Milk inflow: Milk production begins
Milk comes in two to four days after birth. But when does breast milk production begin and how is it regulated after birth? Here we have answers for you.
Your breasts are already producing milk before birth and are thus preparing for the milk to come in. About three to four days after birth, hormone production causes milk to come in. Your breasts become large and warm and are very hard, sometimes tender. Some women feel pain, others think they will burst. But there are also women who feel no or only a few symptoms. Then the milk flows. First, the colostrum is produced, the first milk that your baby drinks when it is first put on the breast. It contains numerous nutrients, proteins, lipids, vitamins and antibodies that your baby needs. The ingestion of the colostrum prompts the expulsion of the meconium, your baby’s first bowel movement. After the colostrum comes the mature milk.
How is the milk intake regulated?
If you put your baby on right away and breastfeed frequently, the breastfeeding process regulates itself and you prevent the risk of breast engorgement. However, you should not pump additionally, otherwise the breast will be signaled that your child needs more and therefore more milk will be produced.
You can also trigger the milk ejection reflex yourself:
- light stroking across the chest, from the armpit towards the nipple
- warm compresses on the chest
- Massaging the breasts with warm water from the shower head
Learn more about the benefits of breastfeeding here .