How many months of pregnancy can I express breast milk?

In the early stages of pregnancy, a woman's breasts will undergo small changes due to the fetus in the belly. The breasts will swell slightly and secrete some milk. However, some people will not secrete milk during pregnancy due to different physical constitutions. After giving birth, there will be insufficient milk. So, how many months of pregnancy can a woman secrete milk? Let’s take a look at it together below.

In the early stages of pregnancy, you will feel breast swelling, tingling, or tenderness. After 8 weeks of pregnancy, your breasts will become noticeably larger. Due to the increase of estrogen and progesterone, the breast ducts and glands proliferate, fat is deposited, the nipples quickly enlarge and color, the areola becomes colored, and scattered enlarged and bulged sebaceous glands appear. In the late pregnancy, a small amount of yellow liquid can be squeezed out from the nipples, which is called "colostrum". Generally, milk can be discharged 1-2 days after delivery, but it varies from person to person. Generally, milk can be discharged around 5 months of pregnancy.

It is normal to secrete a small amount of milk during pregnancy, but the timing varies from person to person. It is recommended to take good care of the breasts, apply hot towels to the breasts, clean the nipples, choose a soft cotton bra that is not too tight and avoids rubbing the nipples.

Generally, the mother undergoes a cesarean section on the same day or the next day after giving birth, and the cesarean section occurs about 3 days after giving birth, but there are exceptions depending on individual circumstances. Some pregnant women begin to secrete colostrum 1-2 weeks before delivery. There is no necessary correlation between the amount of milk and the size of the breasts. Almost all mothers have enough milk to feed their babies. At the beginning, because of the weakness after childbirth, the milk supply may be less. After the confinement period, the milk secretion will increase. Therefore, you must insist on breastfeeding and have confidence in yourself. It is very rare that the mother has too little milk to feed her baby. Feeding frequently and allowing the baby to suck more will help stimulate milk secretion.

Generally, after a woman gives birth, the placenta is expelled, the secretion of estrogen decreases sharply, while the secretion of prolactin increases. Coupled with the stimulation of the baby sucking on the nipple, milk is produced continuously for the newborn to suck. The breasts will naturally secrete milk. Milk is only produced after giving birth, and generally disappears after the child is weaned.

Effects of progesterone action. Estrogen stimulates the development of breast lobules, and progesterone stimulates the growth of breast ducts. Milk secretion is achieved under the control of the nervous system through the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis which regulates the secretion of prolactin by the pituitary gland.

It can only maintain normal mammary gland development but cannot induce milk secretion. After pregnancy, the increased sex hormones in the pregnant woman's body provide feedback, allowing the hypothalamus to receive the pregnancy information and rapidly increase the secretion of prolactin, which can reach more than 10 times the normal level before delivery.

To sum up, this is a detailed introduction to how many months of pregnancy you can express milk. During pregnancy, the breasts will secrete some milk due to the stimulation of the placenta. At this time, pregnant women should not wear bras that are too restrictive. They should change to nursing bras without steel supports, and try to relax the breasts to allow the blood in the breasts to flow smoothly. Also pay attention to your diet. Pregnant women should not eat too much fried or grilled food.