Kika

Your research sounds as if it's going to be really useful for us.

I have been thinking very much along the lines of Barbara Robertson's
recent post - the reason the first expression is so high in volume is
because there is colostrum stored already in the breasts.  The second and
subseqent times the mom expresses she is only expressing the volume
synthesized since the previous time, so it's bound to be less.

I also find that when working with a mother whose baby is gaining slowly,
and the plan is to express frequently in order to provide supplements of
the mother's own milk and boost breastmilk synthesis, the first time she
expresses the volume is quite impressive but if she's diligent in
expressing often, the volume appears to dip - if you measure the 24 hour
cache of course it begins to increase, but mothers often need to be warned
that this will happen.

Keep us posted Kika!

Pamela Morrison IBCLC
Rustington, England
----------------------------

I have wondered about this too and think maybe it is the fact that it is
the first milk removal ever and there is colostrum built up from
pregnancy. I have found this in a mother who is not expressing often. We
will get an ounce or so with that first pumping or nursing but then if
she removes the milk regularly, she won't get as much per time as she
did at the first milk removal when her breasts were storing the milk. Of
course, with better milk removal, her supple gradually increases.
I wonder if this is what is happening during those first hours after
birth. All during her last trimester, colostrum is being made and stored
in the breast. So you get that "stored" amount of colostrum in the first
milk removals. Because oxytocin is so high after a natural birth, the
body will be pushing it out through aveoli contractions as well as the
pressure from the hand so you will get even more.


Have no idea if this is true.

What does anyone think of this idea?

Barbara Robertson, MA, IBCLC, RLC
The Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor
bfcaa.com

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