HELP! Just 21 weeks?

Question

I'm only 21 weeks and already I'm starting to leak. I'm not an idiot, I know this is quite normal for some women. I'm not leaking a whole lot, but the thing is I plan to breastfeed and I know that the colostrum is the most valuable thing you can give your baby. I'm not producing enough yet to pump and freeze, but I was just wondering when I should start doing that? If I should number those bottles and feed those to my baby first? Also, do I even need to pump this or will more colostrum be produced on the day I give birth? This is our first child, and unfortunately not one person I know has even tried breastfeeding!! Any answers you could give me would be greatly appreciated, I just don't want to deprive my baby.

Answer 1

Your body will produce more once you have the baby. I would not try to pump and freeze, then you will get the baby used to the bottle before the breast.

Answer 2

From what I understand your body will produce Colostrum until you start to produce milk.  I am not sure though.  I started leaking around the 25th week, and I am still producing the colostrum! I am now 40w2d pregnant.  I wouldn't worry about pumping and freezing it.  Plus I dont know how long it would keep.

Answer 3

I have breast 4 children exclusively none of my children ever even tasted formula :-) Dont worry about the leaking, it is normal. Your body will produce plenty of colostrum when the baby is born. Dont start pumping until after you have the baby for at least the first two weeks you will want to feed the baby only from the breast to regulate your milk supply. After that you should pump some milk and try to get her to drink it from the bottle a couple of times a day. I did not do this with my first two kids and they both flat out refused to take a bottle EVER. So, they were attached to me for the first year of their lives. Dont pump now,  If you do you could cause your milk to start coming  in which would be pretty uncomfortable to have to deal with for the rest of your pregnancy.  

Answer 4

ME too, happened on my first son. This is normal and your body produces the colostrum when the baby is born, no need to pump before, because if you start pumping now oh boy you will activate the milk flow and it wont be right one for when baby is born. Milk adjusts as baby grows, milk at 1 day is different then at 1 week or 6 months so if you pump for 5 months when your baby is born the milk you have will be for a much older baby and will flow a lot way too much milk and you will have to pump 6-8 times a day and probably end up throwing out a lot of it plus he will always be drinking the frozen one you made up. You can pump easily 6-10 bottles when it really starts flowing after the baby is 1 week (first week their tummies are tiny) so 8 bottles times 5 months is A LOT!!!! You can manually express (with your hands) a little bit of the milk if it is painful during your pregnancy, but not much, just to lessen the pressure, I would also recommend wearing a sports bra to bed, to prevent stretch marks from the swelling b*****s and also that way you can buy the pads for breastfeeding moms and put them in that will help, when I was pg I used to get my shirts wet lol kinda embarrassing, hope this helped! But yeah when the baby is born your body will know to produce the colostrum!

Answer 5

Do Not start pumping before the baby is born.  Your milk will come in after a few pumping sessions and colostrum will NOT reappear.  Once it's gone it's gone.  If you are serious about breastfeeding I'm not sure why you are interested in bottles anyways, google nipple confusion and read up on how some babies will begin to refuse the breast if given many bottles.  

Answer 6

That is normal. It happend too me. Your body will produce more milk. And also the first couple days is all colostrum. Your real milk only starts too come in about 3-7 days later. Your booobies will just give the baby colostrum till the milk gets there. And whatever you do, freezing breast milk is only good for 2 weeks. So if you are 21 weeks now, your milk that you would have saved will be sour and yucky for the baby. Good luck!

Answer 7

relax, don't save it or store it, it wont be good when you when its time to deliver.  your body will kick into overdrive when you have the baby and you will have what you need then.  Plus if you plan on breastfeeding then you really don't want to introduce a bottle to the baby so soon after birth, Wait a few weeks before you give him a bottle of breast milk if you can.  You arn'tt going to deprive your baby, they are only going to get the colostrumm for the first 3 days or so

Answer 8

No dont pump it. It will stay until the baby comes I promise.

I started leaking really early and I had plenty to nurse my son for 2 days before my milk came in. Just leave it alone and you will continue leaking until baby comes.

It is awesome that you want to breastfeed even though no one around you has. If you have any other questions on breast feeding please feel free to ask. I am a mom who successfully breastfed my son for 14 months. I am the breast feeding go to girl in my group of friends lol :)