Colostrum harvesting - what syringes

[Lovemylittlebear]

Please can someone recommend a syringe or post a link to ones they have purchased? Looking to have a go in four weeks time as milk has always been delayed with previous babies and have needed to supplement with formula but would like to have a go at this as an option if I need to supplement. Thanks :)

Sorry, just a screenshot and not link but these are the ones I bought and used.

Whoops, no they're not. Obviously you don't need the needle 🙈

1ml syringes. You want it saved in small amounts to defrost and use as needed so none is wasted :)

I’ve got some from Amazon, if you go on there and put in colostrum syringes some purple ones with a round cap on come up. Think it’s was £10 for 25 x

Thanks so much guys :) sorry to sound like a moron but if I manage to get anything into the syringe - how is it hygienically stored (do you out the syringes in a sandwich bag or in a Tupperware dish etc for the freezer? Also when taking to hospital do you just take a cool bag with you and are they likely to put in the fridge with all the Covid stuff going on. Last one lol how lol does it take to defrost and how many days do you have to use the syringe when defrosted please? Sorry for alll the qs - likely to be induced this time due to huge baby and trying to avoid another section and want to be super organised with everything as I know I’ll be a shit tip afterwards again lol 😂 x

Don’t worry @Lovemylittlebear I had to google most things!
I’ve got mine back in their packets with the date on in a zip lock bag in the freezer. I think it’s good in there for up to 6 months. To use any I think you can defrost at room temp but must use within 2 hours, or if you defrost in the fridge must be used in 24 hours.

If you take into hospital you need to put them in a cool bag with an ice pack and they should be stored in the fridge. X

I don’t know the answers as I was expressing after my twins were born and were in NICU following an unexpected early emergency section. I would express at home overnight and put in the fridge and take them in with me, IIRC they can stay in the fridge for 24 hours. Wouldn’t take long at all to defrost and I would put them in a freezer bag or similar.

Thanks so much :) xx

Hi @Lovemylittlebear am glad to see your question because I will most likely want to harvest too and have been reading up about it. Just a reminder based on my reading: to make absolutely sure everyone who’s looking after you knows the syringes are there, and that they are labelled with your name and hospital number. Best of luck x

Thank you x

I took syringes frozen in a cool bag with ice packs to the hospital. They were frozen when we arrived and the midwife popped them in the freezer there. This was during covid so that should be fine. They defrost so quickly as they are so small so easy to use. I had a few days on the postnatal ward and was provided with lots more syringes to keep going with expressing so if you need them when you're there I'm sure they will be provided