Only breastfeeding to give colostrum

[sarah13xx]

Hi I’m going to bottle feed and depending how I feel after my little one is born I’m thinking of trying to give colostrum at least while in hospital. I’m dreading it being painful or giving colostrum starting off my milk supply then I get mastitis. Has anyone does this successfully and how did it go? Did you give bottles as well as colostrum while in hospital? Does it hurt? Thanks

So you can buy sterile 1ml syringes from Amazon. Depending when u start to collect you will need to freeze. ( normally from 37 weeks) You need to date the syringe. I just wrote on the packaging then popped into a zip lock bag. You can freeze breast milk for 6 months back of freezer not the door, fresh is 6 days some hospitals give slightly different guidelines. Once defrosted needs to b used with 24hrs
Take to hospital in cool bag with ice block. Don't take loads as may go to waste other half can always being more in
Loads of videos online on how to hand express, it's easy once you get the hang of it. You can either syringe the droplets directly from the nipple or u can express into something like a sterile egg cup or bottle lid

@Crazydoglady123 good luck, I did watch an NHS video on YouTube about it a while ago but haven’t spoken to my midwife about doing it. I’m having a section (guessing you might with twins) and I’m worrying it will put me into labour before it and I’ll need an emergency but I think il try and do it over the last week before my date and see if anything even comes out 🙈 It would definitely be amazing when baby/babies arrive to have the syringes there ready to go and would save a lot of stress. It’s just the freezing them and transporting it to hospital in a cool bag (in amongst all my other bags) that will be an issue but I suppose it could be quite a small cool bag! X

@boymum88 thanks, definitely want to give it a go! I think I’d actually prefer giving my baby it this way (alongside some bottles) rather than trying to get him to latch and everything. I think you’re either someone who has the urge to do that or you’re not and I just don’t know if I could bring myself to 🤦🏼‍♀️ I do want him to get the benefits though so at least this way he still would! Going to ask my midwife about it and will get ordering the syringes! X

Thank you @boymum88 @RichTeaCheddars

@sarah13xx I'm going to have a good google today. I'm only 8 weeks so haven't seen the midwife yet and unsure whether to try another natural birth or go for elective c section. When are you due? The not driving for 6 weeks is what kills me! If you need any syringes I'm going to have looooads left over from my progesterone injections (ivf pregnancy).

Meant to say happy to post you some!

I had to syringe in the hosp post section as we were struggling with a latch and baby needed to be fed.

colostrum is very thick and sticky, I think I had to syringe about 5mls every 2 hours which was enough apparently, no need to harvest in advance as far as I’m aware.

As always, speak to your midwife for advice.

Good luck!

@PurpleBiro21I have thought this too.. that I could just take some syringes with me and do it in the hospital. So worried it starts off labour that I think I would only do it before for a few days anyway if I did 🙈
@Crazydoglady123 aw amazing, congratulations! Aw that’s so kind of you thanks, I just ordered some of the sterilised ones in packets so I should have enough. Might just aim to do it for a few days before going in so it hopefully doesn’t put me into labour 😂 yeah not looking forward to the recovery. I’m not too fussed about driving, my partner will drive the first 2 weeks he’s off then my mum will constantly be there I’m sure so anywhere I want to go she can hopefully drive me! Waiting to get my date in a few days but it should be the first week in August 😊 feeling real now!

I gave both my babies their first feed as a breastfeed so they could have some collustrum before going to formula. My first DS only breast fed for a few mins then stopped. Interestingly my milk never seemed to come in, or I never noticed much leaking or anything.
Second DS breastfed for half an hour or so then onto formula. Second baby my milk came in a few days after, it was leaking a lot but didn't cause me too much pain that I remember (the after birth contractions were much worse!)
It took quite a few weeks for the milk to fully go but it was only leaking badly for a short time. I used sanitary towels in my bra, I didn't need breast pads the first time so didn't expect to this time either but was obvious wrong 😂
Good luck, id say the pain and leaking after was worth it

Should have added. I didn't have a CS and I didn't harvest collustrum before birth I just thought I'd give breast feeding a little try, if it didn't work no problem

I have GD so the midwives will probably put baby on the bottle as soon as she's out like they did with DS. I'll pop her on the breast too and hopefully she'll get something out but if she doesn't take it then it won't be the end of the world. I wouldn't mind syringing but the thoughts of bringing the syringes from the freezer and trying to track them as I'm moved from ward to ward and make sure they're properly stored just seems like a bit of an ordeal.

The hosp supplied the syringes.

FYI the driving post section, I called my insurance company and they said as long as I felt ok and could do an emergency stop that I could drive when ready. Which I did at 2/3 weeks.

Re milk (I actually BF for 18m), it came in 5 days after section. Came out of shower and BANG boobs were triple size and rock hard.

And yes re moving stuff from ward to ward - would have been a nightmare at the hosp I went to.

@SpacePug that’s good to know.. did you literally just do the first feed? I ended up having a health visitor appointment today and when she asked me about feeding I said bottle long term but might consider giving colostrum (either directly or through syringes). It seems if you give them an inch they take a mile though and she then spent a solid 20 minutes giving me a speech on how bad formula was and it’s made in a factory and 10 days in when all the breastfeeding mums have got it sorted the formula feeding mums start having problems with their baby’s digestion etc etc 🤦🏼‍♀️ It’s like you can’t say I am considering trying it for literally those 2-3 days without them presuming they can just get you to do it full time. I’m not one of those people who could ever get my boob out in a coffee shop or anywhere. Good on the people who can but it’s just not me. I couldn’t even breastfeed infront of my own mum, let alone any other visitors if they were to appear. The idea of leaking through your clothes and all of that just totally puts me off too. When my midwife asks at my next appointment I think I’m going to put my foot down a bit more and make it very clear I am bottle feeding but may do some colostrum in addition to this. I can just imagine how much it will annoy me if I’m already emotional/sore etc to then defend myself to these people 🙈

Sorry you felt your health visitor was pushy and had to defend yourself. I'm sure this wasn't their intention. They do have to promote breastfeeding but perhaps she could have been less pushy.

Something to consider -combination/mixed feeding. Some Mums breastfeed and formula feed. They mix it up. Some do mostly breast and some mostly formula. That way when you're out or have visitors you can give a bottle and at home you can do breast and bottle. There will be plenty of threads on mix feeding on here if you were to consider it.

Whatever you choose, it's your choice and don't feel pressured. People do a variety of things as it suits them. Main thing is baby is fed and you're happy and comfortable with how.

Also, not everyone leaks and those that do it's really only temporary! And usually easily managed with breast pads. Reusable or disposable

@sarah13xx have u thought about doing exclusively pumping ? It's a lot of work but u have the benefits of breast milk without having baby to the breast. I've just done 9 weeks of pumping and got a couple of weeks in the freezer but I'm ready to move to formula. Even with that route midwifes don't really understand it or offer support it seems to be breast or nothing
As far a leaking going I wouldn't worry think I've only leaked twice and that was when I'd gone two long between pumps

[quote sarah13xx]@SpacePug that’s good to know.. did you literally just do the first feed? I ended up having a health visitor appointment today and when she asked me about feeding I said bottle long term but might consider giving colostrum (either directly or through syringes). It seems if you give them an inch they take a mile though and she then spent a solid 20 minutes giving me a speech on how bad formula was and it’s made in a factory and 10 days in when all the breastfeeding mums have got it sorted the formula feeding mums start having problems with their baby’s digestion etc etc 🤦🏼‍♀️ It’s like you can’t say I am considering trying it for literally those 2-3 days without them presuming they can just get you to do it full time. I’m not one of those people who could ever get my boob out in a coffee shop or anywhere. Good on the people who can but it’s just not me. I couldn’t even breastfeed infront of my own mum, let alone any other visitors if they were to appear. The idea of leaking through your clothes and all of that just totally puts me off too. When my midwife asks at my next appointment I think I’m going to put my foot down a bit more and make it very clear I am bottle feeding but may do some colostrum in addition to this. I can just imagine how much it will annoy me if I’m already emotional/sore etc to then defend myself to these people 🙈[/quote]
Yeah it was literally just the one feed after birth and never again. That's terrible that the health visitor was so pushy, don't feel guilty at all. Formula feeding is a perfectly good way to feed your baby and if you do manage to do a colostrum feed then even better, but if not that's okay too . I guess I'm lucky that no one ever tried to convince me to breastfeed. I just knew from the off I didn't want to do it and midwives etc respected that and they should for you too

@RichTeaCheddars yeah she was nice enough otherwise and luckily it won’t be her I’m dealing with til long after I’ve left hospital so whatever I decide will already have been decided by then 😂 I think it will depend when I see my baby if I suddenly don’t feel weird about putting him to my boob or not. If I felt like I wanted to try it and then it somehow went so easily I wanted to keep going I think that’s probably how I’d do it so I didn’t have to breastfeed in public or around visitors!

@boymum88 that’s what I looked into originally! Did you start off the first feed with the pump or did you ever actually breastfeed directly? I’m thinking so little will come out at first it won’t be worth using a pump but if I want one I could get one next day on Amazon once he’s here and just take some syringes into hospital for collecting colostrum first. It’s so hard to know what to do, think it’s sometimes easier just going one way or the other without all the faff in the middle 🙈

@SpacePug that’s good you felt supported with it! I was trying to explain that to her that he would be bottle fed and any colostrum would just be an extra but she seemed to take that as an invitation to tell me how formula is made in a factory 🤣 eh so is plenty of the food we eat and we’re fine?! 🤷🏼‍♀️ I hope once I’ve had him I don’t find it weird anymore and want to just give him the colostrum directly to save all the hassle but if not I might try the syringes

With exclusive pumping there will loads of info on American sites. It's quite popular there where as here it's not really "a thing" although some people do it.

At first you'd hand express the colostrum in to a syringe. And that's it for the first few days till your milk comes it. When your milk is in it'll change from sticky to thinner and runny and then you'll start to get more volume out and you'd use the pump. If you went down exclusive pumping route you'd need a double pump. Some mother's find in bra pumps great.

@RichTeaCheddars when I was first pregnant I thought that’s what I’d do and I was going to splash out and buy the Elvie pump but two of them would be about £500 🙄 It also means you’re then spending all that time pumping then more time again to actually give them the bottle, probably not got time for doing much in between 🙈 I’ll maybe aim to start it off like that with the syringes and see if I want to get a pump and keep going

Yeah the Elvie is pricey!! But the attraction is that you pop them in your bra and go on with your stuff. But still, they are £££££.

It's good you're getting loads of information and researching different bits so when your baby arrives you'll be ready to go with whatever you feel is best :-)

@sarah13xx I put him on the breast for a few days as cant pump for a few days until milk comes in, so had him on boob and hand expressed then by day 3 used my pump all the time. Didn't help he had a bad tongue tie so very painful on the nips 🥴
If u do want to pump u can get good 2nd hand pumps either from fb expressing groups or eBay ( they are fine as long as closed systems like spectra s1 and elvies)
Just remember fed is best do what Eva feels right