Need Second Opinon

Hi D.,

During your pregnancy your body will start producing colostrum, the "pre-milk." Colostrum is very thin and watery and your body produces it in much smaller volume than actual breast milk. It is very beneficial to the babies during their early days of life because it carries a substantial amount of antibodies which help develop their immune systems.

I don't know when your triplets are due, but the milk will not come in until a few days after they are born--and you will know it! Your breasts will be rock-hard and HUGE (I'm talking three cup sizes bigger) and they will hurt like hell. This is called engorgement. It may be hard to nurse when they are engorged like that, but I always had success with wet, hot washcloths laid over my breasts. It helped to soften them up and allowed the milk to flow--that's why I am puzzled why your doctor would tell you hot showers interfere with milk production. With severe engorgement and clogged milk ducts, hot showers usually help.

I have heard that if the baby/babies are born prematurely (as many multiples are) the engorgement will not be as severe as if they are born full-term. I don't know exactly why or if it's 100% true, as both of my biological children were born full-term; something about hormonal changes that occur late in pregnancy which don't occur if you are still late in your second trimester or early in your third...I tried to find a good article to refer you to in a link, but I didn't have much success. So I apologize for that.

I would say once your babies are born you will learn how much milk your body is capable of producing. I have heard many success stories about moms successfully breastfeeding multiples, sometimes with the help of supplemental bottles along the way. You will find in time what works best for you and your babies to keep all four of you happy and healthy :)

Good luck,

M.

God made your breasts to be milk machines. When it is time for your milk to come in , it will.
Pregnancy is not the time for milk. You may have colostrum or a weak , milky colored liquid but not nursing milk during pregnancy. It is not needed at this point in time.
If your babies are born early it may take a bit of time for the rich milk to come, but come it will.
You are fretting yourself for nothing right now hon, relax.
Tincture of time here.
Best wishes and God bless,
Grandmother Lowell

If you eat a health balanced diet, and drink plenty of fluids, you should have not problem producing milk. When I was pregnant and BF my girl I was eating all the time to keep up. You are eating for three. If your milk is getting low, you could try pumping in between feedings. And I heard a warm shower will help your milk let down, not stop it. I agree with the other advice, talk to a lactation consultant. They are a great help. Don't give up.

From my La Leche League group, I've heard many women talk about their milk supply decreasing as they got closer to their due date, but once the new baby arrived they had no trouble nursing both him/her and the older sibling. It's called tandem nursing. I'd highly recommend getting in touch with a La Leche League leader, possibly attending a meeting or two.

I've never heard about hot water being a problem with production. I've used hot showers to help my milk flow when I had plugged ducts, though.

Most important in producing breast milk is making sure you drink enough water and other drinks without caffine or alcohol, and then eating a healthy diet.

I know women still nurse while pregnant but I think it does affect supply because I've heard women weaning while pregnant so maybe it does affct supply for some.
As far as the warm shower I would think that would help because I know when I first started a warm shower always got things flowing and that warm compresses helped with let down. I'ld go to another website that helps with breast feeding Ithink it's kelleymom.com

What kind of doctor are you seeing???? Those are odd things for a professional to be saying to a patient. Both are completely untrue and wacko to say the least!!
Hot showers can actually cause your milk to let down (that is when you are actually a nursing mother and not just pregnant).
You will not produce milk during pregnancy. You won't make milk until two or three days after birth.
Those are extremely strange things for someone to say.
I would have walked out if my doctor gave me crazy wive's tales like that.
WOW!
-S.

I'm assuming you're BF'ing an older child and are now pregnant. In that case, chances are your milk supply will decrease and probably dry up at some point during the pregnancy. Hot showers don't affect production at all. The hormone changes during pregnancy are responsible for low/no milk. There is really nothing you can do about it; even increased nursing probably won't help. (I am currently BF'ing my DS and pregnant. My milk started dropping within a couple of months of being pregnant, and after about 4-5 months there isn't really anything there. But DS continues to nurse for comfort anyway.)

At some point you will probably start producing colostrum, which won't be as plentiful as the milk before. The milk won't come in again until a few days after the baby is born.

I found a good book about this: "Adventures in Tandem Nursing" by Hilary Flower. It deals with nursing an older child during pregnancy and afterward, and the changes that happen during that time. Hope this helps!

showering does nothing to your milk supply before or after the baby is born. you do not develop milk until after the baby is born.

Are you breastfeeding now, or still pregnant? The hospital where you deliver should have lactation consultants that you can arrange to speak to, most likely for free! They are very helpful in that department. AS for the hot water, I've never heard of that hurting milk production- in fact, it can help you express some milk (like when you get a clogged duct) to help clear "the pipelines."

hi D.,
I breast fed my dtr until I was 6 months pregnant with my son, i never had a problem with milk production, I only stopped because I was so tired and i thought it was the combination of pregnancy and breast feeding. My doctor told me i could do it as long as i wanted to, my body would adjust and produce what i needed. My kids are only 13 months apart, so when i was weaning her, she was adding solids and naturally cutting down her drinking anyway. If you want to increase milk production, you could pump after feeding so your body thinks you need more milk. I have never heard of warm showers hurting production, in my case i used to have a hot shower to release some milk and get comfort.
good luck
K.

I am kind of confused by the question. Are you nursing a baby and pregnant? If that is the case you should not have any problems producing milk. I got pregnant when my baby was 5 1/2 months old. I nursed him until he was 10 months without any problems. If you are just pregnant then you should not be producing milk until the baby arrives.

Good luck!

Try contacting the Lactation Consultant at the hospital where you will be delivering. They are a great resource, they can also connect you w/ the La Leche (sp?) League in your area.

we need more info

do you already have a baby you are feeding and pregnent again? if yes its ture some do have troblem producing enough milk becuase your body is working on makeing that new baby grow

a hot shower on the oter hand should help your milk "flow" but should not effect how much you have in anyway

you should make sure you have a good diet and maybe get a better set of dr's!

D.,

I don't have an answer for you but the ladies of La Leche League will. www.llli.org Look up the group in your area and call one of the women. They will have an answer for you and how you can make it better.

L. M

Are you nursing another child while pregnant? I became pregnant for the second time when my son was about 6 months. My supply dried up by the time I was 3 months pregnant. Not everyone is the same though, others here have posted saying their supply was not effected until very late in pregnancy. In any case, hot showers do not inhibit supply, that is ridiculous - might want to look for a new doctor?

I'm not sure exactly what you are asking. Are you pregnant right now and breastfeeding or are you pregnant and due in a few months because if you are pregnant and due in a few months your milk doesn't come in until normally a few days after delivery you may leak a little while pregnant but thats not actually milk.