9 questions about rising milk

What is the rush of milk?

You can start producing breast milk weeks or even months before your due date. One of the first signs that your breasts are getting ready to milk is that they are going get bigger and heavier, and they can sometimes even hurt.

During the second trimester, your breasts start to produce colostrum. Some mothers may experience leakage during the colostral phase. This is perfectly normal.

The rise of milk refers to the moment when the colostrum gives way to a so-called transitional milk and which precedes the mature milk.

How to feed the baby before the milk comes in?

From about the 4th month of pregnancy, the breasts produce a milk called colostrum. This thick, yellow liquid is the first milk the baby receives right after giving birth. It is present during the first days, then it is gradually replaced by the so-called transitional milk which precedes the mature milk itself. Colostrum, rich in micronutrients, is absolutely necessary for the baby. And it is enough to meet its needs. When your baby is about two weeks old, your breasts will only be producing mature breast milk.

What causes the flow of milk after childbirth?

Rising milk is a physiological phenomenon. Except in rare cases of very specific pathologies (most of the time known before pregnancy), the flow of milk occurs in all women, whether they have had a vaginal birth or by caesarean section. This process is triggered by the drop in placental hormones after childbirth and the expulsion of the placenta. The hormone prolactin then released will be able to play its role of triggering milk production.

When does the flow of milk happen?

Most often, the flow of milk occurs 30 to 40 hours after childbirth, on average between the 2nd and 5th day after birth. But in some cases, it can be delayed, especially if the mother has not been able to breastfeed her baby frequently enough. This can be the case after a cesarean, or if the baby is born prematurely. The flow of milk can then occur around the 5th or even 6th day. This delay is circumstantial and can largely be avoided if the baby has unrestricted access to the breast, or if the mother collects her milk early by hand. Certain medical circumstances (long labor, polycystic ovary syndrome, insulin-dependent diabetes, for example) may delay the flow of milk somewhat. If you are in these cases, you deserve specific and individualized support to put all the chances on your side to start optimal breastfeeding.

How to recognize the flow of milk?

It is quite possible not to realize that your milk is flowing, and that’s completely normal! The milk rush is often associated with engorgement, which is not inevitable and even less desirable. It is also symptomatic of an awkward start to breastfeeding. A feeling of fullness, heaviness, with more swollen breasts and possibly leaking milk, especially at night, is accompanied by greater firmness of the skin around the areolas with more flattened nipples. If this is unpleasant, then the rule is to offer the breast as often as possible to prevent the symptoms from getting worse.

How to promote and stimulate the flow of milk?

It’s no secret: early feedings, and failing that manually expressing milk, are essential to promote rapid and painless flow of milk. Otherwise, an automatic breast pump may help to order the breasts to produce milk.

The ideal is to give a early feed in the delivery room. From birth, once placed on his mother’s belly, the baby will instinctively crawl towards the breast, the smell of which he recognizes. Some babies are somewhat stunned and do not come to the breast spontaneously. Their mother then takes the initiative and places them on the breast even when they are drowsy. In general, the more often a baby will breastfeed during the first few days, the more the breast will be stimulated. In the end, the flow of milk will go better and we should not have engorgement.

When do we speak of rising milk?

Significant increase in volume and changes in the composition of milk refer to rising milk, although this popular term is not necessarily accurate. Strictly speaking, the milk does not “rise”, it becomes more abundant.

On the other hand, sucking the baby or sometimes simply thinking about him, hearing him cry, causes the production of oxytocin, and it is this hormone that triggers the ejection reflex (the fact that the milk flows breast).

How to relieve breast pain related to the flow of milk?

There are several tips for relieving breast pain associated with the rush of milk. The most obvious is of course to put the baby to the breast: le baby will help relieve the swollen breast, and relieve mom. Note that this distension of the breasts is mainly due to edema.

A local application of heat will promote the flow of milk and the softening of the breasts.

The technique known as the glass of hot water will be useful if your baby is having difficulty breastfeeding. Take a glass of water and fill it with hot, but not hot, water. Place your nipple in the glass. A suction cup effect is then produced, which, by suction, will allow the breast to be released from its excess of milk, without over-stimulating lactation. What to limit the risks of congestion. A simple hot shower accompanied by a gentle breast massage is often also beneficial in relieving new mothers.

Cold compresses can relieve edema: take a cold pack previously placed in the freezer, or failing that a packet of frozen peas, which you will affix directly to the breast.

Another tip that seems to work well: the cabbage leaf, which we have previously taken care to flatten at the level of the groovess (for example with a rolling pin or similar object), to release anti-inflammatory compounds (glucosamine).

The sooner you can solve the problems you are facing, the easier it will be to minimize the impact on your future breast milk production.

In summary : warm before feeding to encourage the flow of milk, frequent feedings and cold after feeding.

Stopping or stopping the flow of milk: how does it work?

Medicines to stop the flow of milk are now only recommended and prescribed as a last resort, and in particular in the event of medical and or psychological necessity (IMG, miscarriage). Their side effects can be serious, in particular at the cardiac, neurological and psychiatric levels.

To stop the flow of milk, natural methods are now recommended, such as letting just enough milk flow to be comfortable, taking analgesics or anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain. One can also resort to herbal medicine by drinking herbal teas of sage, parsley or mint, plants known to be anti-galactogens.