading this... Slightly stupid question, if you only have colostrum for the first three days or so, is this sufficient on its own for baby? (had odd forgetting to feed baby dream last night, so is one the brain )

Yes, simply. Very dense, little and very very often.

Mine came in a day or two late with DS1 because of blood loss during delivery. Not a worry unless it goes past about day six IIRC.

Thanks horry!

This chart shows you how very little a newborn needs in terms of volume of colostrum in the first few days. Babies stomachs really are very tiny.

I'm 34 weeks and got a wet top for the first time today! Luckily I had already stocked up on breast pads! I was worried my boobs werent doing what they were supposed to, so I'm quite glad. :)

I'd just also like to add that you don't have to leak ever to have enough milk as lots of women never do.

Also how much you can express is never an indication of how much milk your baby is getting.