So When Exactly Do I Start Making Breastmilk?

You'd be surprised how many women don't know this! To be fair, it's not something you usually consider until you find yourself trying to produce said milk for an infant.

One of the reasons we love to do shorter, more informative posts on these topics is because because it can help women to love the body she lives in. Why? The more you understand something, the more you can appreicate it! This becomes all the more important during pregnancy and postpartum, when the body is changing so dramatically.

So when does your body start producing breastmilk?

A. Immediately after baby is born

B. A few days after baby is born

C. In the third trimester

D. In the second trimester

If you guessed "C", you would be correct! But it might be more accurate to say that you develop what you need to make milk all the way back in the SECOND TRIMESTER. If you're confused by that, keep reading below. We will break down lactogenesis, or the creation and production of breastmilk!

Second Trimester: As your levels of hormones rise-particularly estrogen and progesterone-your body begins to create milk ducts, which get the milk from the alveoli to your nipples! These tissues will continue to develop in sync with your baby, allowing everything to be ready when it's time for birth. How cool is that?

There is also some research that in future pregnancies, you may grow more milk ferrying tissue, and that your cells actually remember how to do things. Scientists hypothesize that this could increase both milk supply and ease of maintaining supply after the second baby.

*If you're interested in what other roles hormones play in lactation, check out our article on this topic HERE.

Third Trimester:

The third trimester of pregnancy often comes with other more obvious signs of winding down towards birth, but never fear, your breast tissue is hard at work too!

You may notice these signs of lactation prep:

-Denser, heavier feeling breasts

-Darkening nipples and/or areolas (if they didn't change in size/color earlier)

-More prominent/visible veins in your breast tissue

You may even start producing colostrum during this time! Not sure what that is? Check out THIS post we did on it early in 2023. The short version is that it's the first type of milk your body will produce for baby, and it's often referred to as "liquid gold". Some mothers like to collect this milk and freeze it in syringes. This can be a perfect way to support baby immediately after birth as you wait for milk to come in.

After birth:

Once the placenta is delivered, estrogen and progesterone will drop quickly. As they were responsible for suppressing prolactin during pregnancy, your body will now get the message to move from colostrum production to "mature milk" production. The average time this takes is anywhere from 2-5 days for a first-time mother, often a bit sooner for a second or third pregnancy.

What day did YOUR milk come in? Let us know in the comments.

Don't rely fully on that though, if you plan to breastfeed. While the hormones play a huge role in those early weeks, it needs to be combined with frequent, efficient milk removal to fully establish that milk supply!

There is so much more that we could say, but that's the general flow of lactation. (Get it?)

So the next time a friend asks you, "When exactly do I start making breastmilk?", you know how to answer! Or just send them this post, if you found it helpful!

If you have questions, please leave them below and will have our lovely IBCLC Kristi Ramey respond to them.