I have refrained from using the term 'milk coming in' for almost a decade now and I do believe it makes a difference in the perception of mothers, and the staff I work with.


Mothers begin to produce milk in the mid part of pregnancy, and usually about 48-72 hours following birth most mothers experience an increase in the volume of milk and the changes in composition.  When mothers ask me when to expect their 'milk to come in' I try to reassure them they have been making milk since the middle part of their pregnancy, the early milk, and when to expect an increase in the volume of milk, and discuss normal feed volumes and infant stomach size. 


In our zeal to empower mothers with the information about the qualities of colostrum I feel that sometimes the message has been lost because they don't perceive colostrum as milk, and they often attribute the immune properties of colostrum as unique to that period and believe these benefits are lost following the colostrum phase, and are unfamiliar with the ongoing immune benefits of breastmilk following lact II (again, not a reference I would make to a client, but my peers understand the context).


It's all milk!


Michelle H. Kinne BA IBCLC RLC ICCE CD(DONA)
www.CascadePerinatalServices.com








 

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