colostrum !! - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[wildmansmom]

Originally Posted by writermama12 

OMG, I just bought a double electric breast pump used on a facebook yard sale for $25. I wanted to try it out and learn how to use it and guess what I got??? My first bit of delicious colostrum!! I am going to mix it in with DS2's water sippy today to give him a nice dose of liquid gold. SO SO excited now.

I so need to try this. DS is starting to come down with the same cold that I'm just getting over.  I hate not being able to protect him like I could when he was still nursing.  I need to pull out my pump and get some colostrum for him... just so long as it doesn't send me into labor - SO not ready for that!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunshinelove 


How interesting, thank you for sharing! Thankfully, DD is potty-trained so no funky diapers
Hmm, not sure about your DS but my toddler is still getting some milk every night (theres definitely a letdown reflex and lots of swallowing). I read that some women dry up during pregnancy and others dont, not sure why, but it must have something to do with physiology.

DS weaned when I got pregnant. We were working that way around his 2nd birthday and by the 2nd trimester it was so painful to have latch that I had to keep from screaming.  I would let him nurse about 5 seconds before making him stop.  Shortly after he weaned (can't remember the exact time frame) and I'm assuming it's because my milk dried up the rest of the way. I couldn't get a drop of anything until the colostrum showed up at the beginning of the 3rd trimester. 

DS still asks to nurse and usually falls asleep with his hand down my shirt (is that weird?).  Sometimes just having his hand there is enough stimulation to make me leak colostrum. If he crawls in bed with me and does in in the middle of the night I almost always wake up with a dried up spot on my shirt.

[writermama12]

wildmansmom, I felt the same way nursing DS2 into the second tri. I couldn't stand it but would let him nurse anyway and I'd distract myself. Then I had to fly out of town for my father's funeral a few weeks ago and when I got back a week later, DS2 wanted nothing to do with nursing any more. I offer every once in a while but he says no. I am so sad about that now that I finally have something to give him!! It might not hurt so much now that there is something coming out, YKWIM? 

[chocolatechip]

storygirlcindy, mine was totally ninja at the beginning too! The first time, I thought I'd just spilled something, and it hit the part that stuck furthest out.  The second time, it occurred to me that it was right over my nipple, and the dried spot was still noticeable (i.e., not water!). I still didn't really believe I could be leaking, though, until one day I showered, put on clean pajamas, didn't eat or drink anything, and a little while later while in bed noticed a spot. Hah. Still, it took a while before I could make it come out!

[storygirlcindy]

Glad I'm not the only one! The crazy thing is I STILL have never actually seen it drip at all, even though it's been almost 2 months since it started happening and it's happened several times since. I had no idea what it was at the time. I was visiting my mom the first time it happened, but she said she never remembered leaking with any of pregnancies, so had no idea either! I had to ask around a lot of friends before I decided that's really what it was...

One of my friends started leaking at FOUR MONTHS. I didn't really envy that - that's an awful long time to be watching out for wet spots!

[Chapsie]

Originally Posted by storygirlcindy 

One of my friends started leaking at FOUR MONTHS. I didn't really envy that - that's an awful long time to be watching out for wet spots!

I started leaking colostrum at 16 weeks with my first pregnancy, 20 weeks with my second pregnancy, and I haven't leaked at all with this pregnancy.  Weird, huh?   All are considered "normal."   Even if you don't leak, other breast changes (like growth in size, soreness, darkening areolas) are all good indicators that you will be able to produce copious milk after baby comes!  :)  

[chocolatechip]

Yeah, I started at 22 weeks. I was surprised enough I asked everyone on here if it was normal. There was a chorus of yesses, fortunately. 

[scarletsmiles]

Originally Posted by buko 

OMG!  I am SO SO SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS!  LOL. 

Yesterday, I went for a free "intro to breastfeeding" class at the local BF support center.  It was 95% review for me (I've read a couple of books), but I'm really glad I went so that I have a "touchpoint," YK?  And they were great.  One thing the main LC/founder encouraged us to do was to go home and try hand-expressing colostrum.  Just a couple drops, so we could see it, etc., and sort of "lube things up."  Well, I was skeptical, because I've been totally dry AFAIK, and, you know... 

I kinda mashed around ineptly (I mean, I was TRYING to do it the way you're "supposed" to, but I was kinda flailing).  AND OMG!  My boobs MAKE MILK!  I mean, it was like half a drop and then I quit, because I don't "need" it, but HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!  LOL..  I "knew" it would happen, but hey, in 34 years, my boobs have never made milk AFAIK, so it was pretty freaking cool to me. 
 

Meeee too!!!! I had a lactation consultant come over for a prenatal visit yesterday. I've been paranoid that my nipples are inverted. Turns out they aren't and she said my breasts look great! And she showed me how to hand express. And I did! And colostrum came out! Of my boobs! Whaaa?!??!?! That's amazing! Breastfeeding prior was very theoretical and made sense and I was gonna do it. But now i'm like. oh yeah. This is actually going to happen.

She gave me some syrnges to collect them in. She said 2x a day or so I could practice hand expressing and collect whatever colostrum I make and have a little extra for the hospital or a nice stash for if the baby gets a cold or something after colostrum phase is over.

[Chapsie]

Originally Posted by scarletsmiles 

Meeee too!!!! I had a lactation consultant come over for a prenatal visit yesterday. I've been paranoid that my nipples are inverted. Turns out they aren't and she said my breasts look great! And she showed me how to hand express. And I did! And colostrum came out! Of my boobs! Whaaa?!??!?! That's amazing! Breastfeeding prior was very theoretical and made sense and I was gonna do it. But now i'm like. oh yeah. This is actually going to happen.

She gave me some syrnges to collect them in. She said 2x a day or so I could practice hand expressing and collect whatever colostrum I make and have a little extra for the hospital or a nice stash for if the baby gets a cold or something after colostrum phase is over.

What a great idea to have a prenatal visit with a lactation consultant!   So many moms in the hospital are so unsure of themselves with regards to breastfeeding and not prepared at all.  I think its great that she was able to teach you hand-expression!  That's a great tool to have in your "lactation tool-box!"  

That reminds me to build up a small stash of colostrum before the birth.  My babies are usually big (9.5 lbs) and have transient hypoglycemia at birth, so a little extra colostrum will be great to supplement with in those first few hours.  :)  

[wildmansmom]

It's so great to see things working properly!

Just as with natural birth, most women CAN breastfeed.  But reassurance is always good! 

I know how relieved I was during my first pregnancy to see those first little drops.  When I mentioned concern over BF this time around DH laughed and said "You BF'd for 2.5 years, what makes you think you'll forget how to do it in 6 months?"
 

BTW - If anyone has issues with BF, please post them and feel free to PM me. I think I've dealt with every single breastfeeding problem you can have except tongue tie.