Using breast pump at 31 weeks

[ForeverA]

Hi all,

I’m 31 weeks pregnant and have bought a breast pump ready for when baby is here.

I don’t have any colostrum yet, but I’m really keen to see what a breast pump feels like and I am really keen to start collecting colostrum as early as possible so I can store it.

I’ve tried google but nothing seems to help - does anybody know of any reason why I shouldn’t try out the breast pump this early?

is it dangerous or will it help promote my colostrum?

Thank you.

I couldn’t speak with any authority on this but I’d be cautious about this; breast stimulation is definitely one of the things recommended to try to induce labour. I never harvested colostrum but to my knowledge that is done through hand expression and collected in syringes? I’d run this past a midwife before trying it.

I don’t think it is recommended to use a breast pump to harvest colostrum. I can’t imagine it would be very comfortable or work well, colostrum is thicker than breast milk you would pump. You would be better off looking at how to hand express, that is a much more valuable skill in the early days. I had issues getting a jaundiced baby to latch but didn’t use a breast pump until a day or two after my milk came in at day 3.

As far as I know breast stimulation helps contract the uterus after birth . I was also told it's best to use a pump once breast feeding has been established as it can mess up your milk production . Are you planning to only pump and not get your baby to latch on ?

Yes - pumps don’t usually collect colostrum, it’s too sticky and small in quantity; and if you were lucky enough to get any, it’d be difficult to get it out. Nipple stimulation can also cause premature labour; and it’s not advised to start harvesting colostrum until 37 weeks.

Some hospitals wouldn’t use colostrum collected now for a newborn anyway, it’d be too old.

You won’t really know what a pump “feels” like until you’ve got milk, it’s a totally different sensation to before; and that’ll be a couple of days after baby arrives. They don’t recommend you pump for the first few weeks anyway, to prevent bottle preference and not create an oversupply; and to care for your nipples!

No do not do this it can bring on labour ! There’s plenty of time to see what it feels like once baby is here ! Xx

I don’t think your even meant to collect colostrum this early !!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHa-5XiNeZR/?igsh=a2JtZXVoazB5eGQ1

I find this lady a fantastic resource on all things infant feeding, and this just popped up on my feed.

I wouldn’t do this. I just had my 4th (managed BF to 10 months with each baby and pumped litres of milk for the hospital milk bank.

I only get 3-4.5 mos colostrum with hand expressing after birth for a couple
of days. It’s so thick and sticky and called golden milk for a reason. You don’t want to waste it and a pump will hold more of it than you could ever scrape out.

it can also bring on early labour

just wait. Using a pump is a good idea a couple of weeks in when milk production and latch are settled down a bit

Don’t use a breast pump to harvest colostrum, and don’t do it before 37 weeks. Your midwife will give you the syringes nearer the time and teach you how to hand express if you want help.

There’s no need to collect it at all! The body produces it naturally once baby starts suckling!

I was told not to collect colostrum until 36 weeks. I started hand collecting at 36 every few hours. I didn't get much a few 1ml syringes. Although, my milk did come in quicker when the baby was born. Wait until your 36/37 weeks. You don't want to bring on early labour.

I did use a pump for collecting colostrum but only started at 36 weeks. For me, it worked really well and I don’t feel like I wasted any but I guess everyone is different! I didn’t get along with hand expression though, it didn’t work for me (so I figured getting some with the pump was better than nothing!) so maybe try hand expression first to see if that works (but not now! Farrrrr too early).

I started mine at 37 weeks but believe the advice was not before 36 weeks. Your midwife will give you a kit with syringes once you get to 36 weeks but do ask them too.

this was the video I used,
Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative | Hand expression (video on YouTube)

Found having a hot shower before helped get it moving.

if when you do begin and start to get any cramping stop immediately.
I only got the tiniest amount each time but my milk came in on day 2 so i believe it definitely helped, I also went into labour naturally at 39 weeks so do wonder if that also helped.

I never used a pump until I had to which was when baby had latch issues due to tongue tie so I had to pump to bottle feed until tongue tie was divided to ensure supply, following the division I stopped using the pump exclusively breast fed.
All the best hope all goes smoothly 💐