When does breastmilk form?
Your body will naturally prepare to breastfeed your baby, but when does it all begin?
A lady from the breastfeeding postnatal centre asked me if I knew when breast milk starts to form, and at the top of my head I answered: "I'm not too sure, could it be at the same time as delivery?"
In fact, milk production starts as early as 13 weeks of pregnancy. In your second trimester, the increased levels of hormones will stimulate the production of milk in your body, as well as the growth of milk ducts in your breasts (which probably explains why our boobs grow so much during the second trimester). But it is only after you deliver that your body produces more milk to continuously feed your baby.
Your body will produce milk in a supply-demand like manner, base on your breastfeeding patterns. Some moms breastfeed up to when their baby is 2 years of age, and some stops earlier. Your body will listen to you and more often than not, when you stop breastfeeding, your milk production will also stop.
Your breasts will also produce a thick yellow fluid called colostrum which is full of antibodies that helps in strengthening your baby's immune system. I have met many mums that have been misinformed of this and the first thing they would do after delivery is to get rid of the tiny amount of colostrum before starting to breastfeed.
A lady from the breastfeeding postnatal centre asked me if I knew when breast milk starts to form, and at the top of my head I answered: "I'm not too sure, could it be at the same time as delivery?"
In fact, milk production starts as early as 13 weeks of pregnancy. In your second trimester, the increased levels of hormones will stimulate the production of milk in your body, as well as the growth of milk ducts in your breasts (which probably explains why our boobs grow so much during the second trimester). But it is only after you deliver that your body produces more milk to continuously feed your baby.
Your body will produce milk in a supply-demand like manner, base on your breastfeeding patterns. Some moms breastfeed up to when their baby is 2 years of age, and some stops earlier. Your body will listen to you and more often than not, when you stop breastfeeding, your milk production will also stop.
Your breasts will also produce a thick yellow fluid called colostrum which is full of antibodies that helps in strengthening your baby's immune system. I have met many mums that have been misinformed of this and the first thing they would do after delivery is to get rid of the tiny amount of colostrum before starting to breastfeed.
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