All women experience breast changes at various times during pregnancy. There is an important reason for these changes; your body is preparing to feed your baby. During pregnancy, your breasts are preparing to make milk. Some women see colostrum leaking while they are still pregnant.
The changes in the breasts start early. One of the first symptoms of pregnancy is sore breasts. The tenderness will start around the time you start wondering if you could possibly be pregnant. It will continue throughout the first trimester. Hormones are the main reason for the tenderness. An increase in blood flow to the breast tissue is the other cause.
The best thing you can do to help relieve the soreness is to wear a bra that has good support. Maternity bras are good for this purpose. Look for a soft cotton material to prevent skin irritation. Don’t buy a bunch of new bras in the first trimester. Your breasts will continue to grow throughout your pregnancy. Get a couple of good fitting bras and wash often.
Your breasts will continue to grow through the second and third trimesters. Most women will need new bras again in the third trimester. This time, you may want to buy a nursing bra. Your breasts will get a bit larger after the baby is born, but a bra that fits well on the tightest hook will work after the baby is born for most women. It did for me with all four kids.
You will notice changes in your nipples as well. The skin of the areola gets darker. This is the result of hormonal changes. The nipples will also get larger. You may notice veins are more prominent. This is due to increased blood flow to the breasts.
Sometime during the second or third trimester, you may notice fluid leaking from your breasts. This is colostrum, which is baby’s first milk. This substance is rich in antibodies and is the perfect nutrition for baby’s first few days. Around the third day of baby’s life, your milk will come in and your bra will get even tighter.
Don’t worry if you aren’t leaking colostrum. This is totally normal too. I never leaked with any of my babies. During my first pregnancy, I was concerned because I had read about leaking colostrum. Some women just don’t leak before baby is born. This has no bearing on the ability to breastfeed your baby.
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