No Colostrum 😢

[AimeeLou84]

Hey. So I’m 38+3 today and in for a c section on Thursday so tried to express colostrum but I’ve got myself into an emotional state. My boobs have not grown since I’ve been pregnant, they feel a look as they did minus the big nipples and do not hurt and are not sensitive. I’ve tried expressing colostrum today and nothing at all is happening. I know I don’t even have milk in there my boobs are just the same as they were before pregnancy. I’ve got myself into a right state now that I can’t express colostrum and won’t be able to breastfeed. Please reassure me I might be able to or if you have any similar stories. This is my first baby and I was desperate to try express something and breastfeed. Thank you

The point? Like an insurance policy. You might not need it but if you do it will be invaluable. I have car insurance but I've never used it, I hope I never have to.

Labour is unpredictable. If it goes well, wonderful. If something goes awry, you'll be prepared. You'll have your insurance.

In case baby is poorly.
In case baby is in NICU.
In case baby and mum are separated.
In case baby struggles to latch.
In case mum ends up in emergency surgery and still wants baby to have colostrum.

Personally I would rather try and prepare as much as possible for every or any eventually. For peace of mind. In case.

In all of your examples except the last one, the mother can express after the birth, and will be able to do so much more easily with post-birth hormones.

But my point stands. An "insurance policy", like car insurance, weighs costs and benefits. Would you pay annual car insurance that costs far more than buying a new car?

The list of eventualities you've listed are unlikely, and the last one very unlikely in a mum with no previous indication. Even so, formula can tide the baby over until the mum is well enough to breastfeed.

So again, we are suggesting a mother should spend hours toiling away at something, getting anxious and frustrated, possibly with no benefit at all, certainly with no more than a negligible benefit to the baby.

I am a huge advocate of "ordinary" breastfeeding and also combi feeding. Breastfeeding is not only beneficial to the baby, but has health and convenience benefits to the mother if/when she gets the hang of it.

Colostrum harvesting has a much much worse benefit to cost ratio.

I, like several others on this thread, wasn't able to breastfeed my babies immediately. I had sepsis after my first. My second was in NICU for a short while.

Never expressed a drop of colostrum.

I breastfed my first for 2.5y, and I'm still breastfeeding my second, and intend to make it to 2.5y again. Having a bit of formula early on never affected my breastfeeding "longevity".

All these ridiculous requirements on mothers are contributing to the unusually low breastfeeding rates in the uk.

We are making it needlessly hard for mothers!

*An "insurance policy", like car insurance, weighs costs and benefits. Would you pay annual car insurance that costs far more than buying a new car? *
Would you drive with no insurance?

*Colostrum harvesting has a much much worse benefit to cost ratio. You sound very much like you say that as someone who didn't have to use colostrum so found it a pointless exercise to begin with. I think I'd call that survivor bias. I'm so glad you were lucky enough to not need it. I'm so even more glad that I tried and although struggled managed to collect some.

It's a skill to hand express. And it's so much easier to learn a new skill before you are presented a traumatic experience that needs you to use it if you've chosen to BF or got your heart set on it.

OP, don't give up. Good luck with your journey. You'll always meet people with different experiences and pathways.

I will always advocate for hand expressing to harvest colostrum because, after an easy smooth sailing no issues pregnancy and an uncomplicated birth just with G&A, my baby still ended up in NICU separated from me and I have never felt so traumatised or helpless for 5 days. Labour is unpredictable. I'm so grateful that I preserved and took the time to learn the skill before I was too traumatised to learn it.

But if you read my comment, I had the exact circumstances you list.

I was unconscious with sepsis after my dc1 was born.

My dc2 was in nicu (for a short while).

So please don't give me "survivor bias".

There is never a need for expressed colostrum.

Formula is alternative car insurance in your odd analogy.

I agree with you but I had my last baby 10 years ago.
This was definitely not given as advice then.
Agree it seems just another thing to have new mothers panicking about!

Formula is an option if that's the pathway you want to take. Supplementing is not everyone's choice though. Like I said to OP, everyone has different experiences and pathways.

@AimeeLou84 I don't know whether this will be reassuring but expressing colostrum is such a new thing. I can see why it could be a benefit, but I can't see that it's worth upsetting yourself, and even worse, making your breasts sore over at a time when being calm and happy is the best thing for you. Your baby has evolved to be the best possible "milk supply stimulant"! So if I were you, I would just relax and then put your baby to the breast as often as you can once she's born.

Please share you experience about Mulberry house school. Son will start reception this Sep.
We are not after best of best schools. We are ok even if cracks a good private school / prep school at 7. I feel this will expand his brain surely no pressure from our side.

Thanks

This a thread about colostrum farming. You won't get anyone talking about schools. Start your own thread on the education forum.

Thank you all for your comments. I’ve decided to give it a go after a warm bath or while I’m in the bath but I’m not going to push myself and I’ll tell my midwife that too. It’s my first baby I’ve had a stressful enough pregnancy and like some of you have said, this wasn’t a thing years ago. I really appreciate all the comments and advice, when you’re a first time Mum it’s so hard to know what’s right or wrong so you’ve all really helped

OP, I couldn't express a single drop of colostrum. I breastfed right after my C section and baby has never had a drop of formula. Some people just don't produce anything until the placenta has detached. Don't worry!

Equally, I can barely express or pump, but my baby gets milk out just fine. Don't worry at all.

@Mumoftwo1316 actually, there are some diseases in premature babies that can be prevented or resolved with colostrum/BM. One is necrotising enterocolitis. I actually couldn't express any colostrum myself before birth but EBF successfully after birth, but just wanted to correct you that actually, colostrum harvesting is a super useful insurance policy for those who can manage it. Nothing will set a baby's gut health and immunity up better than colostrum. From the breast directly is better if possible, of course.

You don't need to do it, they're just trying to improve their EBF stats! If your baby needs something before your milk is in eg if hypoglycaemic in the first couple of days, this is easily treated with glucose or formula but then they wouldn't count as EBF and the midwives are under pressure to increase EBF rates.

CS can delay milk coming in (anything after 3 days is considered "delayed", a friend's took 6 weeks(!) and mine was 8 weeks because of a haemorrhage) which is something to be aware of but no need to worry as it's fine to supplement with formula. My milk didn't come in until 8 weeks but I still BF for more than three years.

This might be helpful (it would have helped me no end to have seen it antenatally!)
fedisbest.org/resources-for-parents/know-risks-delayed-onset-full-breast-milk-supply/

I'm a huge fan of breastfeeding. I have done it for years and counting. I'm literally breastfeeding my son for his nap as I type this. My specific criticism is telling pregnant mothers to try to express before the birth, before post-birth hormones make breastfeeding easier.

Can you not see my point, that it's unreasonable to routinely ask mothers to spend hours hurting their own breasts, getting anxious and frustrated, just on the rare chance that their baby will have necrotising enterocolitis AND the mother will be incapacitated after the birth and not able to express then at the same time? How rare must that combination of circumstances be?

This is what I'm trying to explain about the cost-benefit trade-off. It is simply not worth the distress to the mother on such a slim chance.

Plus timing-wise for NEC risk reduction it wouldn't make sense - the babies most at risk for whom BFing makes a difference are very premature, born at less than 32 weeks.

Nobody is meant to be attempting to express colostrum before 37 weeks pregnant!

With my first baby, I couldn't get a drop of colostrum but was able to exclusively breastfeed from birth, (with challenges of course).

Had my little boy at 39+1 and he fed 20 mins after the c section, the midwife was able to squeeze colostrum out straight after it. I'd try not to worry until after your section, try and latch baby on (ask midwife was help with this). Good luck with your c section xx

I couldn’t get anything before birth (admittedly didn’t try too hard though). Was told to hand express after birth and struggled a bit as well - had to watch a few YouTube tutorials to get the hang of it. In a month I was battling milk oversupply issues… So I wouldn’t worry at all, it’s not an indicator of anything

Another who never produces fed a drop pre-birth but breast fed all of mine.

I did have one who was separated immediately at birth due to their medical issues, and in that case I simply did it after the birth, it worked whereas no way it was going to beforehand. They got it that way. I think the only time it’s an issue is if mum is medically unavailable after the birth, and then frankly there are bigger issues to worry about and other options.