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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Colostrum harvesting

13 replies

melonthehippo · 29/03/2018 09:05

Hi all,
Currently 38 weeks with baby number 2. My midwife has suggested colostrum harvesting in case of any issues with bf. I started at 37+ 2 and it has taken me a little while to get the hang of it! Typically I’m only getting about 1mL per day.

Just wondered if anyone else has done this? And how much you were managing to harvest? Worried that small amounts I’m getting may mean there’s an issue with my milk supply when the little one is here.

Thanks so much!

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Ratbagratty · 29/03/2018 09:09

I started to collect around that age and got nothing despite trying 3 times a day. So 1ml is amazing! I am currently and my 10 week old and have no supply issues for her. I do however find it hard to express a decent amount despite having a contented and well fed baby!

Blondielongie · 29/03/2018 09:09

Did you have problems with milk supply with previous babies? If this is your first, I find it unusual that's she putting the pressure on you to do this before the baby is born. But maybe it's normal and my mw just didn't bring it up with me.

I leaked a bit before I had mine, but had oversupply of anything after he was born. Hormones are released after labour which increases supply.
Hope things are ok, the last two weeks are the longest!!

Ratbagratty · 29/03/2018 09:10

And should say ebf

Oysterbabe · 29/03/2018 09:10

I did and actually managed to get a lot, my boobs are always very leaky in pregnancy. 1ml per day is still good, some people don't manage anything. It's no indication of what your supply will be like.

Blondielongie · 29/03/2018 09:10

Sorry. I can see that this is your second. I'm an idiot.

AnUtterIdiot · 29/03/2018 09:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

melonthehippo · 29/03/2018 09:22

Thank you so much all! @Blondie she recommended it as I had a few issues last time that meant I had to ff. Though she did say that it’s trust policy now to encourage it for everyone so I’m not sure. Feel much more determined to keep at it this time, fingers crossed!

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Loosemoose28 · 29/03/2018 10:08

1ml a time is fab

Loosemoose28 · 29/03/2018 10:12

Colostrum harvesting is not just about making a bit of back up milk for baby it will also get you cervix ready to receive labour hormones. I have gone from getting 10ml a day to it completly changing down to 1-2ml a day and I am now getting closer to my due date it has changed and got thicker.

It has no reflection on how much you have for your baby only having a baby will do that x

Oysterbabe · 29/03/2018 10:47

I did find it really useful having the syringes ready to use when I had my second. He was a big hungry boy and my milk didn't come in until the 3rd day. It gave me the confidence to stay away from the formula.
He only lost 1.9% of his birth weight by day 5.

QueenAravisOfArchenland · 29/03/2018 11:16

I harvested, but as things worked out I only had a few days to do it before ending up induced at 37+1. I got about 1ml the first day and 1.5-2ml subsequently. I've fed 2 babies and have bags of milk. It's totally normal for colostrum to come in small quantities - it doesn't indicate any issues with your mature milk supply. When my baby came he also easily got out more colostrum than I could - your boobs will always respond more to your actual baby than to expression.

mindutopia · 29/03/2018 15:41

Yes, I did with my 2nd (now 5 weeks old and sleeping on me as I type this). I can't recommend it enough. It truly was a lifesaver and also a confidence boost to me as my first really struggled in the early days and bf was a really negative experience for us as a result.

1 ml at a time is amazing! I truly got like drops for probably the first 4 days of harvesting or so. You don't need loads. I think I had 2ml test tubes (that's what I harvested into and then capped and froze, then thawed and fed with a syringe). I had about 5 2ml test tubes, not even totally full, after about 2 ish weeks of daily harvesting. That was plenty! In fact, I didn't even really need it all as baby was putting on weight great, but I was determined to use it anyway so offered it as extra top ups to bf. If you're getting 1ml per day, you'll have plenty and it sounds like your supply is great.

For us, I think it really helped keep my son's energy and blood sugar up in the first couple days so he was awake and hungry and able to latch well. He also only lost about 5% of birth weight as a result (my dd lost 12% and needed to be readmitted to hospital). I'd keep it up. It's a great you've done so well so far.

Original poster

melonthehippo · 29/03/2018 15:51

Thank you all, I really appreciate all the comments- have been getting myself in a real tizz worrying! Will carry on doing what I’m doing until baby decides to make an appearance

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