Harvesting colostrum to take to hospital

[redlbr]

Hi all,

Am currently 38w+5d pregnant. Baby girl is estimated to be small so I'm under a consultant and having weekly scans etc.
I won't be allowed to go past my due date so good chance of induction.

I've started harvesting colostrum to take with me to the hospital as I'm hoping to breastfeed but aware that if baby is very small or needs any extra care then it might not be straightforward to start with!

I've managed to get 4 x 1ml syringes full at the moment which are all in the freezer.

Can I ask anyone else who has done this, how many 1ml syringes should I take with me to the hospital in the first instance I.e how many will we need per day? Aware someone can also pop home to get more (30 min drive).

Also should I just take them in a little cool bag? Should I put an ice pack in there?

Any advice is appreciated thank you!

Think I took about 20 but had loads in the freezer at home to. Think I only used about 5 was lucky to be home the next morning and baby tried to latch straight after birth but had a bad tongue tie so topped up while in hospital and at home. I would say take about 10 ish depending on how much you can collect before hand. If you need more you can always express in hospital. And yes pop them in a cool bag with ice blocks, as once they start to thaw they have a time limit. The hospital should pop them in the fridge or freezer when you arrive. Just make sure you have your name and date of collection on them

I harvested about 40ml whilst i was pregnant. When DS was born, he had low blood sugars (I had GD) and low temperature so we needed quite alot. I was told not to bring any in when i went to the labour ward but to wait until after, and if i needed it.
I wish i hadnt taken that advice. But luckily for me, i was able to express lots out as and when he needed it and kept some by for when he was poorly or when he had his vaccines
If i was you, id take about 10ml in, if you have it. Take it in a cool bag and the hospital should pop it in the fridge for you

I had my baby at 37 weeks by c section and was advised to do the same as she was small - born 4lb. I managed to get 30ml in syringes but my —fucking useless— hospital lost them when I needed them, so baby had to be supplemented on formula before my milk came in

I think anything is better than nothing so just get as much as you can! It’s very rich so really they don’t need a lot in the first few days.

Between 38 and 41 weeks I collected about 30 ml on total, for just in case of difficulties breastfeeding. I took about 8 syringes to the hospital, a mixture of 1 ml and 2 ml ones. It was about right for us for one day and we used most, but DS did manage to latch normally so didn't need much syringe feeding. DH brought some more the next day but we didn't need them any more.
In terms of storage, I put them in a plastic Ikea zip bag in an insulated lunch box with some ice inside and then the midwives transferred the plastic bag to the fridge on the ward.
Don't forget to put the label (your name, date etc) on your storage bag, as well on individual syringes to avoid any mismatches in the hospital!

Thank you all for your responses! Much appreciated xx