Harvesting colostrum at 37- 38 weeks

[Artmum22]

Hello, I am 37 +6 weeks pregnant and I was wondering if it was safe to hand express colostrum before birth? Any tips to do it and store it? Any experiences to share? When and how did you give your colostrum to your baby? I was strongly recommended to do it because I’m taking labetalol. Thanks

[Purpledoggy]

It is safe for most women but not if at risk of preterm birth or if you have a cervical stitch. Your midwife can advise if it’s ok for you to go ahead. I did it from 37 weeks and so glad i did as my colostrum supply built up lots during that time and was really good when he was born (3 days ago). I found the hardest bit was getting it into the syringes. It is faffy to suck from the nipple but i wasn’t expressing enough to easily collect into a cup. It just takes a bit of practice. I tried collecting into the other end of the syringe barrel but then it was too hard to get the plunger in without losing some. I needed to do it longer than i see recommended to get a decent number of drops, and I’m happy I was doing it right. I found squeezing where advised but then some pressure towards the nipple helped them come out. I used a few syringe types and found the ones from myexpertmidwife easiest to get going with as they have a nice wide opening to scoop rather than suck droplets. Xx

[Artmum22 in reply to Purpledoggy]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience Purpledoggy, and congratulations on the birth of your baby! The tips you gave me are really useful, especially with the syringes. I have ordered some ( not from my expert midwife since they are out of stock) and will try to start the collection as soon as possible. I’m so happy to know that you did everything right and this gives me hope!

[Purpledoggy in reply to Artmum22]

If you struggle with whatever syringes you have, do experiment with different brands. I also liked the sterifeed 1ml from amazon but these were easier when i was getting bigger droplets as they need to be used sucking rather than scooping. Someone i know liked the Hakaa ones but those need to be sterilised. I found getting going just needed some time and patience. Good luck! Xx

[Artmum22 in reply to Purpledoggy]

Thank you so much for the advice, that was extremely helpful! I actually bought the Haakaa ones but did not know that I need to sterilize them so I will keep a stock of sterifeed

[Seb9]

I have harvested colostrum twice now as I had gestational diabetes in both my pregnancies.The first time I found getting the technique right the most important thing, I found I was rubbing instead of squeezing which have me a bit of fiction. Your fingers should stay fairly still on your skin and be more of a massage than a rub.

I also found being warm and comfy very important, you need to feel the oxytocin love hormone to produce milk, so being stressed or uncomfortable doesn't help. I found having a bath and then getting into bed was a good way to start.

This time round I found at first that getting less than 1ml out was hard, but by doing it several times a day I started to make more and more and by the end of the week I was getting around 3 to 5ml per session.

I found collecting into a sterile cup easier than trying to do it straight into the syringe, so at first I would only get a drop or two put that into the fridge and at the end of the day combine everything I'd collected into one syringe. Then I would label it with the date, my name and NHS number and pop it into a box and put onto the freezer. Make sure to put the lid on the syringes, as the milk expands when it freezes it comes out the end, which I found it from forgetting the lids🤦

I only collected for nearly 2 weeks as I started at well 37 was induced at 38+6 and had lots of syringes, although baby didn't need them for her sugar this time round, she did have a bad tongue tie, so I feel like the extra syringes helped with her weight and meant she didn't lose too much between birth and getting her tongue tie cut on day 10. She was back to birth weight by day 5 which was great as she was only 4lb 15oz at birth. So I felt it was definitely beneficial for us, she's 5 months now and we're still breastfeeding 😁

Best of luck with it

[Artmum22 in reply to Seb9]

Amazing, thank you Seb9 for sharing your experience and how you fed your baby with colostrum. I don’t have gestational diabetes but instead I have pregnancy induced hypertension, and this is why I was encouraged to harvest colostrum. You mentioned how important it was to do it as a routine and I will definitely follow that advice. The way you have stored it will be really helpful! I should not forget to close the lid, I know I will make this mistake… I’m also glad to know that your baby is being fed well and that breastfeeding is smooth for you, I’m hopeful for the future too

[LizzieBW]

Fantastic question! I am nearly 38 weeks and although no medical reason to express, my midwife encouraged me to consider it to help with milk supply once baby is here. I took part in a free antenatal breastfeeding class, delivered by UK registered midwives that talks/teaches you through hand expressing as part of it. I can PM you tbe details if you like? I think the class was just 90mins long (I took a few) and over zoom. Xx

[Artmum22 in reply to LizzieBW]

Thank you LizzieBW for mentioning that class, and yes I would be very happy if you PM me the details, the classes sound fantastic!

[Sevy571]

Just wanted to add to the great advice above, that I asked hubby to use the syringes on the colostrum on my nipples at first until I produced a bit more and could collect myself. It really helped.

[Artmum22 in reply to Sevy571]

Great idea! Thank you Sevy571

[Shopper85]

You can its safe but its a good time to do it now as its so boring and takes ages so do it now else harder when baby is born.

[Artmum22 in reply to Shopper85]

Thank you Shopper85 you are completely right, I want to do it before the birth of my baby, to be on the safe side

[Shopper85 in reply to Artmum22]

All things I wished I asked before hand like yourself, u seem organised and good luck xx

[Artmum22 in reply to Shopper85]

Oh thank you but I was not aware of the necessity of collecting colostrum …until my midwife told me that I definitely should because I’m taking labetalol from 28 weeks of pregnancy…

[Shopper85 in reply to Artmum22]

Ah ok, I just did mine in hospital as I stayed in 3 days but it does take a while depending on your supply but had I done it before I could take the stash into hospital and put it in their fridge

[Artmum22 in reply to Shopper85]

Thank you for telling me that you also harvested colostrum at the hospital, that is so reassuring I think I will do the same too

[Shopper85 in reply to Artmum22]

Yes they will give you some more syringes should need at the hospital too