Should I store and save colostrum pumped ahead of childbirth?

[RhinotheHamster]

I'll be 37 weeks in a few days and plan to attempt nipple stimulation with my breast pump to try to induce labour (already having very strong, irregular BHs/Cxs). I am producing quite a lot of cloudy colostrum anyway and wondered if it is worth storing any I pump in case, for example, baby has trouble feeding when born. My first child had to be cup fed in the first few days and they used formula for her first feed because she wouldn't feed from my breast. I know I have loads of colostrum, and had an oversupply of milk last time, so I'll do anything I can to make sure this baby gets BM from the start. Is there any value in keeping what is expressed before/during labour?

Why would you want it induce labour?

Because I want to end several months of pain and discomfort. And meet my baby. Probably similar reasons to most mums who come on here (other topics) looking for tips to get things started. Plus hellish SPD. But that's not really the point of the thread.

Fair enough! I remember wanting to punch people in the face when they told me that 'baby would come when he was ready'.

Sorry I can't offer any advice, hopefully this 'bump' will help.

Thanks. Storing ante natal colostrum is something I have vaguely heard of. Just hoping one of the feeding "experts" would have some advice/experience before I go off to planet Google and its many contradictions.

Not really an expert, but I got some information on it from this thread. I confess that while I intended to hand express before the birth, I only got round to collecting milk the once so probably still have a single syringe with 0.5ml of colostrum in it at the back of my freezer! In my mind, if you're going to be pumping anyway, you may as well save anything you get just in case it's useful later, although it would be normal to not produce that much, so don't worry if that's the case (although from what you say, maybe you will get more).

I did as my first was a sleepy big baby when he was born. This one was the same and it was reassuring to see some go in when he was v sleepy too. i only ever got a few mls at a time. I wanted to bring on labour as my first went to +20 (+15 by my own dates) before i finally agreed to them breaking my waters. Don't know if it helped but i did get my spontaneous labour this time at 40+1 (my dates). I got a pack of syringes from ebay to freeze it in.

I personally think it's a good idea to have a back up of colostrum, for exactly the reasons you talked about - although of course, the midwives could have suggested that you hand express some colostrum and feed it via a syringe.

It would be best though to hand express rather than use a pump, because the small amounts will get lost in the pump.

I can see why you would want to induce labour but it might be worth mentioning that babies born early can sometimes find breastfeeding more challenging so it may be good to wait a couple of weeks if you can manage it.

This may be useful too.

i am certainly no expert but was recommend to harvest colostrum by hv, ds arrived early so no chance to get started but i believe la leche league are useful source of info?

Hmmm, I did this pre- DC2. Had a fair bit by the time he was born and he came at 40+2. NOw, it was good insofar as he had a tongue-tie and could not feed efficiently.... and he got stored colostrum as a result, rather than formula.

However, it was bad insofar as it kind of disguised the fact that he wasn't feeding efficiently IYSWIM. Well, not disguised it as such, but it made everyone around me less concerned than they should have been about his inability to latch.

Just a thought but if nipple stimulation worked wouldnt every woman who bf when pg deliver early?

thanks so much for all the info and links. I will explore them all.

maybe so, justlove, but some women have early hospital inductions because of the problems I am experiencing so why not give natural methods a shot, especially when there is a useful "by product".

Thanks again.

sorry, that was to lovesbeing.can't see thread while composing messages on phone!

Rhino, I had gestational diabetes with both of my children, and one of the risks for the baby is that it is born with high blood sugar and then crashes rapidly after birth. That happened to my first, and there was a bit of panic about hand expressing as quickly as possible to get some colostrum into her and her blood sugars back up. I was lucky I was at a breastfeeding friendly hospital.

So my midwife, the second time, recommended that I expressed and stored colostrum (can be stored just like breastmilk in the freezer) so that in the event of a blood sugar crash it could be administered by syringe. She was a homebirth midwife and also a lactation consultant.

I realise you don't have GD, but I'm really just agreeing that if you have it available, why not store it? There are a number of possible reasons why it might come in handy, and it's no drama if you don't need it. (I didn't, the second time, but it was reassuring to have).

Thanks Tortoise. Can i ask, what did you do about storage in labour etc? I'd be worried.about it thawing out if we automatically took it in for labour then it was a false alarm. thanks.

Oh, I had a home birth so it just stayed in my freezer, but I would think that you could transport it to the maternity ward's freezer maybe? Have a chat with them and see.

ok, thanks.