Boob changes and breastfeeding?

[wombats]

I'm almost 20 weeks and my boobs have gone up a cup size or two so they're bigger but not fuller or rounder IYSWIM. (I have a more pointy than round shape normally.) Does this mean there's something wrong with my glands and I won't be able to BF?

Nope.

Nothing wrong with you. Everyone is different.

Thank you! Also been having yellowy white flaky crusty bits coming form my nipples. I can sort of pick them out but then more appear Is this colosturm? Does this mean I can BF?

Yep that's colostrum.

All good signs op! Good luck!

All sounds normal and good to me. You might want to stick some breast pads in your bag if you’re starting to see colostrum. I had a couple of leaky days when I was pregnant.

Thank you both. Will look into pads. Havent' been able to squeeze any liquid out but perhaps that's coming soon.

It might or it might not, either way I don’t think it means much - some women never leak but breastfeed just fine.

The best thing for me was lots and lots of support early on (was stuck on high dependence ward after a bit of a tough delivery but one of the upsides to this was having midwife support for feeding for 2 days). Lots of breastfeeding groups welcome pregnant mums to answer questions and build yourself a bit of l a support network in advance, so you could look into that as you get closer to your due date if you’re keen to breastfeed. (Not trying to be pushy: I’m firmly in the ‘Fed is best’ camp, but on a personal level breastfeeding’s not only been cheap, convenient and easy once we got it figured out, but has also given me a whole new respect for my body.)

Thank you @verbena87, yes, fed is best though I'm quite keen to BF, seems a massive cost savings and good benefits for baby if it works. Hope my boobs are up to the challenge! Will look into BF groups, thanks for the rec.

I’ve found it fab all round, yes. I made it clear in my typed up birth preferences that I wanted to breastfeed so I think midwives knew I was keen, then also got a visit from a breastfeeding support worker on second day at home (not sure if this is a postcode lottery thing but she was great). Really though, lots of skin to skin and if you’re even slightly suspicious they’re hungry, stick them on, and you’re likely to be just fine.

Lansinoh nipple cream is magic for soreness in the early weeks.

All sounds completely normal! Remember that fed is best, don't pressure yourself either way

Re breast pads, I've found Tesco and Sainsbury's ones to be the best of the cheapest. The lansiloh(?) ones are great but not very cost effective at £5.50 a box.

You can get reusable cloth ones, though I can't speak to their quality.

I’ve tried reusable cloth. Bamboo is great but can’t be boil washed so have to be chucked if you get nipple thrush. But otherwise would recommend them.

The best thing I can recommend in preparation is to buy a few tubes of lasinoh and the advent nipple shells. Apply lasinoh after every feed - it's baby safe so baby can feed with it in. Use the shells when you can to keep things moist. Only for the first week or 2. It'll hurt at first but it gets easier! If you have any problems, see a breastfeeding clinic. There's loads of free ones. The earlier you can get help, the better!

Thank you, will look into pads and the lasinoh.