Babys First Year Blog
How Will I Know When My Milk Comes In?
Now THAT is a lotta milk!
I have one more day left in the hospital with my daughter. Some time tomorrow I will be released to go home, along with her, and then the real fun will begin. Yesterday my breast milk started to come in, just in time for her to slow down her nursing habit, because of course… she was getting full very quick and didn’t need to be at the breast for an hour at a time.
I didn’t think it was going to be a huge deal, until around 10pm last night when I was begging the nursing staff to bring me a breast pump so I could empty out what Addison had not eaten and actually be comfortable enough to lay down and sleep for the night.
No joke… less than 10 minutes produced somewhere around 28 ounces of milk. I was in so much shock I had to take a picture of it all, because I have never in my life experienced anything like it. Heck, with my older children, pumping wasn’t very effective, and I would be lucky if I could get eight ounces in a half hour of pumping. Whoa!
The nurse came to my room so that she could take the milk to be stored, and we got into a conversation about knowing when your milk is going to come in. We were giggling about the moms who ask how will I know when my milk comes in? Oh honey… I know it may be new to you, but when you wake up one morning and your boobs look like you got the Pam Anderson special overnight and a Buick is parked on your chest… that is the first indication.
During the first days after birth, most women will have colostrum, which is also nicknamed liquid gold. It is pre-milk that has amazing anti-bodies and helps to boost your little one’s immune system. Every drop your baby gets is worth a ton in terms of their health!
After having a natural delivery, it is typically about two to three days before your actual breast milk comes in, and for most mothers who have had a C-section, it will take longer. On average, experts estimate that a Cesarean mother will get her milk when her little one is three to five days old. With my oldest two sons I got my milk in at about four days, postpartum.
This time around has been a giant surprise. Two days postpartum I am pumping enough milk to feed half the babies in the nursery here at the hospital! Whoa!
Don’t worry Moms… you will know when your milk comes in! I promise!
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5 Comments
El commented on May 03 11 at 1:49 pmDon’t pump that much or you will just produce more! Just pump enough to relieve the pressure. I had to pump for 10 days while my baby was in NICU,produced massive amounts of milk, but then she couldn’t nurse that much and I was miserable. Let her nurse, if you are still uncomfortable pump a little to take the pressure off, but let your body adjust to her demands. :-)
Rene commented on May 03 11 at 2:08 pmI was the same way with my second, except got about 15 oz out after nursing, but 28 oz that’s impressive!!! It was nice to get a head start on my milk storage, because that rarely happens. Eventually my body slowed down and met with the demands of my son. Congrats on your daughter.
Katie commented on May 03 11 at 6:27 pmMy milk never came in. Believe me, I knew that too, but didn’t want to admit it.
New moms–if your baby is nursing, great! If your three day old suddenly starts refusing to latch? Not a good sign. Get thee to a lactation consultant! Quickly!
Danielle, I hope I get as lucky as you are with my second!
Danielle625 commented on May 04 11 at 7:07 am@El – Oh I know all the pumping tricks… As insane as it sounds… That was enough to relieve the pressure! LOL
Although I am not disappointed because I need to build up a stash to freeze for a couple events I have this summer I am going to need to use a babysitter for.
PlumbLucky commented on May 04 11 at 9:04 amSide note: GET a freezer alarm or check it, daily. I went to grab milk after a three day weekend to send to the sitter’s with the babe and….four gallons of THAWED milk sat staring at me in a freezer with a quietly fried compressor.
I’m a weirdo. It takes five days for mine to come in, and no, I’ve not had a section with either child. Kids lose close to a full pound, then holy milk, there’s more than enough and they’ll gain two or three pounds that first week. But 28 oz???? Wow. Just W-O-W.
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