Does leaking colostrum mean labor is close? Colostrum leaking from your breasts doesn't mean labor is coming. Leaking colostrum is normal and some people notice it as early as the second trimester. Some don't notice any signs of leaking colostrum while others will see dried colostrum on their nipples.
This doesn't mean you won't have enough milk for your baby when they are born or that your baby will find it difficult to breastfeed. It is very rare for colostrum collection to cause the onset of labour. You may feel your womb tightening and relaxing.
As your body's hormones work to regulate milk production, you may find drops of colostrum in your bra, most commonly in the final weeks of pregnancy. Leaking nipples are rarely cause for concern, but if you're bothered by them, simply tuck a couple of nursing pads inside your bra and thank your body for doing its job!
It's previously been thought that expressing colostrum during pregnancy can bring on labour but there is limited scientific evidence to prove this. Having said that, if you do feel cramping or something doesn't feel right, stop expressing and contact your midwife.
Antenatally, you'll only need to express for three to five minutes – just until you have a few drops of colostrum. It may not seem very much, but a baby's first feed is no more than a teaspoon of colostrum. By expressing up to three times in a day, you can express enough for a feed.
If there's no reason for you not to harvest colostrum, you can start hand expressing from around 37 weeks. If it's likely that your labour will be induced or you're having a planned c-section before your due date, your midwife or doctor may recommend that you start earlier.
The reason breast milk isn't produced in high quantities when you're expecting, especially earlier on in pregnancy, is because of the sky-high estrogen and progesterone levels that keep the milk-making in check. If prolactin levels slightly outpace those of the estrogen and progesterone, colostrum can leak out a bit.
If you are actively leaking, you can collect at anytime. Use Lacticups to collect and aspirate into a sterile syringe (1mL or 5 mL syringe). If you are NOT actively leaking, you'll need the approval of your provider to start hand expressing after 36 weeks gestation.
Leaking will typically be triggered when your nipples are stimulated. That can happen during foreplay or when you're taking part in activities that cause your nipples to rub against your clothing (say, a brisk walk or a Zumba class). It's more likely to happen toward the end of a pregnancy, as your body revs up.
Some women worry that they will 'run out' of colostrum if they express antenatally, but this doesn't happen, because it's the birth of your baby, and the delivery of the placenta, that tells your body to start producing mature milk.
Use nursing pads.
Tuck nursing pads inside your bra to absorb leaks. You can buy disposable or cloth pads online or at the store, or make your own cloth pads from cut-up cloth diapers. Be sure to change the pads when they get damp so bacteria and fungi won't grow on your nipples.
Risks to mother and baby
By stimulating their nipples and expressing milk while pregnancy, women could bring on regular contractions of the womb and give birth early. This is because nipple stimulation leads to an increase in the hormone oxytocin, which plays a role in both milk let-down and contraction of the womb.
Tender Breasts and Nipples
This is caused by the hormone oxytocin, which also causes the cervix to dilate and open. If your nipples become painful, sensitive, and/or swollen, this could be another sign of labor as your body is preparing for breastfeeding.
Please bring between 5 and 40 ml of expressed colostrum to hospital. If you have more than this, it can be brough from home at a later date if required. Please let staff know you have milk to put into our Level 10 freezer. Frozen colostrum defrosted in the ward fridge will need to be used within 24 hours.
Generally speaking, breastfeeding your husband or partner is OK. It's not perverted or wrong if you want the person you are intimate with to breastfeed, or if they ask to try breastfeeding or taste your breast milk.
Can you use a Haakaa to collect colostrum ? A lot of our Milkbar community have found that the Haakaa Silicone Breast Pump works really well to express colostrum. Simply suction it on and use the gentle suction to help the colostrum move out of the breast. Then transfer to your colostrum syringes.
Stimulate the nipple of one breast for about 5 minutes, and take a 15 minute break before resuming. You can do this a few times a day, each day until you go into labor. Your best bet would be to get your doctor's advice on how long and often to do it since every pregnancy can have different requirements.
You will only be able to express a very small amount, maybe only half a teaspoon, if you express in the first few days after birth. This is normal and enough. Colostrum is thick and small in volume, so hand expressing may work better than a pump in the first day or so.
In the first few days after birth the amount of colostrum expressed may vary from a few drops to a few mls. As colostrum changes to more mature milk the volume will gradually increase. Expressing frequently (at least 8–10 times in 24- hours, including overnight) will help establish the milk supply.
You might notice a change in the discharge from your vagina or a few cramps in your abdomen. You may have a low, dull ache in your back that can come and go. You may also feel pressure in your vagina or back passage. As the big day gets nearer, you may experience more definite early signs of labour.