To give colostrum to 1 year old?

[Nellynoo182]

I am currently harvesting colostrum for DS2 who is due soon. DS1 who is 14 months old is full of cold - would giving him a syringe of colostrum help him? We stopped breastfeeding when he was about 4 months old if this makes a difference!

Well it can’t hurt to try! I’m currently breastfeeding my 12 month old hoping the milk will make her feel better for tomorrow. She’s full of cold too.

Certainly won’t hurt him. You might get a lot of replies from people saying it’s icky though… I was questioning if it was okay to give some of a limited source of food for your newborn to your toddler but actually, unless you are expecting them to be unwell and unable to feed, you’ll probably have the syringes in the freezer for months and have to Chuck them anyway. So go for it

when you say syringe

you actually have a syringe full of colostrum already?

How do you harvest colostrum? I struggled to breastfeed with my first and would like to try and collect beforehand , but it doesn't seem to be working. :(

don’t beat yourself up

NHS

The amount of colostrum you collect when you express can vary from just a few drops to a teaspoon full.

with both mine and whenever discussing with friends… you produce tiny amount but it’s liquid goal.

so i’m fascinated the op has a syringe full to hand before her baby has even been born!

and that’s post birth!

@Potatomashed that’s another thing I was wondering and can’t seem to get a straight answer out of anyone! If you are harvesting colostrum before baby is here will it ‘use up’ all the colostrum or does it remain colostrum the whole time until baby gets here and your milk comes in? Probably should start a separate thread for that!

@rochenutty yes I have been able to collect quite a few 1 ml syringes now - I’m not sure if having 2 so close together has affected my supply 🤷🏼‍♀️

@mumoftwo6 how many weeks are you now? DS1 was premature and couldn’t feed so I have had a lot of practice! Honestly, I think it’s just luck as I found it really difficult with DS1 but in this pregnancy it has literally been leaking out of me since about 28 weeks. I do find heat makes my boobs feel full and tingle so try after a bath. The hospital provided me with some syringes but they had a really wide end on that I found difficult to use so got some thinner ones off Amazon which. There are some good YouTube videos. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself remember it isn’t essential! Xxx

in that case if you have quite a few syringes knocking about… then worth giving for sure

A few extra antibodies certainly aren’t going to hurt.

You can’t run out of colostrum. It’s basically extra thick, extra concentrated milk. Breast milk is made from your blood and is produced on a supply and demand basis so the more you tell your body is needed, the more it will make. Delivering the placenta initiates the hormonal pathway which tells your body to start making normal breast milk, which is why your milk usually comes in a couple of days to a week after birth.

No, you won't "use up" your colostrum OP - there isn't a finite amount. You will continue to make it until your milk comes in a few days after birth, triggered by a chain of hormonal changes that starts when the placenta is delivered.
It certainly won't do your older child any harm. Just bear in mind that colostrum is a natural laxative as it helps clear meconium from the newborn's bowel. I'm not sure if a small amount as a one off will do anything but I definitely noticed that DS1's bowels were a bit loose whilst I was feeding him when I was pregnant with DS2. My MW said it was the colostrum that caused it. Nothing dramatic, but worth knowing.

It’ll be the best thing for him!

You won’t run out, your body produces more. Well done for being ready! I really needed my pre prepared syringes of colostrum when baby was in NICU

go for it it OP, definitely won’t hurt, and I hope that your LO is better soon.
To those asking, some women just make a lot a milk naturally. I had “leaky boobs” from about 30 weeks and with my two pregnancy’s/births had a river of milk. I had to express in hospital for my firstborn (midwife came with electric pump and we were all 😮at the amount). They were more surprise than me as it was my first so didn’t quite realise how lucky this was. I am small 34B with one inverted nipple so was grateful, surprised and delighted. Not smug though..I had plenty of other pregnancy/newborn challenges otherwise could have been a good milk bank donor 🤣

@Nellynoo182 thank you, I'm 36 weeks and due a c section at 38 weeks due to some complications, so I'm worried my supply won't be in! I'll try a hot bath :)

I never managed to harvest any colostrum! Had no problems breastfeeding with either dc.

Op I'd definitely try giving it but don't be offended if your 1yo hates it, it's probably quite a different taste to ordinary breastmilk.

Also give him some freshly expressed rather than from the fridge/freezer as it'll have more antibodies