How do you even harvest colostrum?

[Suprima]

I am reading about people collecting it in a syringe, but it just pools at the bottom (or the top, if you try and do it plunger-side) and everything just overspills.

Once you put the bastard plunger in, it then sprays out of the other end, through the tiniest cracks in the nozzle.

I then promptly dropped everything on the floor and gave up.

I’ve produced well over 5ml in one session and didn’t manage to collect any of it because of spillage or spraying.

Any tips? I’m going to try and do it in a shot glass tomorrow and then suck up.

I can't understand this frustration! It's precious stuff! I had a midwife help and she syringed while I squeezed. Might be a 2 person job?

*can

Apologies if I've misunderstood your post and you've already tried doing it this way, but I started with the plunger all the way in, put the tip of the syringe against my nipple with one had and squeezed my boob with the other. As the colostrum came out I would draw back the plunger with the hand holding the syringe and this would suck the colostrum up. I would then push the plunger down gently to get rid of any air and then go again.

I had to do this a fair few times to fill a 1ml syringe. If you've been able to produce 5ml in one sitting then that's amazing! You've clearly got lots! So perhaps trying a shot glass would be a good shout.

Good luck 🙂

I found it trickles out so I gently squeezed then use the syringe to suck it up, then squeeze a little more. It's time consuming though. I'm about to start collecting for my 2nd baby so I have no idea if it'll squirt this time or not! Otherwise yeah I'd probably go with your shot glass approach.

I sterilised a teaspoon and expressed on to that. Then used the syringe to suck it up. Pretty effective!

I bought some of these sterile pots to 'squeeze into' and then syringe afterwards.

Sterifeed Colostrum Collection and Storage Containers x 20, leakproof, 100% BPA/BPS Free https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RYV7SL4/ref=cmswwrcppapiii47DRV2NTPR2KDNR6J5C3?encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I used a little pot and then just syringed it up. I was able to get quite a bit but couldn't do it directly with the syringe.
The colostrum harvesting kits my hospital give out come with a pot for this purpose, as well as syringes

Express it into a teaspoon and suck it up into the syringe from there.

I've been frustrated too and I only started yesterday! 😑I think the 1ml syringes might have too small an opening for me. I've been doing it the same way as @Stella212, and it works for me, but it's slow and once I got going I felt I could collect a lot more from each boob if I had better tools! Managed 1ml from each boob this morning, but maybe expressing into a sterile pot and syringing from that would be a better idea.

Flash back! My son was whisked off to nicu and the midwives suggested we harvest some colostrum.

Ended us spending 4 hours getting 1ml. Which my son threw up as soon as he was given it!

We did it as a two person job. My husband was in charge of the syringe. He remembers it as some of the worst hours of his life. I have no recollection due to birth hormones.

Good luck if you do manage it

Do you have syringes with a screw cap? I did and it helped a LOT

I left the screw cap on

Took the plunger out

Expressed a dribble of colostrum

Scraped the dribble into the open plunger end of the syringe (which is obv a much larger hole than the hole at other end). Basically scraped the open end of syringe against my areola where the colostrum was so it scooped it up, hope that makes sense.

Repeat many times until syringe is half or 3/4 full

Put plunger back in and store full syringe for later

Express into a teaspoon or little cup then suck it up with the syringe

Doesn’t need to be sterile, just clean. Breastmilk and colostrum isn’t sterile, and implements (like pumps) used for breastmilk don’t need to be sterilised.

Express into something like you said you'll try and then suck it up into the syringe, impossible to express into the syringe I didn't even think that was suggested? Just that that's what it should be stored in for giving to the baby.

Even though the packs my hospital gave pregnant women for expressing colostrum contained a little pot, when I had to express some on the post natal ward to give to DD after each feed (she was slightly jaundiced so they wanted her to have extra), they just gave me a syringe. It was a nightmare

How many weeks were you when you started collecting? I'm a FTM and 33 weeks but haven't produced anything yet.

@BrightOrion It isn't recommended to start before 37weeks, not least because for some people it can induce labour (I'm convinced it brought on my labour at 37+6).

@BrightOrion oh and it's totally common to not collect anything before labour but have absolutely no problem breastfeeding. So don't be disheartened if you don't collect any.

@YorkshireTeaCup thanks so much :)