Was starting to lose hope that I'd be able to BF

[FleurDeMai]

I'm 38w pregnant with my first, so never breastfed before and can't say how it's going to go once my LO is there... but it seems like all the other pregnant women had leaked by now, and I was getting a little worried that it hadn't happened to me yet. Breastfeeding is extremely important to me and I'd take it as a personal failure if I had to give formula to my son.
Earlier I read tips on how to express colostrum. Thought I'd give it a try and... there it was! A few drops of colostrum, at last! Things are finally looking good, one less thing to worry about

Anyway, this is kind of a pointless thread, I just wanted to share my excitement with other ladies who would understand how important this is for me

 

[Kellen]

Congrats, but I wouldn't worry too much about not leaking beforehand. I never leaked or had any true signs of colostrum before DD was born. Even though she had a brief stint in the NICU and I battled an inverted nipple my milk came gushing in 3 days post-partum. And please don't beat yourself up if you can't. I wish you the best and luck and hope you have some great support. Without the nurses at the hospital and DH's constant cheering it would have been a greater struggle for me, but now we are soon to be hitting the 15 month mark with no signs of stopping anytime soon.

 

[TCK_Runner]

I don't think anyone can predict what their body will do postpartum - it depends entirely on labor, delivery and however your body reacts to hormonal changes, etc. I would have said the same thing as you two months ago. Now I know better. My milk came in late and my baby was screaming out of hunger on day 2 and 3 (no milk from me) so I caved and topped off with a bit of formula. We all needed some sleep and to not be stressed out (and both of us crying constantly). Everyone needs to do whatever they need to do to nake sure baby and mama are happy and healthy and there is nothing *NOTHING* wrong if formula is part of that.

Since you don't want to do that I'll be crossing my fingers for you, but please do NOT consider yourself a failure if you need to use it!

 

[girlinyork]

I never leaked before my baby was born either but had a ton of milk after she was born. I had to cup feed her an ounce of formula after she was born while waiting for her tongue tie to get snipped because she was lethargic and jaundiced. It gave her the energy to perk up and latch on. Keep an open mind re:formula because the last thing a new mum needs is a guilty conscience x

 

[patch2006uk]

I don't think anyone can predict what their body will do postpartum - it depends entirely on labor, delivery and however your body reacts to hormonal changes, etc. I would have said the same thing as you two months ago. Now I know better. My milk came in late and my baby was screaming out of hunger on day 2 and 3 (no milk from me) so I caved and topped off with a bit of formula. We all needed some sleep and to not be stressed out (and both of us crying constantly). Everyone needs to do whatever they need to do to nake sure baby and mama are happy and healthy and there is nothing *NOTHING* wrong if formula is part of that.

Since you don't want to do that I'll be crossing my fingers for you, but please do NOT consider yourself a failure if you need to use it!

Just wanted to clarify that it's normal for milk to take 3-5 days to come in. Mine took about 4 days this time around, which is longer than with either of my other deliveries, but LO only lost 7% of birthweight and we didn't need to supplement, just had a night of constant feeds overnight between days 3-4!

 

[leigh5tom]

I agree with TCKrunner and girlinyork, please keep an open mind regarding formula. It is a healthy and nutritious alternative and there's nothing wrong with using it if you need to. It isn't poison, so don't feel like a failure. Before having my daughter I was one of those people who couldn't understand why anyone would formula feed, and I was certain I would power through the struggles because it's best for my baby and I wouldn't give up as easily as other people do blah blah etc etc. But she was ff from 10 days old because of mastitis and poor latch! So now I love formula, it was my saving grace. It kept my sanity in the early weeks of breastfeeding my son too, because he had a tongue tie and was starving bless him. Formula kept him satisfied for a day of two, but now we EBF.

Good luck x

 

[TCK_Runner]

I don't think anyone can predict what their body will do postpartum - it depends entirely on labor, delivery and however your body reacts to hormonal changes, etc. I would have said the same thing as you two months ago. Now I know better. My milk came in late and my baby was screaming out of hunger on day 2 and 3 (no milk from me) so I caved and topped off with a bit of formula. We all needed some sleep and to not be stressed out (and both of us crying constantly). Everyone needs to do whatever they need to do to nake sure baby and mama are happy and healthy and there is nothing *NOTHING* wrong if formula is part of that.

Since you don't want to do that I'll be crossing my fingers for you, but please do NOT consider yourself a failure if you need to use it!

Just wanted to clarify that it's normal for milk to take 3-5 days to come in. Mine took about 4 days this time around, which is longer than with either of my other deliveries, but LO only lost 7% of birthweight and we didn't need to supplement, just had a night of constant feeds overnight between days 3-4!

Mine ended up taking nearly 10 days and my nipples were bloody/raw. I didn't want her puking up blood nor going hungry (plus, like I said, my milk production was likely lagging because of the stressful situation surrounding breastfeeding, lack of sleep, and zero mental preparation for the realities of bfing). In any case, everyone's body simply reacts differently. I was thankful to have formula as an option and now my milk production is A-OK.

 

[FarmMom]

I never leaked one drop when I was pregnant and by day 3 my milk had come in strong. It's good that you got some reassurance but i think it's totally normal not to leak before baby's born (now that I leak constantly, i'm really glad i didn't have to deal with it during pregnancy).

 

[annio84]

I really hope it works out for you and all being well in terms of supply and things (and incidentally how much you leak before hand is no indication of how much milk you will have), being determined will go a long way to get you through the early days. However, none of us know what is going to happen and having this idea of formula = failure won't do you any good if for any reason you need to give some forumla. Good luck for your labour/delivery and your breastfeeding journey.