Expressing colostrum - 38 weeks

[crazymuseummumtobe]

Our NHS Trust is now encouraging all mums to start hand expressing colostrum before going into labour, so you have a stock of it to give baby if it takes time to establish a latch, and even just as extra to supplement the first few feeds. Has anyone tried and had success? I've tried two sessions now. I got one minute droplet from one boob last night (a tiny fraction of a 1ml syringe, must be about 0.02ml!), and just tried the other boob and got nothing in 40 minutes.

Can anyone give any advice or tips? I'm 38+4 today.

Thanks.

Have you tried hand expressing? It's a good way to get started.

You will only get tiny drops at a time that's the nature of colostrum

Don't be disheartened - I know a lot of people who never managed to get any and it wasnt the end of the world. Try having a nice warm bath or shower, lie down in low light, turn on relaxing music. Then see if you can get any using a gentle squeezing motion (I found it a bit like milking a cow, sorry!) If not too much of a distraction, have your partner on hand to get any droplets into a syringe.

You could try listening to a baby crying or think about holding your baby or look at new born pics

I did it a lot from about 36 weeks and had stores in the freezer. Only worked for me after a hot shower or bath, then a good whole boob massage and needed my husband on hand to collect the drops. Once you start getting more we used a sterilised bowl and then syringed it from there. I think it really helped baby feed well from the beginning as I was producing a lot. Could just be coincidence though.

There’s this thing called the Lansinoh Latch Assist - it’s about £8 - basically it’s for flat or inverted nipples to draw them out BUT it has a tiny suction thing on it so you can finger suction out tiny amounts of colostrum - I used it when my child had sepsis when born and was suctioning out decent amounts! Hope that helps. - be mindful to sterilise suction thing after every time! 😃

Thanks everyone, some good tips in there! Maybe I'll try after (or in) a warm bath this evening! I should have said, currently trying to hand express only.

Trying stimulating and lightly brushing over your nipples first, this simulates the baby rooting. Also as PP said you stand a better chance straight after a shower or bath when you're hot. Good luck but don't be disheartened if you don't get much at this stage!

That's advice I won't be taking on! It'd take hours to get anything near a feed. It'd be so disheartening to put in all that effort for little return.

I went to a colostrum expressing training session and the lady said she'd never had anyone not have success. I got hardly any but also never saw that lady again! So that's how she has her 100% success rate as she doesn't actually know about the ones who can't! I also wrecked my nipples trying so even before having dc my nipples were burning when my top touched them. Not a great start! Don't put too much pressure on yourself.

Don’t worry too much if it won’t happen.

I had to hand express colostrum after the birth of my second as he wouldn’t latch.

I was getting a few drops before birth but after, I was easily filling a syringe.

Don’t put stress on yourself, and don’t make your nipples sore already