Potentially a very silly/obvious question about breastfeeding after birth

[Simone86]

I’ve read that it can take a few days for milk to come in, especially after a c section. And sometimes you need to take a drug to stimulate the production.

So, does that mean the baby won’t have any fluids for a few days, if there’s no milk available yet? Isn’t that dangerous?

I know this is probably a silly question but I’m starting to think about my c section and this is something I have wondered about for ages, even before I was pregnant!

They can get by on colostrum no problem and definitely not dangerous! I've had two c sections, one emergency and one elective, and neither meant delayed milk or issues breastfeeding. No need for drugs, skin to skin and frequently putting baby to breast are the best drugs to get milk flowing.

You will have colostrum before the milk comes in, which is all baby needs for the first few days x

Their stomach is miniscule and the milk straight after birth is colostrum which is super concentrated so they don't need much.

The midwives will keep an eye out for dehydration, so if you did have a supply issue (by no means a given) then you'd use a little formula to get by.

You'll have colostrum from the start and baby will be fine with that for a few days until your actual milk comes in. They have super tiny stomachs at first so colostrum is plenty!

When your baby is born it will have the stomach on average the size of a cherry. Before your baby is even born u will be producing colostrum which is v yellow high nutrient / antibody and your baby will have that first few days before milk comes in around day 3. Often babies lose birth weight first few days then it boosts up
when your milk comes in. X

@Simone86 I wondered this! But colostrum isn't considered "milk" so that's what fills the gap. I think it's unclear phrasing though.

Thank you so much! For some reason I had visions of them needing lots of milk from day 1! I didn’t think about the size of their stomachs being really small.

Thank you!

A cherry! Wow, that makes much more sense then!

Just let baby dummy on you, you will have enough. Use this time to get your latch sorted, and breastfeeding does hurst a little bit at first but you soon het used to the feeling. Helped me a lot to get the feeding whilst-lying-down position figured out early, as I have a super fast let down and it helped a bit so baby didn’t drown in milk 😆

They're talking about mature milk, which is much thinner in consistency than the first milk, colostrum, and looks more like cows' milk in consistency. That doesn't come in until 2-4 days after birth. The first milk, colostrum, is in your breasts from about 20 weeks of pregnancy. It's much denser, thicker and stickier than mature milk (and a dark yellowish colour compared to mature milk's off-white). Colostrum has plenty of calories and also lots of amazing immune stuff and is all the baby needs in the first few days; the baby has reserves from in utero as well. And as PP says their stomach is absolutely tiny to begin with. Your body supplies everything the baby needs, evolution has made sure of that over millions of years.

with my first c-section the m/w decided to give formula after birth “to give me chance to recover”. That meant I didn’t actually try to feed until several hours after birth.

my second I was wise and made them give her to me to feed straight away.

i also found m/w offered formula every time they saw me feeding, in case I “needed a break”. That was the only bf help offered. I spent 3 days refusing formula constantly.

they will feed all the time. Partly because their stomachs are so small, and partly because the sucking is what stimulates milk production. So the more you feed and the more they are latched on the quicker your supply will start properly.

the “milk coming in” thing is a bit misleading. It does make it sound like you won’t have any until it “comes in” after a few days. You will have milk right from the beginning, and as you feed you will start making more. “Milk coming in” is generally used to mean about day 3 when supply is up and running and you start to feel engorged. That doesn’t always happen, and again people think they have no milk. It didn’t happen with me, there was no noticeable difference unless I skipped a feed or she was late waking up for a feed when I’d get that full feeling.

just feed as much as you can, and keep an eye on nappies :)

This.

Thanks all, this is brilliant and so helpful and informative. Love MN!

Colostrum to mature milk transition.

That's so cool - women's bodies are amazing!

Baby's only need a tiny amount of colostrum for the first few days until your milk comes in their tummy is tiny so they get what they need from the colostrum.

Quite often, they'll sleep for most of the first day too (lulling you into a false sense of security that you'll have a 'quiet baby' 😂).

Colostrum 'should' be enough until your milk comes in - but not always. My twins were born at 35 weeks and were pretty small so they had to be fed regularly and almost straightaway (with formula) while waiting for my milk.

You’ve already been given the answer so I won’t repeat it but it does evidence the complete lack of guidance and support for breastfeeding. What little there is is misleading or confusing.

I recommend finding a local feeding support group. I didn’t manage to maintain breastfeeding with my first two and I’ve now got to 9 weeks with DS because of the support group.

My 'proper milk' came in on day 3 with DC1 and not until day 5 with DC2. I had a (small/ post-partum haemorrhage with DC2 which is thought to have delayed it a little. Both my babies fed fine, DC2 was pretty big as well but was still completely fine on colostrum that bit longer. On their day 5 weigh-ins, DC1 had actually gained weight and DC2 had lost only a tiny percentage of weight.

OP, I don’t mean this to sound snarky at all but if you want to have a chance of being able to breastfeed I would recommend you do a bit of research, whether that be a book or attending and antenatal class.
Although there are some women that it “comes naturally” to, for the majority it is fairly difficult to establish feeding. You certainly need to be more informed. Knowing that colostrum is sufficient for baby for the first few days is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s useful to know how many wet and dirty nappies a baby should be having a day, normal poop consistency, how often they will likely feed, what constitutes an effective latch, how to recognise sucking and swallowing. It would also be useful to know where to go for help if you need it, have the numbers for the breastfeeding network saved or any local breastfeeding support.

I found a really easy way to get bite size information was through social media. Look up certified IBCLCs on Facebook or instagram.

This isn’t to scare or worry you, with the right information or support breastfeeding can be really wonderful - it is just important that the information and support is sought as unfortunately in the UK it isn’t a given, you have to seek it.

Even with a vaginal birth it’s very normal for it to take 2-3 days for milk to come in. So with a c section, it could take an extra day or so. So it’s nothing to worry about.

I’ve had two c sections and both times my milk came in on day 2.

It is quite normal for your milk not to come in until l the 3rd day after birth. I do think that not knowing this is what leads some people to think they can't breastfeed. They will get colostrum, and still have reserves.

Agree. I found kellymom.com invaluable.

once baby is her I found there’s a lot of pressure to bottle feed. Any question is met with try formula. Worried about them feeding too much (babies feed constantly)? Give a formula top up. Worried about them waking in the night? Try formula.

there’s a lot of talk about bottles to “give you a break” as well. It doesn’t. It means someone else sits on their arse feeding while you have to pump, get them drinks and snacks, throw a wash n etc. if someone asks if they can feed the baby to give you a break or to help out, don’t be scared to say no, but you can go get bread and milk, peg the washing out, make me a cup of tea, or whatever else you need.

bf babies feed a lot. Their habits are quite different to bottle feeders. No one I knew had bf, so I got a lot of people telling me they shouldn’t be feeding again, or waking in the night, or their poo should be solid. All of which is fine in a bf baby.

practice smiling and nodding, and saying thank you but I’m fine, to any “helpful” unsolicited advice.

there’s a lot of talk about bottles to “give you a break” as well. It doesn’t. It means someone else sits on their arse feeding while you have to pump, get them drinks and snacks, throw a wash n etc. if someone asks if they can feed the baby to give you a break or to help out, don’t be scared to say no, but you can go get bread and milk, peg the washing out, make me a cup of tea, or whatever else you need.

I disagree to a point. At around 3 weeks, I was in pain and had the beginnings of mastitis. DS was wanting fed and I was sobbing because I didn’t want to be touched. My DH used some of our milk stash to give him a bottle. I pumped to alleviate the mastitis and then slept. It gave me a break from the relentless feeding and pain and a mental break to decide to carry on feeding him. I’m now at 9 weeks and we haven’t given him a bottle in ages and I haven’t pumped since that time. I like knowing it’s an option though when I’m overwhelmed or DS is desperate and I am in the shower, etc. My DH waits for me to ask for it though or when he has DS, he’s tried everything else and I’m not available to feed soon enough.

I use breast shells to collect my let down whilst feeding. Doing this has created a fair freezer stash and a bag in the fridge as I’m going. No pumping after or between feeds.

once baby is her I found there’s a lot of pressure to bottle feed. Any question is met with try formula. Worried about them feeding too much (babies feed constantly)? Give a formula top up. Worried about them waking in the night? Try formula

This. Baby was 2 hours old and hadn’t latched, and the so called feeding team were pressuring me to give formula. I was keen to BF so refused. In the end I saw a lactation consultant and as a result, I BF for over two years. When I had my second there was a huge focus on encouraging breastfeeding but after I gave birth there was no feeding support whatsoever.

And then once you do breastfeeding you’ll get comments about when you’re going to stop, your child will become too clingy, etc etc.