Harvesting colostrum

[Bellsx]

Morning I'm currently 38+4 and thinking about harvesting some colostrum ready for my baby when he is born. Has anyone done this please? Does it effect anything after birth as I want to breast feed straight away? I have bought a silicone express pump (similar to the Hakka) can I use this or should I just hand express and use a syringe to collect? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Have you had problems with supply before?

I don't think its necessary unless you have. I have hypoplasia and LGT so have been advised this time by my lactation consultant to harvest from 36/37 weeks. She gave me a pack of thin syringes and labels. Having watched videos, it looks like you have to massage the breast and there is a technique to then get the colostrum out. It comes out in tiny beads which you suck up with the syringe then freeze it and take with you to hospital. Hand it over to them straight away and they will keep it frozen until baby is here.
I've been told it doesn't always work though so not to expect much! But just the process of hand expressing is a good way to prep for breastfeeding if you have problems with supply.

Using a Haakaa-type pump at this stage will most likely not achieve anything, as it's for catching your let-down while baby feeds on the other breast. It won't work until your milk comes in after birth. If you want to harvest colostrum, hand expressing into syringes is the way forward. Plenty of videos online to show you how!

Doing this won't have any effect after birth - your body will make new colostrum to replace what you remove, so it'll still be there for your baby's first feed when he/she is born. It just means you'll have a little extra for topping up if needed.

There is no need to harvest colostrum. There are circumstances when it may be helpful, for example if you have gestational diabetes. If you'd like to though, it certainly won't be a problem or affect things after birth. Only thing to be aware of....if you give the harvested colostrum to your baby, this may fill them up so they miss a feed. Which would affect your supply, as the more the baby feeds at your breast, the more your supply will increase. So, better to feed your baby directly at the breast, or at least if you give the harvested colostrum, express again to make up for the missed feed. And yes, hand express into a syringe. It will be tiny amounts, perfect for baby's tiny newborn tummy, so don't worry if you were expecting more! Best of luck!