When do you start producing breast milk during pregnancy?

In: Pregnancy, Pregnancy Symptoms

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Answer

Your glands will begin to enlarge throughout the pregnancy, but you will not be making real breastmilk until about 2 days after you give birth.

When you are about 6 months, your body may start to prepare to begin milk production. Usually around 7 months, you will notice "colostrum" either leaking or expressed from the nipples. This is premilk, and for some women, it does not appear until after the birth of your baby. About 3-4 days after birth, you will feel your breasts becoming engorged. This may cause your breasts to enlarge 3-4 times there original size, and can be hard, and very painful.

Answer

Many physicians believe the breasts are not fully mature until a woman has given birth and produced milk. Breast changes are one of the earliest signs of pregnancy - a result of the pregnancy hormone, progesterone. In addition, the areolas (the dark areas of skin that surround the nipples of the breasts) begin to swell followed by the rapid swelling of the breasts themselves. Most pregnant women experience tenderness down the sides of the breasts and tingling or soreness of the nipples because of the growth of the milk duct system and the formation of the many more lobules.

By the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy, the breasts are fully capable of producing milk. As in puberty, estrogen controls the growth of the ducts and progesterone controls the growth of the glandular buds. Many other hormones, such as follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin, oxytocin, and human placental lactogen (HPL) also play vital roles in milk production.

Other physical changes, such as the prominence of the blood vessels in the breast and the enlargement and darkening of the areola occur. All of these changes are in preparation for breastfeeding the baby after birth.

Answer

When I was pregnant my "milk" came around 6 or 7 months... I didn't even notice it until it was leaking all the way down my shirt and all over the front of me... highly embarrassing but that WAS my first pregnancy... so now that I know... next time I will be wearing those "pads" as soon as I hit 6 months or so... just in case lol... Pam

First answer by Bdoctor01. Last edit by Bdoctor01. Contributor trust: 149 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 78 [recommend question]

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