The milk
The breasts
The baby
birthTIPS
The milk. About 48 hours (or 2 days) after the birth, the milk will change from being colostrum to 'transitional milk'. The volume of milk usually begins to increase slowly, but for a few women will come in quite quickly. The time it takes for the transitional milk to start appearing after the birth is closely related to the amount of stimulation the nipples have received in the first 24 to 48 hours. Factors that can delay the transitional milk from starting to be produced until 72 to 120 hours (or 3 to 5 days or more) can include:
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Difficulty latching the baby correctly and short feeds. This can decrease the stimulation of the milk supply. |
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Delayed, or infrequent, feeding of the baby in the first 48 hours because the baby, or mother, is unwell. |
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The woman only expressing by hand or breast pump because her baby is unwell. |
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The woman using a nipple shield because she has sore nipples. |
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A 'sleepy' or 'disinterested' baby. This can be due to the baby taking a while to 'wake up' after the birth, or due to the side effects of the woman having a narcotic pain relieving medication during her labour. |
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Giving the baby formula supplements, or a dummy, instead of breastfeeding more often, to settle the baby in the first few days. |
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The woman experiencing a retained placenta and /or a postpartum haemorrhage. This can increase the release of the hormone progesterone and inhibit the release of her prolactin hormone (prolactin is necessary for milk production), delaying the milk coming in. |
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The individual response of a particular woman's body. For a few women their milk 'always' comes in on days 4 to 5. |