Colostrum harvesting - managed a bit at first and now it's just stopped altogether!

[LockdownLlama]

38 weeks today and started trying to express colostrum on Saturday (it's now recommended for all expectant mothers at our trust from 36 weeks and was given a pack at 36 week appointment)

Got a little bit Saturday, maybe slightly more Sunday, but less yesterday and today virtually none at all! Whereas I was getting little drops at a time at first (very slowly - takes half an hour for about 0.2 of a 1ml syringe before it stops) now it's a real effort to even produce any kind of droplet to get into the syringe at all, there were maybe a couple of drops at the bottom after half an hour and I've given up

I experimentally tried in the shower this morning and found the same thing, it's like it has stopped overnight!

Up until about June I was feeding my 2 year old a couple of times a day and until about May it was every two hours day and night so while I didn't expect colostrum harvesting to be easy I thought my boobs might work a bit! It's like they know what's coming and have gone into early retirement

I feel like this is probably normal but of course all the literature says it will be slow at first but will build up whereas mine has been less and less to nothing in the short time I've been trying!

Tried bath, warm flannels etc etc - help!

Oh my goodness they are saying everyone is to do this? Does everyone even produce colostrum prior to baby being born. I remember it being such a small amount and could just be soul destroying doing it.

I have no advice other than this seems quite a harsh thing to expect people to try and do.

I don't think it's an expectation so much as a recommendation and they are very reassuring about it being a small amount, I just don't know why mine has just.. stopped!

I'm not sure if it's every trust but certainly our's has. I know it was a recommendation for GD for some time.

All being well the chances are the syringes (if I get any) will never be needed but my midwife suggested bringing them to hospital and I can see it might be helpful to have them to hand as it took a long time for my DD to latch and was having to express onto a spoon which was tricky too, would have been great to have it pre prepared to just syringe in if needed!

I wouldn’t bother personally.

Extra unnecessary stress

You really don't need to do this you know. It's much easier to wait until the baby is born as it's their suckling that triggers the production of colostrum. If you want to try that's up to you but it's not necessary. Don't stress about it if you're struggling to get anything.

It's a recent thing, it was certainly not a thing when I had my children. Just as well, as I'd never have got anything before I had the baby. I never even leaked as much as a drop. Had no trouble breastfeeding despite that.

Thank you. I know I don't have to but I would like to as remember the first few days being the hardest and most stressful establishing breastfeeding - at least this way it might be slow and stressful but can do it in my own time without worrying about the baby not getting anything.

It wasn't mentioned two years ago when DD1 born so in this context is recent.

Just wanted to update for anyone who finds the thread and is struggling that in last couple of days it has become much easier and starting to get amounts worth freezing - not quite a whole syringe but 0.7 a go so not far off. It does take about 45 minutes so have to wait until DC in bed but hoping to get a few syringes to take to hospital as a back up for the first couple of days which I remember being really tricky establishing latch

So there is hope if you are finding it hard at first! Have also spoken to lots of women who tried and weren't able to harvest colostrum but were able to EBF though so it's very common not to get much before birth and nothing to worry about either

Glad to read this, I've been having the same thing. It would take more than half an hour to get 0.2/0.3 but now it hardly even getting drops. I saw a lactation consultant and that woman sure knows how to squeeze a boob, it was pouring out almost and she filled 0.2 in a minute.

I'm trying to get a supply as I may have insufficient glandular tissue so if I can't breastfeed at least I can give the baby as much colostrum as possible.