Collecting colostrum during pregnancy?

[catsofa]

I'm 31 weeks, and my boobs have been leaking for a while. I've just started wearing breast shells overnight to collect the stuff to get a look at it, and have been freezing it in breastmilk storage bags for a couple of days so I can see if the quantity changes much from one day to the next. There is only about half a teaspoon at a time.

My question is, can I actually save it and use it once the baby is born?

I've been sterilising the breast shells in between each use, and cleaning my nipples thoroughly with newborn baby wipes. The freezer bags say they are pre-sterilised. I'm labelling each bag with the date collected.

Should I keep doing this (after it has fulfilled my current purpose of simply satisfying my own curiosity)? Can I buy smaller freezer bags? Is it ok that it has been sitting in the shells all night before it goes in the freezer?

It's best not to use milk that's been sitting around overnight. You can hand-express though & store that. There are specific breastmilk storage bags available - I think I got mine from mothercare... Also great for storing small portions of soup...! For really tiny amounts you can get syringes & freeze it in them.

I expressed while pregnant with DS2 because DS1 refused to feed for days after he was born until I started expressing & syringe feeding. As soon as I went into labour with DS2 I got a couple of syringes (with end caps) out of the freezer to defrost. Wasn't needed in the end though!

I've recently spoken to my MW about harvesting colostrum before DC2 arrives, the advice she gave was after 37 weeks hand express into a syringe, label Syringe with your name and time of expressing. You can then freeze these and if you like take them to hospital with you when you give birth (hand them over to MW to keep frozen until you need them).
I think the colostrum which you already have should have been stored sooner-overnight is too long to leave it.

Ah ok, I read it's best not to express until you're nearly ready to pop because it can induce labour, so I'd better leave it a while before trying that. It'll give me something to do if I end up sitting around waiting for baby to appear!