Harvesting colostrum antenatally

[surreygirl1987]

I'd like to give harvesting colostrum a go and want to start this weekend when I'm 37 weeks (I was told not to do it any earlier than that). What sort of syringes are good for this? I tried looking on Amazon but there is so many options and I just don't know! I asked my midwife but she was very vague and said anything would do...

Any 1ml or 2ml sterile syringes are fine. You can get ones with caps but you don't need caps. Just fill them then slip them back in their packaging and pop in the freezer, dated.

Thanks!! I'll have a look online and see what I can find!

Woah, hang on. You can do this? Why would you do this?

It can be helpful to have a stash antenatally if your baby has or is expected to have low blood sugar and may be too sleepy for effective feeding. Women with Gestational Diabetes are often advised to do it for this reason.

Wow. Learn something new every day.

Can your midwife give you some? My midwife and hospital did as part of a breastfeeding pack.

Imo, it's easier for you if you get ones that are already sterilised and have a cap, like this:

1ml syringe or 3ml syringe

My midwives were over the moon that I wanted to do this and gave me loads of the 1m ones

Thanks @SomeKnoBend! @MsHopey no... I asked her but she didn't have any and wasn't exactly encouraging at all! Annoying! @rebelrosie12 your midwife sounds great!!

If you live near the hospital, you could pop by the postnatal ward and get some. I took some from work and when these ran out I got them from amazon - the 1ml plastipak ones.

Thanks- going to order those plastipak ones! :)

I've been told to do this by a pediatrician. I have a dodgy heart and my medication can cause baby to have low blood sugars when born.

Anyone know when is an appropriate time to start? I'm being induced at 38 weeks because of said dicky ticker.

Another, it's normally recommended from 37 weeks against the miniscule chance it might trigger labour, but that wouldn't give you much time to get any so I might start at 36 weeks if I were you. Probably best to ask your midwife or consultant though.

I started at 34 weeks, anticipating an early baby. Baby arrived at 37wk.

I did this and just got 1 and 2 ml syringes off eBay- like previous poster said, don’t bother with caps (so much more expensive!) you just slip them back into their packaging and freeze them laying flat. I found it a lot harder to express and suck it up off the nipple as you’re constantly jiggling air in and out. I used to do it in the bath- nice and warm- and squeeze drops into a sterile wee sample pot (that I got off midwife) and then suck it up from there. I managed to get 7ml in total which was an utter godsend as I knew she’d be big (9lb+) and I ended up haemorrhaging so was pretty out of it post birth and it meant DD was full and settled while I could have a good nap! Good luck and keep going- first day it took an hour to get 0.5ml and then it got much faster.

I was told about colostrum harvesting recently at a home visit and was given a leaflet and some syringes. I don’t have any medical conditions or anything - all straightforward so far - this is just standard where I live (Durham). I was told I can start at 36 weeks and to bring a couple of syringes to the hospital when I go in to deliver, and they can pop it in the fridge. The midwifery care assistant who explained it all said it has been done for a while here and is proving really successful. I’d never heard of it before but am definitely going to give it a try! I can’t find my leaflet just now but it had similar info to this: www.mcht.nhs.uk/EasysiteWeb/getresource.axd?AssetID=17975&type=full&servicetype=Attachment

@surreygirl1987
That's so crap. Mine were very supportive about it. I know most people disagree, but I hated the idea of breast feeding.
But with having the colostrum ready to give him he'd get some of my immune system and some of the fattiest milk so he didn't lose too much of his birth weight.
It was win win. My midwives said it was better than nothing and tried to help. I got a 5ml litre syringe full every day while waiting for DS to be born.