for experianced brestfeeding mothers please?

Question

hi..i was told that if i masage my niples once a day with vasline it will help to keep my brest not heart and it will help the firstdays of breastfeeding not be so painfull..
im 3days away from beeing 6 monthes pregnant..
but i was wondering if my brest are supposto letout some clearish witesh coloerd substance...
is this normal.. or is it milk that the baby needs... should i let it out or help to let it out or should i try and not masage my niples and leave that liquid inside..
did any of u mothers have any clear white or clear yellowish watter ormilk come out of your niples during your pregnancy..
i

Answer 1

1. No you do not have to massage your nipples with anything.

2. That liquid is colostrum. It's baby's first milk and you will not do any damage by expressing it, nor will it "run out" or anything of that sort.
2a. Colostrum is chock-full of vitamins and antibodies and is all baby needs in the first few days after birth until the mature milk comes in. Baby will only drink a tablespoon or so a day (even with all the nursing s/he does) because Baby's stomach is SO SO SO tiny.

www.kellymom.com is the best breastfeeding resource you could ever hope for. Also, get in touch with your local La Leche League (www.llli.org) and find an INTERNATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED LACTATION CONSULTANT (IBCLC) through www.ilca.org. The lactation consultants at the hospital (if you're having a hospital birth) may or may not be board-certified; they may just be nurses who take one class sponsored by a formula company and that's it.

If you're on livejournal, the breastfeeding community (breastfeeding.livejournal.com) is fantastic, as are the message boards over at www.mothering.com/discussions.

Welcome to motherhood!

Answer 2

The fluid is colustrum. It is the baby's first food, and while it might not look like much, it is packed with nutrients and antibodies, and is all that the baby needs for the first few days until your milk comes in. Women often start leaking it a bit during pregnancy - it's normal. You might consider getting some breast pads to wear inside your bra to protect from staining your bra/clothes.

Your body will keep making more of it until your milk comes in a few days after birth, so don't worry about using up food that your baby will need - you won't. On the other hand, there is no need to try and get it out.

Massaging your nipples and using vaseline really won't help, so there is no need to bother with that. Putting lanolin on sore nipples in the early days of breastfeeding can help - look for it near the breasfeeding supplies in a store, Lanisoh is the normal brand. Just expressing a few drops of milk/colustrum after nursing the baby and rubbing it into the nipples can help - breastmilk has healing properties.

The most important part of preventing sore nipples though is to make sure that the baby's latch is good every time he/she nurses so that he/she isn't actually sucking directly on the nipple. Read books and learn as much as you can about breastfeeding before the baby comes. La Leche League meetings can also be a good rouce of support - you are welcome to attend even if you haven't had a baby yet. Also knowing where to find a good lactation consultent to help in case you do have trouble can help a lot.

Answer 3

You produce colostrum, which is an early form of breast milk, throughout your later months of pregnancy. It is not uncommon for it to leak out and that is OK if it does. You do not need to do anything about it. Wear a nursing pad if it leaks through your clothing. There is no need to prepare your nipples in any way for breast feeding. Vaseline will only soften your breasts from the outside by helping to keep moisture in the skin which does not affect breast feeding at all. The massaging is most likely what is causing the leaking of the colostrum. It does not hurt anything however. You can stop both the massaging and the vaseline if you want. It doesn't hurt anything, but it really won't do anything to prepare you for breast feeding. There generally is some degree of discomfort during the early days of breast feeding, but it isn't long lasting and unless the baby has a bad latch-on will not really hurt you. Take these next few months before the baby comes to read some books about breast feeding. When you are in the hospital after the baby comes take advantage of the lactation consultant. Ask for help and ask questions before you go home. Ask for someone to watch and help you nurse so you can be confident that you are doing it correctly. Even after you go home, you can often have someone come to your home to help you if you are having problems. Many times your milk has not even come in yet when you are sent home from the hospital. Your milk will come in sometime between 2-5 days after the birth. Do not be surprised or frustrated if it takes 6 weeks or more to really get the hang of breast feeding. Both you and your baby are new to this and it'll take some practice for you both.

Answer 4

The clearish whitish liquid is colostrum - it is the first thing that comes in before the transitional milk, then comes in the regular milk. What you are experienceing is totally normal. It doesn't matter if you squeeze out some of that every once in a while - it's not like you are going to run out.

Don't massage your nipples with anything. This could lead to breast infection, as bacteria can get inside your mild ducts thought the tiny holes in your nipples where the milk comes out. Be careful about soap and lotions, too. Breast infections are a real b*tch. Believe me, I know.

Congratulations on your baby! Breastfeeding is a wonderful experience and it is the best thing you can give your baby.

By the way, I don't want to lie you you. Breastfeeding hurts like heck for the first few weeks. Just hang in there. It gets better. After my 3rd week of breastfeeding it didn't hurt at all. Just make sure the baby latches on correctly - that was my problem.

Its a learning experience for both you and your baby - it's not one of those things that just come "naturally" - I strongly advise seeing a lactation consultant. I think it is free - at least it was at my hospital.

Oh - like some of the others said - Lansinoh is good. I only used it after I started breastfeeding, though.

Answer 5

Use Lansinoh instead of Vaseline. Lansinoh (or a store brand) is lanolin and safe for your baby to ingest. Vaseline is petroleum based and not good for them. It worked wonders on my painful nipples during those first days of learning to latch and then later when I had cuts from my son biting. It is also great on minor cuts and scrapes - I use it for chapped fingers.
You are already producing colostrum which usually starts during the last month or two of pregnancy but so start much earlier. This contains important anitbodies to boost the baby's immune system and it is what your baby will get to eat before your milk comes in about 2 or threee days after the baby is born.
I don't know what you should do with it because I started leaking only a day or two before I went into labor and I just left it alone - I wasn't told otherwise.
Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.

Answer 6

Yes, the clear liquid is normal. Your body will produce that before it produces milk. In fact, your baby will feed on that for the first week or so before your milk sets in. That is full of nutrition so expect that. You can continue to message your nipples but it really didn't do any good for me. You will become engorged from time to time and if you will stand in a shower as warm as you can stand it and let the water run over them it will drain them and release the pressure. To keep your nipples from cracking and becoming sore they make a product. I can't remember that name but it comes in a purple and white squeeze tube and it has an outline of a pregnant lady on the front. That stuff works wonders. I think it starts with an "L"

Answer 7

Normal to have discharge. Your body will keep making that for the first week of your baby life. It is colostrum. And also, from my experience, there is no need to "massage" your nipples. I think it is actually a waist of time. No matter what, your nipples will get sore, and hurt like heck the first week. (i have had two kids, and plan on nursing the third on the way) I would say, stop waisting your time, and just enjoy being pregnant. Then buy lanolin. That stuff rocks. It is like vasoline, but you don't have to wash it off before the baby nurses. It is great. good luck and congrats.

Answer 8

Massaging nipples is good. The fluid coming out is called colostrum and is normal and will keep replacing until your baby is born and then you will produce milk. Massaging nipples helps to prevent them cracking when you start to feed your baby. Lets them toughen a little, get used to the idea of being touched a lot during feeding. Don't use Vaseline close to birth as it is a chemical not good to go into a babies mouth. Pawpaw ointment is good.

Answer 9

That fluid is called colustrum and it is fine to leak it while pregnant...you aren't taking anything away from your baby. You will have the colustrum until after the baby is born and your milk comes in. The breast is more like a factory - not a storage facility. When a baby is nursing the "factory" is making more milk at the same time and breastmilk acutally changes content while baby is nursing from watery (thrist quenching) to richer hind milk for better nutrients). So if you express colustrum or breast milk after the baby...it is okay...the breast will make more.

Answer 10

When I breastfed we massaged with vitamin e oil (makes more sense than using vaseline!). Try not to worry too much about all of this... mother nature will take her course. Congratulations on the upcoming birth of your baby!