milk after birth

My midwife recommended me to buy some just incase as a lot of moms milk doesn't come in straight after birth, I got 6xbottles of cow and gate first infant milk with the sterilised teats from amazon £7, its a good back up too if you're not producing enough milk in the first few days 😊

My midwife told me not to and unfortunately my milk didn't come in until 3 days after post c-section and my little girl ended up dropping from 7lbs 3oz to 6lbs 9oz so I would definitely take some just to be safe x

There shouldn't be any expectation that your milk will be there straight away, it comes after 3-5 days. The time before that is colostrum and if you want to breastfeed then feeding off the breast from the start is the way to go as it's part of the stimulation process and the learning to feed process. Babies need such tiny tiny amounts in the very beginning, especially when that first nutrition is colostrum, it's very nutrient dense!

@Melissa dropping weight is totally normal and completely expected.

I recommend to have some as well, for both my kids my milk didn't come until day 3 or 4, I had very little colostrum too. Even if they say babies don't need much, mine were hungry so needed formula. And with my second I had to stay in hospital, so her dad was able to feed her with formula, you never know what can happen

@Hannah Yes it is but only to a certain extent. My baby is having to be weighed every few days now as she lost 8.5% of her body weight. Anything over 8% is a concern. She's put a bit back on now and has now only lost 6.7% and I believe that's down to the fact that I did introduce formula and we're now combi feeding otherwise I think she'd of really struggled to put it back on.

@Melissa it's well within normal range of up to 10% loss. Unfortunately women aren't supported well enough in those early days of what to expect and also how to tackle it (due to lack of training) and then reliance on formula comes in when it actually can be avoided with the right support. Women are made to think they aren't producing enough etc and it's just wrong!

@Hannah Really? Are you in the UK? I was told differently by our healthcare professionals. My little girl is also jaundice so maybe that contributes to their concerns? I couldn't really get a good latch either with her in hospital so I think she was getting the bare minimum

I have the same fears as you but really hoping the colostrum I've harvested will help with top ups in the hospital. We did buy a pack of ready made bottles (aptamil) which we are keeping at home and tbh I will try to express colostrum in hospital if she's not latching well. My husband can always run out and get the formula or more colostrum from the freezer if needed. I've been recommended to pick the one you see most often in the shops around you as it guarantees you won't run out :)

My midwife said if I planned to breastfeed then to not take formula into hospital. If it was required then they would provide it. If you were bottle feeding then they’d expect you to take it in. I’ve got some pre-made bottles at home just in case. I agree with Hannah. My LB was weighed yesterday (day4) and dropped 11%, she said anything over 10% would be monitored (also in the UK). I’ve been BF and topping up with colostrum I collected when pregnant. Hopefully things go smoothly for you

If you want to breastfeed, I would not take formula to the hospital or buy it at all. Breastfeeding is hard for a couple of weeks but if you get through it, it really pays off and you can have a beautiful nursing journey ☺️ We are made to breastfeed so it's extremely rare that milk isn't enough. You won't see your milk at first as it's just colostrum, which transitions to whiter, nature milk 3-5 days in. Not seeing milk or your baby wanting to be on the boob a lot does *not* mean you don't have enough milk or it hasn't come in. This is mainly a myth. xxxx

My milk didn't come in until day 5 due to an unplanned section. I did end up needing a few formula feeds but didn't buy any until I needed it and bought the premade stuff. My baby lost just over 8% and the cut-off is 8% so even with it being quite late, it wasn't too bad and she's put on loads since. We just had to have her weighed on day 7 and 9 also.

I never took formula with either of my two babies. Skin to skin and breastfeeding is the best thing for stimulating your milk production - a lot of breastfeeding is supply and demand, the more your baby is on the boob the more it signals to the body okay we need to make more. Your milk won’t actually come in until 3-5 days post partum as milk production is signalled by the release of the placenta. During this time colostrum is more than enough, at this stage your babies tummy is about the size of a marble (holding around 7mls of milk per feed). Colostrum is also really nutrient dense and contains so many antibodies that help boost babies immune system. If you can express colostrum during pregnancy it might help give you some peace of mind that there’s extra there if baby does need it. I had colostrum stored but also didn’t use any in hospital, my milk came in on day 3 (and heads up you’ll likely be extra emotional when it does come in)

You can start expressing collusion 37/38 weeks, and freeze it to bring to hospital with you. Well… check and make sure they have a fridge/ freezer first. But it will be very helpful especially during the colostrum phase. But just start expressing now… and keep doing it … as long as you keep doing it, and keep trying to feed and latch your baby, your milk will come in.