colostrum in pregnancy

[firstontheway]

I'm only 30 weeks pregnant at the mo but breasts have been leaking milk from about 20 weeks. Am planning to breastfeed and actually am very happy as I was convinced I wouldn't be able to (have had a reduction). At the moment I'm hand expressing it (maybe 1 or 2mls?) a couple of times a day so it doesn't 'leak' iykwim? But have a few questions...
-Is this milk that's coming out actually colostrum? And if so, does that mean I won't have enough once baby is born? I'm worried that I'll 'use' all the colostrum so it'll all be gone and then when baby comes there will just be milk left? In which case maybe I should stop squeezing it out!
-I read on a another thread that a midwife told someone once she got to 35 weeks she could freeze this milk for when the baby's born, does anyone know if this is true? I was thinking I could freeze small syringes in case I don't have any of the really good stuff left after the birth.

Thanks in advance, sorry if th questions sound really silly!

Yes, it is colostrum. I'm not an expert but think that you can't use up the colostrum. Milk won't come in until a few days after you've given birth (placenta coming off the uterus wall is a hormonal trigger I think).

I am planning to freeze colostrum for my baby as s/he is likely to be sick and unable to feed after birth, so yes it is completely possible, might be handy in certain circumstances but by no means necessary.

Okay, thanks!
So presumably it's okay if I carry on with what I'm doing then and will still have colostrum when I give birth?

Yes. I don't know, but you may be encouraging the leaking by constantly expressing off - that is definitely what happens after birth: you stimulate supply by emptying the breast.

You will still have colostrum when you give birth which is the main thing.

Colostrum is produced continuously throughout lactation -right from before birth until breastfeeding stops. The difference after the milk 'comes in' a few days after the birth is that there is then what is called 'mature milk' present alongside the colostrum, though they're mixed in together. Actually, when a toddler self-weans slowly it returns to a similar state of just colostrum at the end of lactation too. You can't use up the colostrum in pregnancy.

If you wanted to then you could freeze it in small syringes. Sometimes this is suggested for women who have gestational diabetes and want to be sure to avoid their baby being topped up with formula if it has low blood sugar post birth and for some reason they are unable to breastfeed. I can't really think of another reason why you'd want to be storing it, though tbh.

Yes - you can't use up the colostrum. Some people who are tandem feeding have toddlers drinking several oz of the stuff in pregnancy.
Expressing isn't going to stop the leaking though as leaking is about teeny weeny sphincter muscles that just have to get stronger (and do at different times for different people).
If you have some around you could freeze it in small syringes. However it would be a very rare situation in which it would be used and you don't want to use it unless you really really have to as it will have lost some of its live anti-immune properties with freezing. And to state the obvious you don't want to take any time away from the breast in the early days as that will affect your supply building up and developing. Freeze it but HOPE you will NOT use it. Certainly don't freeze it because you are worried you may have ran out - not going to happen.

Grendle - That's something I've never heard before - that colostrum is just mixed with mature milk and is always present. I guess it depends on how you define colostrum. I've never heard of the milk at the end of self-weaning returning to a colostrum-like state. Do you have a reference?

Thant's really interesting, thanks everyone!
It's really reassuring that the colostrum can't run out anyway, as that was my main worry. I'm not sure I'll bother to freeze it in syringes then thinking about it, it was mostly because I was worried my baby wouldn't get all of it's goodness immediately after the birth. I'm certainly not planning to express for the first month or so after baby's born (hoping the breastfeeding goes well) and will just feed on demand.

Thanks again for your help!

Samjamsmum there's info on Kellymom with research references listed about immune factors increasing towards the end of lactaion. Goldman and Goldblum are the researchers mentioned, though I haven't looked up the originals. More references here. One text KM references is Nutrition during Lactation.

I'm familiar with immune factors increasing in concentration but I guess I'd never thought of it in those terms. Thanks.