So my boobs started leaking.

jessa1228 · June 2014

I'll be 20 weeks on Sunday. Yesterday H and I were fooling around. He suddenly looked down and his jaw dropped. I looked down as well and saw a big ol' wet spot right over my right nipple. He started laughing, I actually started crying because I was so shocked (yay hormones!).

Of course I immediately consulted with The Almighty Google and was quickly reassured that it's perfectly normal to start leaking colostrum this early, but I'm still pretty shocked. Looks like I might need to invest in nursing bras/pads sooner than I thought.

Has anyone else started leaking yet? STMs, when did you first start leaking?

KTgator · June 2014

I'm worried I might leak this time too! My daughter weaned about a month before I became pregnant again. The milk definitely finished drying up in the first trimester, but I'm wondering if I will start leaking soon.

xiaopeapod · June 2014

FTM here and no signs of leaking yet. I have a small chest to begin with so I would be really surprised if I do.

AnnieRoo13 · June 2014

FTM here. My boobs haven't really been leaking, but I have had dried colostrum on my nipples when I wake up in the morning- not a lot, but enough that I've noticed it. Yay for weird pregnancy symptoms!

klc31883 · June 2014

I woke up the other morning with two milk spots on my pajama shirt. I leaked throughout the 2nd 1/2 of my first pregnancy too, but nothing major where I needed the pads. That came after - I had a massive oversupply and leaked all the time. Had tons of milk though, so no complaints other than sometimes messy!

runningmama14 · June 2014

I had a small amount of leakage around 14 weeks. Haven't had any since.

Richardsmom_817 · June 2014

I always leak early on w/ my kids...around 19-20 wks too....I am already 18 wks so this makes me sad...no more fooling around w/ those for my husband once that happens

uncharted01 · June 2014

AnnieRoo13 said:

FTM here. My boobs haven't really been leaking, but I have had dried colostrum on my nipples when I wake up in the morning- not a lot, but enough that I've noticed it. Yay for weird pregnancy symptoms!

Me too! Yay for crusty colostrum!

turtles7 · June 2014

This is my first pregnancy and I started leaking from my right boob at 14 weeks. Nothing from the left one yet.

Bandia12 · June 2014

I started leaking around 25 weeks with DS, and I've been leaking a little (not much) since about 11 weeks with this baby.

AnnieRoo13 · June 2014

uncharted01 said:

AnnieRoo13 said:

FTM here. My boobs haven't really been leaking, but I have had dried colostrum on my nipples when I wake up in the morning- not a lot, but enough that I've noticed it. Yay for weird pregnancy symptoms!
Me too! Yay for crusty colostrum!

Aren't we the cutest!?

PandaCon · June 2014

Leaky Boobs don't necessarily mean that BF will be good/easy or even that it is a sign of good supply.

It just means that your body is preparing for baby.

Kristil2014 · June 2014

Nothing yet. But my chest does feel heavy.

kbelle13 · June 2014

Oh man. For some reason I hadn't even realized this was a possibility this early on. Thanks for the head's up!

AnnieRoo13 · June 2014

PandaCon said:

Leaky Boobs don't necessarily mean that BF will be good/easy or even that it is a sign of good supply.

It just means that your body is preparing for baby.

I wish that leaky boobs meant that BF would be easy. I wish that there were signs or things you could do to prepare. I really really want to BF and I know it's not easy and has a learning curve, but I'd really like to get ready if I could. Damn unpredictable bodies. I guess I'll just have to read up as much as I can.

lizzielu82 · June 2014

Becks517 said:

AnnieRoo13 said:

FTM here. My boobs haven't really been leaking, but I have had dried colostrum on my nipples when I wake up in the morning- not a lot, but enough that I've noticed it. Yay for weird pregnancy symptoms!

Me too! Yay for crusty colostrum!
Yep, I'm 16 weeks and I've been finding this for about the past week. It's lovely.

Add me to the club, too! Beyond just being weird, it's also itchy!

I'd like to add that even with this symptom, my boobs are still small

mamatohne · June 2014

Yep! I wish I could start pumping this shit now to start a stash!!!!!!

rahkitt · June 2014

AnnieRoo13 said:
I wish that leaky boobs meant that BF would be easy. I wish that there were signs or things you could do to prepare. I really really want to BF and I know it's not easy and has a learning curve, but I'd really like to get ready if I could. Damn unpredictable bodies. I guess I'll just have to read up as much as I can.

I wouldn't recommend reading about it, I'd recommend going on youtube and searching for videos on latching on and watching as many as possible. I really think a big part of the reason so many women in the US have trouble breastfeeding is because they've never or rarely seen it done! Watch how the moms make sure the baby's mouth is wide open before bringing it to the breast, and that its lips are splayed outward and also how to detect signs of swallowing and all those things. Getting the latch right from the *very first time* can save you a world of pain. If the first time you say it doesn't matter if the latch is perfect, your baby may damage your nipples and then it's going to go on hurting for a while. I'm not saying you won't have some soreness at first, but it definitely pays to stack the odds in your favor!

staugustinewedding · June 2014

AnnieRoo13 said:
FTM here. My boobs haven't really been leaking, but I have had dried colostrum on my nipples when I wake up in the morning- not a lot, but enough that I've noticed it. Yay for weird pregnancy symptoms!

Oh that's what that is! It's like dried white stuff?

morrkim · June 2014

I can't remember when, but it was pretty early with dd. I am still nursing dd so I can't say for this time, but it hasn't changed to collastrum yet.

AnnieRoo13 · June 2014

staugustinewedding said:

AnnieRoo13 said:
FTM here. My boobs haven't really been leaking, but I have had dried colostrum on my nipples when I wake up in the morning- not a lot, but enough that I've noticed it. Yay for weird pregnancy symptoms!
Oh that's what that is! It's like dried white stuff?

You got it!

AnnieRoo13 · June 2014

@rahkitt‌ thank you! I never thought to look at videos. You're right, I don't think I ever really seen breastfeeding up close so I have no idea what a good latch would look like. I will definitely have a look at some videos. I've also heard that Ina May Gaskin's book on breastfeeding is good- have you read it?

crystaldh · June 2014

I would get really excited if this happened to me! But maybe that's because this is my first.

jessa1228 · June 2014

It's so weird how it varies drastically from person to person, and even from pregnancy to pregnancy for the same person. @rahkitt thanks for the heads up about Youtube, I doubt that even would have occurred to me.

huntress17 · June 2014

This is my second lo and my boobs started leaking at about 12 weeks

I'm 19 weeks today. But bare in mind I was a milk cow with my first baby ha ha. I stopped nursing her at 15 months. I still had milk by the time she was 2 and 1/2. Ugh. And it begins

MrsAdventure · June 2014

Right after I had my d&e, I leaked like crazy for a week+ after, I was 19 weeks at the time. I am coming up on 19 weeks with this pregnancy and every now and again there will be a little wet spot on my T-shirt, usually at night. And holy moly are my nipples itchy lately!!!

lizgrace03 · June 2014

No leaking yet but lots of the dried crusty. And they are so sore. I have nicknamed this syndrome Knife Boob because my nipples feel like there are knives underneath poking out and stretching the rest of my boob out and it hurts!

happyfrappy · June 2014

Yep. Add me to the crusty boob list. STM and mine were crusty before pregnancy- thanks elevated prolactin. Lol.

mrsransom · June 2014

This JUST now happened to me. I was brushing my teeth & when I leaned up from the sink, I saw a wet spot right over my nipple. I thought it might have been water from finding my mouth out...nope! My first leak! I don't remember having any leaks with DS until right near the end! Crazy.

mussalynn · June 2014

rahkitt said:

AnnieRoo13 said:
I wish that leaky boobs meant that BF would be easy. I wish that there were signs or things you could do to prepare. I really really want to BF and I know it's not easy and has a learning curve, but I'd really like to get ready if I could. Damn unpredictable bodies. I guess I'll just have to read up as much as I can.
I wouldn't recommend reading about it, I'd recommend going on youtube and searching for videos on latching on and watching as many as possible. I really think a big part of the reason so many women in the US have trouble breastfeeding is because they've never or rarely seen it done! Watch how the moms make sure the baby's mouth is wide open before bringing it to the breast, and that its lips are splayed outward and also how to detect signs of swallowing and all those things. Getting the latch right from the *very first time* can save you a world of pain. If the first time you say it doesn't matter if the latch is perfect, your baby may damage your nipples and then it's going to go on hurting for a while. I'm not saying you won't have some soreness at first, but it definitely pays to stack the odds in your favor!

@rahkitt - GREAT advice. Everybody talked about the importance of the latch, but I just kind of shrugged it off like "whatever, you just put the baby on there and it drinks right, how hard can it be"... Hard!!! Even if the latch is a teeny tiny bit off, baby has one lip tucked under or their mouth isn't open wide enough, or a million other things, it can cause major damage to your nipple and cause bf'ing issues. (sorry, not trying to scare anybody) Long story short, I ended up having to see a lactation consultant, who showed me how to latch DS properly (and cut his undiagnosed tongue tie) and after that it was cake.

Regarding the original post, I didn't leak at all with DS and haven't with this pregnancy either (yet).

jessa1228 · June 2014

lizgrace03 said:

No leaking yet but lots of the dried crusty. And they are so sore. I have nicknamed this syndrome Knife Boob because my nipples feel like there are knives underneath poking out and stretching the rest of my boob out and it hurts!

OMG yes, the knives! So sore.

alysonmh · June 2014

First time around I started leaking colostrum around 20 weeks. It was always a small amount throughout my pregnancy though and never required using a nursing pad. I'm about 17 weeks and haven't had anything this time around yet. My children will be 11 years apart though so as far as my body is concerned I am probably more like a FTM than a STM.

heidisalemma · June 2014

I've been leaking since 16 weeks. I'm 20 weeks on Tuesday. When I had my 2nd miscarriage at 9 weeks I started leaking then too. Some of us produce colostrum early, I guess.

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