Updated July 30th 2025
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re pregnant and you’ve already heard some stories, from friends or family, about their milk coming in after birth. Some might have said it happened on day 3. Another might have shared it took almost a week. So what does it actually mean and why is there such a difference?
The thing is that your milk isn’t really “coming in”. It’s technically already there. It’s just that not many people realize this and too many people don’t get the help they need after birth to breastfeed.
Your body begins producing your baby’s first milk as early as 16 weeks during pregnancy! Yes, milk is already being made way ahead of your baby being born. But it’s normal if you don’t really notice because your body has a system in place that stops the milk from being made in large quantities or very quickly because baby isn’t here yet to feed.
This first milk is called colostrum. It’s often what people refer to as liquid gold because it can be a very deep yellow colour. But it’s also normal for colostrum to be a pale straw colour or even clear. This first milk is filled with antibodies to protect your newborn. Because this milk is made during pregnancy, it’s already there when your baby is born.
So why don’t some people see it or think it’s there? Well, there’s a lot if factors that impact this. The first is that it’s made in very small quantities. Your baby’s first feeding will only be about 5-7 mL total! That’s about one teaspoon! If you can imagine one teaspoon right now, it’s a very small amount. This is all your baby needs. Another reason is because this milk is very thick and sticky so it’s not exactly flowing. It takes effort to remove. When your baby is drinking, they may only swallow 4 or 5 times that first whole feeding so it’s very easy to feel like there isn’t milk or there’s not enough of iteven when there is.
Because colostrum is made during pregnancy, it’s there after you give birth. But because the volume is so low and it’s very thick, it takes a little while to begin to transition into thinner, faster flowing milk. This is what people will call “milk coming in”. It’s the change that happens turning colostrum (gradually) into mature milk. But it’s important to remember it’s a gradual change. And that you do have milk after birth.
Another factor is the types of interventions used during labour and birth. Things like IV fluids, a caesarean birth or separation after birth, can affect how quickly you see this milk start to increase in volume. This is why some moms experience a delay.
With my firstborn, I believe my milk volume increased (“came in”) around the end of day 3 maybe early morning day 4. This is pretty average for first time moms but now as a mom of two and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, I know there’s a common reason for this.
It’s because we’re not taught how to make it happen faster! With my second child, my milk started to increase (the colostrum started to transition) at the end of day 2. 48 hours instead of 72+ because I did something different.
My body had more milk making tissue because I already lactated once before but I made the effort to work with my body and make the transition happen sooner. I didn’t buy any specific supplements nor did I buy any device or gadget or tool to help it happen. I used hand expression. You can watch a video about how to do hand expression at the end of this post.
The reason most first time moms don’t know about this technique is because it’s often not covered in hospital prenatal classes and nurses and midwives aren’t talking about it early enough. Learning hand expression before your baby is born is the best time! It gives you time to practice to get comfortable with how to do it as well as get comfortable with your body.
Hand expression made a massive difference for me and it’s the key reason why my milk transitioned so much faster after the birth of my second child. This is why I teach all of my prenatal clients how to hand express. Because you should know how to do this before your baby is born to set you up for success.
The results below are from a first time mom who had a c-section birth. She used my method of hand expression and colostrum collection before birth as well as after birth and even with separation from her baby after birth was able to have her husband provide colostrum to their baby and have her milk transition sooner.
How to Hand Express & Collect Colostrum
If you found this helpful and want to help your milk come in sooner and get breastfeeding off to a strong start, I invite you to sign up for my free peaceful postpartum guide
You’ll get an amazing guide filled with ways you can support your physical recovery, make life easier, better understand your baby’s sleep and get breastfeeding off to a strong start