Stupid colostrum question

My colostrum is starting to show up, in tiny drops, at 36 weeks.
Leading me to wonder: is it possible accidentally to run through the
stuff before your baby ever arrives? I admit I've been curious enough
to be trying to produce some at occasional intervals, which I doubt
will use up the supply by itself (especially as I get bored with it),
but I've also heard that breast pumps can be good for natural labor
induction. If I go over my due date I might want to consider that, but
I'm worried that if I pump, I'll run out of colostrum and be into the
milk supply before the baby gets any of the colostrum. Does anyone
know if this is possible, or if it just keeps being colostrum no
matter how much of it you expel, till there's an actual baby on the
outside? Thanks.

Naomi
#1 EDD 2/28/04

"Naomi Rivkis" wrote in message
...
My colostrum is starting to show up, in tiny drops, at 36 weeks.
Leading me to wonder: is it possible accidentally to run through the
stuff before your baby ever arrives? I admit I've been curious enough
to be trying to produce some at occasional intervals, which I doubt
will use up the supply by itself (especially as I get bored with it),
but I've also heard that breast pumps can be good for natural labor
induction. If I go over my due date I might want to consider that, but
I'm worried that if I pump, I'll run out of colostrum and be into the
milk supply before the baby gets any of the colostrum. Does anyone
know if this is possible, or if it just keeps being colostrum no
matter how much of it you expel, till there's an actual baby on the
outside? Thanks.

Naomi
#1 EDD 2/28/04

It just keeps being colostrum until the placenta is out.

-- Dagny

My colostrum is starting to show up, in tiny drops, at 36 weeks.
Leading me to wonder: is it possible accidentally to run through the
stuff before your baby ever arrives? I admit I've been curious enough
to be trying to produce some at occasional intervals, which I doubt
will use up the supply by itself (especially as I get bored with it),
but I've also heard that breast pumps can be good for natural labor
induction. If I go over my due date I might want to consider that, but
I'm worried that if I pump, I'll run out of colostrum and be into the
milk supply before the baby gets any of the colostrum. Does anyone
know if this is possible, or if it just keeps being colostrum no
matter how much of it you expel, till there's an actual baby on the
outside? Thanks.

Good question

I'd like to know the answer myself... I dont think I'd get any out by
pumping though... i dont seem to have alot of it at the moment

Leanne
EDD: 23rd April 2004

colostrum is what you produce from your breasts until the hormone changes
that are caused by the explusion of the placenta. The amount of colostrum
required by the baby is tiny, though it is mixed with the first milk for
the first few days.

I hardly everr leaked, I couldn't get a drop out til after the birth. Then
I expressed a little to syringe feed ds (he was a 37 weeker and not too
keen on eating), after lieing the sleeping baby on my chest it was really
easy to express more than he needed, so don't worry abot not having enough

Naomi Rivkis wrote:

My colostrum is starting to show up, in tiny drops, at 36 weeks.
Leading me to wonder: is it possible accidentally to run through the
stuff before your baby ever arrives?

There's a specific hormone trigger (placenta delivery, I think -- which
is why no milk after 1 week+ can be a sign of retained placenta) that
causes the switch.

If it were possible to run out, babies who are still nursing when their
moms get pregnant again would zip through it really early, too.

Mary S.
mom to the Sproutkin, 22 months
and a new wee babysprout, due October 1

Piggybacking because the original is not on my server

: Naomi Rivkis wrote:

: My colostrum is starting to show up, in tiny drops, at 36 weeks.
: Leading me to wonder: is it possible accidentally to run through the
: stuff before your baby ever arrives?

Of course not, it's just like breastmilk. The faster you remove it,
the more and faster you will produce it. That is, the effect is just
the OPPOSITE of what you conjecture.

Think of tandem nursers.

Larry

Naomi Rivkis wrote in message . ..
My colostrum is starting to show up, in tiny drops, at 36 weeks.
Leading me to wonder: is it possible accidentally to run through the
stuff before your baby ever arrives?

I don't think it's possible to run through it. I was leaking some
colostrum at 16 weeks (yes, 16 weeks), and I had plenty for the baby.

-Sara

On Mon, 02 Feb 2004 11:40:34 +0000, Naomi Rivkis wrote:

My colostrum is starting to show up, in tiny drops, at 36 weeks.
Leading me to wonder: is it possible accidentally to run through the
stuff before your baby ever arrives?

I sure hope not, mine is already there... As far as I know, your body will
not switch to "normal" milk until after delivery, when it changes to a
different kind of hormone production.

--
-- I
mommy to DS (19m)
mommy to a tiny angel (Oct 2003)
EDD October 1
guardian of DH (33)
War doesn't decide who's right, only who's left