When Does Milk Start Leaking During Pregnancy?
Finding liquid or dried-up flakes on your breasts during pregnancy can be a bit alarming, especially if it’s your first baby. But there’s a perfectly good reason for it: Your breasts are starting to make baby’s first milk in preparation for breastfeeding. So when do you start making breast milk during pregnancy? What’s normal (and what’s not)? Let’s dig in.
Your breasts start making their first round of milk—aka colostrum—when you’re about 16 weeks pregnant, says Heather Ludwig, IBCLC, a lactation consultant at OSF HealthCare in Bloomington, Illinois. “It’s the first milk made for babies. It’s rich in antibodies, low in fat and high in carbohydrates and protein,” she says.
Colostrum is a little different than your typical milk. This “first milk” is thicker, like honey. The texture helps coat baby’s intestinal tract and protect their immature gut from harmful bacteria, notes Cleveland Clinic. “Its concentrated volume and thicker consistency also help baby learn how to suck-swallow-breathe,” adds Ludwig.
Absolutely! Your breasts are ramping up for an important job, and leaking along the way is super common. Leaking “may be noticed when the breast is stimulated with touch, during intercourse or a hot shower,” says Tina Hendrick, MD, a board-certified ob-gyn and medical director at Pediatrix Medical Group in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Your breasts could also leak randomly.
If you’re not experiencing any leaking at all, that’s also completely normal, especially if it’s your first pregnancy. Shannon Scott Schellhammer, MD, a board-certified ob-gyn at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies in Orlando, says that leaking breast milk during pregnancy is very common for parents who’ve already breastfed. Research shows that lactating parents produce more milk during second pregnancies than the first time around.
Breast milk can start leaking anytime from 16 weeks of pregnancy through the second and third trimesters. “Leaking a little milk from your breasts or seeing some dried whitish stuff on your nipple is pretty common, especially in the last trimester,” says Ludwig. Your “first milk” can come in different colors. “Colostrum can vary in color, from clear or cloudy to even yellow or orange,” continues Ludwig.
Many moms-to-be only leak a couple drops of breast milk at a time during pregnancy. “This could total about a teaspoon or so throughout an entire day,” says Hendrick. And in most cases, you’ll mainly notice some dried-up milk flakes on your nipples.
You can thank your pregnancy hormones for not letting you leak all over the place. High levels of estrogen and progesterone typically prevent your breasts from going into full milk production until after baby’s born.
Thankfully, dealing with leaking breasts during pregnancy is typically pretty low-maintenance. But for some first-time parents, this new sensation can feel a bit odd. If leaking bothers you, you can try wearing nursing pads in your bra to soak up the liquid throughout the day.
In the final weeks of pregnancy, colostrum production might ramp up, and you might notice increased leaking. Many experts encourage saving this golden liquid full of great nutrients for baby—but only once you’ve made it to 37 weeks of pregnancy, and with approval from your provider.
“You can use your hands to gently express drops and collect them into a small cup, transferring them to a 1-milliliter syringe and storing it in the freezer,” says Ludwig. After birth, feeding baby colostrum can give them an extra boost of nutrition.
In most cases, leaking breast milk during pregnancy is harmless. But there are some things to watch out for. “If you have painful breasts, blood-tinged or foul-smelling colostrum, redness or tenderness in your breasts, you should notify your doctor,” says Schellhammer. This might indicate an infection or other serious concerns that need to be addressed. And although these situations are rare, staying on top of these symptoms is always a smart idea.
Throughout pregnancy, your body is getting ready to provide baby with everything they need to thrive outside the womb. Lots of new changes are happening, and leaking breast milk might be one of them. Just remember: Both leaking and not leaking milk during pregnancy is totally normal.
Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.
Plus, more from The Bump:
Tina Hendrick, MD, is a board-certified ob-gyn and medical director at Pediatrix Medical Group in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. She received her medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine.
Heather Ludwig, IBCLC, is a lactation consultant at OSF HealthCare in Bloomington, Illinois. She’s passionate about infant nutrition and hosts new parent classes in addition to her daily hospital duties.
Shannon Scott Schellhammer, MD, is a board-certified ob-gyn at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies in Orlando. She received her medical degree from Florida State University and currently serves as the ob-gyn residency program director at Orlando Health.
Cleveland Clinic, Colostrum, February 2022
National Institutes of Health, Mammary Gland May Have Epigenetic Memory, June 2015
Cleveland Clinic, Lactation, December 2021
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