The Marvel of Milk: Understanding Breastfeeding's Natural Wonders
By Courtney Miller, RN,BSN, IBCLC
Beginning of Milk Production
From the onset of pregnancy, your body gears up for an extraordinary task: producing milk. Around the 16-20 week mark, your breasts begin their preparation. You may notice changes such as tenderness, enlargement, and darkening areolas—all part of your body’s strategy to nourish your soon-to-arrive baby.
The structure responsible for milk production is the alveoli, tiny, grape-like clusters where milk is synthesized. It then travels through a network of ducts, exiting through multiple openings in each nipple—yes, there’s more than one per nipple, typically ranging from 4 to 18!
As you navigate the early days of motherhood and breastfeeding, take a moment to marvel at your body’s capacity to create life sustaining nourishment.
Colostrum- aka “Liquid Gold”
A crucial component of early breastfeeding is colostrum, often referred to as “liquid gold.” This thick, yellowish milk forms during pregnancy and is rich in proteins, vitamins A, E, and K, and packed with antibodies. It provides vital initial immunity to your newborn, who lacks these protective antibodies at birth.
How Milk “Comes In” & Early Days of Breastmilk
Post-delivery, the removal of the placenta triggers a drop in the hormones estrogen and progesterone, while prolactin, which stimulates milk production, surges. This hormonal shift is what kickstarts your milk supply.
Initially, what your baby consumes is colostrum, sufficient until the “real” milk, or transitional milk, arrives. This transitional phase, where colostrum is mixed with maturing milk, lasts about 2-4 weeks. Your mature milk, which generally begins to flow between days 2 to 5 postpartum, may come in sooner if you’ve had a baby before as the body “remembers” the process. Factors like a complicated delivery or stress can delay this process . This has the potential to necessitate supplementation with formula or donor milk under medical guidance.
Supply & Demand System
Breastfeeding operates on a supply and demand system. Essentially, the more milk is removed, the more is produced, akin to how an automatic ice machine works. If the ice bucket is full, production halts; once ice is removed, more is made. Similarly, a protein called FIL (Feedback Inhibitor of Lactation) regulates milk production in the breasts. When the breast is full, FIL slows production, and when milk is removed, production ramps up.
So, remember: frequent breastfeeding or pumping encourages continuous milk production, thanks to FIL doing its job. This intricate dance of hormones and physiological responses not only ensures your baby gets the best start in life but also highlights the sheer wonder of what the human body can do.
Marvel at Your Body’s Capabilities
As you navigate the early days of motherhood and breastfeeding, take a moment to marvel at your body’s capacity to create life sustaining nourishment. It’s truly a remarkable feat of nature. One that we continue to admire as we support countless families through their breastfeeding journey.
The Better Boob Lactation team; where passion meets purpose!
Our dedicated group is committed to transforming the breastfeeding journey for families by providing unparalleled support, education, and empowerment. Meet the incredible individuals who form the heartbeat of our organization:
Courtney Miller, RN, BSN, IBCLC – Courtney is the founder of The Better Boob Lactation. Courtney has been registered nurse since 2016 and is now an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Her passion for breastfeeding began after giving birth to her son in March 2019, and quickly realizing there wasn’t enough readily-available breastfeeding education and support.
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