No Colostrum 😢

[AimeeLou84]

Hey. So I’m 38+3 today and in for a c section on Thursday so tried to express colostrum but I’ve got myself into an emotional state. My boobs have not grown since I’ve been pregnant, they feel a look as they did minus the big nipples and do not hurt and are not sensitive. I’ve tried expressing colostrum today and nothing at all is happening. I know I don’t even have milk in there my boobs are just the same as they were before pregnancy. I’ve got myself into a right state now that I can’t express colostrum and won’t be able to breastfeed. Please reassure me I might be able to or if you have any similar stories. This is my first baby and I was desperate to try express something and breastfeed. Thank you

This is normal don't worry! I never had any either in both my pregnancies and breastfed both of them successfully. Most of the breast changes happen after birth

Please don’t panic! I never managed to get even a drop of colostrum pre-birth, DD is now 18mths old and we’re still breastfeeding so it’s absolutely not a sign you’ll have issues with milk supply.

I didn't express the first time around- planned section for breech so advised not to due to the chance I might got into labour. I successfully breastfed for 2 years. A friend I know who also fed well could never get any off at all in either pregnancy. It's really not an indicator and it isn't essential.

My milk came in after childbirth… colostrum was the first feed. Honestly, my breasts hardly changed until that baby came out of me. Then it was all Go!

I could never ever harvest colostrum no matter how hard I tried. I couldn't hand express milk either once my milk came in. But I breastfed both my babies with no problems!

I started trying (and failed miserably) at 37 weeks. My baby was born a few days later and I was able to feed fine, and hand expressing worked easily! I would hand express after each feed for the first couple of days before my milk came in and built up a little freezer stash of colostrum to supplement DD with. Whatever was left over I gave her when she had her first cold at 10 weeks.

My boobs didn't grow massively until my milk came in at 3 days PP and my god, that was a noticeable change 😂

Don't worry, I never got a drop of colostrum out by expressing before or after births

2 c-sections and both breastfed for over 2 years

Milk came in properly about day 4, they were latching on and taking colostrum before then (midwife helped me with first latch in recovery just after section)

Their tiny stomachs are only the size of a hazelnut, so this is plenty

Babies are much more efficient than pumps, never think what you express is what they are getting

Hope these comments have made you a bit more relaxed, enjoy your baby 🥰

Relax, bf can be difficult, you need to relax about it and also be determined in case it is hard work. I see someone mentioning make sure to have skin to skin after birth. My best bf baby had about 2 seconds before being whisked away. Made no difference he fed like a pro when we eventually got a chance. Just try your best and don’t get hung up on every piece of advice. Being stressed or worried will make colostrum harvesting harder and although it can be useful it’s not the be all and end all!

I managed to hand express after putting warm flannels on my breasts. I was trying every 2 hours. Eventually after a few days I started to get 1ml when I went expressed. I think it did help my milk come in quicker once baby was born. Whatever happens it's not a disaster. As long as your baby is healthy and fed it's all good. Try and chill stress won't help anything.

I'm a delivery suite midwife and I try to send all my patients to the ward with a syringe or two for the first night with their baby. Let me tell you, the looks on their faces when I get them in a few minutes is quite something. Like anything it is just practice and hormones, your baby is still inside, your body knows it doesn't need it yet! Very good luck with your breastfeeding journey and please try not to worry.

Hey 👋 i went 9 days overdue with my last and still struggled to get any colostrum out before she was born, she is now 6months and ebf since birth, try not to worry xx

I couldn't express when I was pregnant at all, and could barely express anything even once I was breast feeding - yet I exclusively fed two sturdy kids (one for 3.5 years, the other wasn't interested after he tried real food)

What you can express has no relation to what you're producing, it really doesn't.

Same here. And while we were separated, I was able to continue hand expressing syringes of colostrum on the postnatal ward which gave me a focus and a feeling of being a little helpful.

It took me a very long time to express a 1ml syringe before I had baby 1. But I breastfed until almost 3y without issues.

You've got this. Trust your body.

Try expressing after a shower or bath when you're relaxed.

I've heard lots of people talking about this lately. I personally would not want to express my colostrum as it's really valuable for the baby in it's first few days and only last for something like 3 days before the milk comes in. It's just a weird buzz at the moment but absolutely not necessary. Your milk will come when the baby is born and they will get to enjoy it and benefit from it as they should

You actually shouldn't do this beforehand. You're far enough along that it doesn't matter much, but nipple stimulation can sometimes cause premature labor. The baby only needs a teaspoon or two at first, so what little you have sounds just fine.

This^^ or in the bath, my boobs leak in the bath everytime, i think its because you relax xx

Birth hornones triggers the change from colostrum to mature milk which is why it happens after birth.

You can express colostrum before birth, it won't run out. After birth, that's when it will change.

It's value to baby is the exact reason it's good to try and express.

Sorry how do you know that? It’s not true for everybody- just like some women can’t conceive, not everyone produces milk.
It will probably come in op but it’s not the end of the world if it doesn’t. Getting yourself stressed out is not good for you

When I was pregnant I listened to the midwifes couldrum. It is a really interesting podcast. It was aimed at midwives not expectant mothers but I still found it interesting. They did one on expressing colostrum and expressing milk in general, and there is a huge variety. Most mums get a few drops after lots of effort, some can't get any and some can produce loads easily. These ones you hear about.

On those saying they're surprised midwives are saying this to everyone, they aren't. I, with no complications wasn't told to. The OP has gd and a c section booked.... For my first birth, learning about hand expressing beforehand would have been useful as i was sleep deprived and having a number of professionals show me with a knitted boob or explain (in one ear out the other) on the post natal ward, when my baby had jaundice. But I had a wonderful student show me hands on eventually.

Best of luck with your feeding journey. It does sound like lots stacked against your ability to breastfeed, c section, your confidence/feelings about not having milk yet. As others have said, low stress is the best. And don't worry if you want to breastfeed but have to use bottles of formula. I did with my first, had a system of offering the breast first, but she kept falling asleep, then a bottle of whatever I'd expressed after the previous feed, then a bottle of formula. After a few months she rejected the bottle and was fully breastfed.

My boob's don't change much in pregnancy and I've never tried to get colostrum before baby has arrived. Both times they fed like a dream from day 1. One was after a c section too.
Found pumping a real struggle too. Best way to get colostrum/milk out is with a baby. Don't panic!

Me too, combi for 4-6w, then BF for 2.5y. Not a single drop of colostrum.

It's all part of the unwritten/unspoken policy in maternity care that the mother's comfort/distress is not entered into the equation at all.

We are routinely encouraged to endure all kinds of torturous interventions, for marginal benefit to the baby. The marginal benefit to the baby is not weighed against any distress or inconvenience to the mother; it's only weighed against any possible risks to the baby.

A mother frustratingly attempting to harvest colostrum for hours, in increasing anxiety, only to harvest <5ml... the HCPs see no risk to the baby in this. They see only the 5ml of colostrum. To them it's win-win.

I could go on with so many more examples of this in maternity care. For example, continous fetal monitoring during labour.

I’m 30 weeks now and never even heard of colostrum. Why stress yourself, that’s the worse for your baby.

This. What's the point? In case mother is unwell and unable to bf directly?

I was never told to do this for my 7yo and 5yo. Baby comes out and then you start to breastfeed.

Tbh pregnancy is hard enough. Labour is hard enough. Breastfeeding is hard enough. This is like adding a little veneer of breastfeeding struggle to late pregnancy struggle in anticipation of labour struggle.

What's wrong with bf as intended, and expressing colostrum in early days if direct bf is not possible?