Expressing colostrum

[Mummytoboyxx]

I’m 37+4 and I’ve started producing colostrum. I really struggled to BF DS1 and I want to do all I can to do it right this time. Should I express and store the colostrum I am producing? Will this help my milk come in after delivery? Or do I just wait until after the birth? Thanks x

From what I've been told, you should store what you are expressing now... but I'm not as far along as you so I'd see what other people think first x

There is no guarantee it will help your milk start coming in after birth (the placenta detaching is what kicks that off), but it will give you a stash of highly nutritious colostrum that you can give baby in the first few days to take the pressure off while you get feeding established. This avoids the need for any formula which could be a good thing. I plan on doing the same before my section incase anything goes wrong and to help my boys weight gain initially as my daughter "failed to thrive" and breastfeeding failed after 12 days.

Thanks. Should I wait a bit longer as I’ve seen expressing can kick start labour? Or should I start now? Xx

It is safe from 37 weeks as baby is classed as full term, but you are right that it runs the risk of kick starting labour so if you are feeling like that would be too soon then hold off.

I went to an nhs homebirth talk the other day and the midwife said you should be hand expressing colostrum from 36 weeks and storing it in the freezer. Most people at the meeting had been given syringes to store it in. Ive never been told this before so was surprised. She definitely said to hand express not use pump.

Thanks everyone. I’ll be 38 weeks on Thursday so might start then. Will also see about getting syringes from midwife. They’re really expensive online x

The NHS shouldn’t have to pay for your syringes! Just order them online.

Can't you just use a breast pump or hand express? I'm not sure the NHS will provide syringes (or even should)

Also, yes as others have said it can trigger labour. It could also cause oversupply which might actually cause some feeding problems.

The best way to express colostrum is by hand expressing into a syringe. Theres far too little to make it through a pump but too much nipple stimulation can trigger labour. If you are expressing anyway there's no harm in waiting until 37 weeks.

I've only heard people who have gestational diabetes expressing colostrum, is this something most people do? I'm 37+6. Midwife had never suggested it to me.

@MustardScreams and @DulcieRay sorry, didn’t mean to cause offense. An earlier poster mentioned that people had been given syringes so I wasn’t sure if it was a thing. Of course I’ll buy my own if I have to.

Thanks everyone else for advice x

@Mummytoboyxx

I have only come across people being given them in hospital, not at time. Tbf I'm not sure where you would buy them exactly.

Home not time sorry

My friend was given them before birth to Express and keep but I haven't been offered so maybe different trusts have different policies. You can always ask x

You're more likely to be advised to express if you're are having a section or a medically induced labour, as interventions can potentially impact on milk supply in early days. So sometimes you're advised to harvest colostrum so you have some available just in case.

If you're leaking colostrum you can harvest it without expressing. I'm pretty sure if you ask in pharmacies they have different sized syringes behind the counter

I'm going to give it a try this time, though I don't have GD or anything, just think it would be helpful to have a small stash. I got 25 syringes off the internet for less than £10, planning on starting from 37 weeks.

I'm planning on doing this too, I saw you can buy the syringes on Amazon but my midwife said she could supply me with some, I assumed this was common practice.

I hope you don't mind me jumping on your thread OP but I was planning on starting my own thread on this... I'm still feeding DS (3), at least I was when I first got pregnant. He feeds very little now and often goes a day without here and there. Does anyone know if I would be safe to hand express the colostrum a little earlier than 37 weeks seeing as my nipples are used to be stimulated without inducing labour anyway? My midwife hinted at it but didn't explicitly say it was safe to do so. Does anyone have experience of this?

@Mummytoboyxx please don't ask for syringes

ebmstorage.co.uk/colostrum-collector.html

(Hope that works) you can get them cheap online!!
When you have gestational diabetes they tell you to express from 37 weeks freeze in syringes and bring to hospital to bring baby's blood sugar levels up x

@ParadiseLaundry its up to you, wouldn't do it before 36 weeks though just incase!?

I had a midwife appointment today and this poster about expressing colostrum and asking for syringes was on the wall

Not sure if the image is attached

@LivingOnAPear thanks for this x

I did this with my second after having a terrible time bf my first. Collected lots of colostrum in little syringes that the mw gave me, then froze them and took them to hospital in a cool bag. They were great, happily found me a fridge and showed me how I could heat them up etc. Was great to have a stash to give baby on the first day as I didn't want to attempt bf in the hospital.

V v old fashioned (but very good) video of how to do it here:

med.stanford.edu/newborns/professional-education/breastfeeding/hand-expressing-milk.html

Hand expressing better than pump, as the amounts you produce are so tiny, and it's so thick, that it all ends up in the pump.

Good luck!

Thanks x