How to use expressed colostrum?

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Hi all

I've begun my 30th week of pregnancy with DC1. At my last midwife appointment i mentioned i was leaking lots of colostrum. She seemed excited and said I should store in syringes and freeze in sterile bags with date etc (I have both of these at home) - not to proeprly express etc and to watch in case I feel any womb contractions. and that I could start at a later point in pregnancy to express antenatally.

All fine. I was leaking the other day but was prepared and caught about 4 ml colostrum in 15 minutes. I have no clue if that is good or bad or what. I just know its yellow-creamish.

After which I stuck in sterile bag, labelled and put in freezer. Will express at a later point in the weeks lying ahead of me.

My question is - if - and thats a giant IF - if baby feeds okay from the start, routine free access to boobage all the time, and IF things go ok - what do I do with these syringes of colostrum?

My idea was - maybe i could thaw 1 syringe a day and let him lick off that extra 4-5 ml shot each night in addition to what he is getitng from me from Day 1? No sucking etc of syringe will happen as I dont want to confuse, but shots of extra mummy colostrum wouldn't hurt? Maybe last thing is the day and when he sleeps for a bit before the first night feed?

if things dont go ok - then i perfectly understand what to do with these syringes. And fingers crossed I dont "need" them. But can i use a shot a day this way at least for the first couple of weeks, at the end of the day, in addition to 24/7 access to boobage?

How amazing. I think your plan sounds just fab.

Wow never heard of this happening before.
Your plan sounds good.
If your baby doesn't need it though or won't take it from the syringe for example, you could donate it to the special baby care unit? Rather than it go to waste. Just a thought as a plan B incase you don't end up using it

By all means, save the milk you are leaking. It's fantastic.

However, I don't think I see the point of what you have planned.

Frozen breastmilk is wonderful stuff. Liquid gold. But fresh is even better! If breastfeeding is going well, why would you want to replace some of the fresh breastmilk which your baby would otherwise consume with previously-frozen milk which is slightly less perfect?

If this is so someone else can feed your baby while you have a bit of a rest, I can absolutely understand why you might want to do that, and I can't say I wouldn't be tempted! In principle, it's similar to supplementing with formula, and the same caveats apply. The more you supplement, the less milk your baby will be demanding from you. Your supply will diminish somewhat. It isn't the end of the world, but it can be awkward.

I like the idea of saving the milk in case BF doesn't go well. If BF does go well, you could donate it to a milk bank and save babies' lives. It could be wise to contact the milk bank now to explain the situation, so they can provide you with details about handling, storage and labelling. For example, when I was donating, my local milk bank wanted to know about any medications I was taking, so I kept a record of this and attached it to the donated milk. (They still used the milk, but needed to know what might be in it and this determined which baby received it.) They also provided me with a good supply of storage bottles.