Colostrum

[Mamtobe2024]

I'm 35 weeks tomorrow and have read online it's possible to get colostrum from 35 weeks onwards. However I have no signs of leaky nipples etc, I was just wondering other people's experiences with colostrum/ when did your colostrum start to leak?

How are you supposed to collect it?

Didn't get any prior to birth a and what I produced DD vomitted up!

@Ohdearyme72 oh really? I have read some people didn't get anything until after birth! I'm just curious as so many women seem to get it around 36 weeks onwards and my nipples don't even show no signs of leaking any at all! So maybe mine might not come in until later

I didn't have any leakage prior to giving birth with either of my two pregnancies. I didn't collect colostrum in any way, and was fortunate that my babies were able to latch on and feed okay themselves. Everyone's different though - if you do start to leak you can get pads to put inside your bra to soak it up.

With my first, I tried to express, after a hot shower etc and couldn't even get a drop. But as soon as I gave birth, it was there! Maybe it's different for subsequent pregnancies though x

I never saw any colostrum at all. I assume baby drank something in those first few days, but I never saw it. Still BFing exclusively (along with weaning), baby is 11 months now.

I never 'leaked' colostrum in either of my two pregnancies but as soon as I was 37 weeks in my second pregnancy I was able to hand express it pretty easily. I used syringes that the midwife gave me to collect it. She also told me there's a very very small chance that expressing colostrum can bring on labour so that's why they don't advise colostrum harvesting before 37 weeks. I also read somewhere that colostrum harvesting is easier in subsequent pregnancies but I never tried in my first pregnancy so can't comment.

Hi there, I colostrum harvested for baby no. 2 from 36 weeks. I didn’t find out about it until my second pregnancy but if I had I would have done it for first baby too as she had difficulty latching.

I didn’t leak at all but was able to hand express in the evenings normally after a warm bath as it helps to be relaxed and comfortable. I bought a harvesting pack online, drops of gold I think it was called and you get the little 1ml syringes to store and freeze your colostrum in which is what I did (I kept my syringes in the freezer in a freeze safe tupperware)
I found it best to use a small cup to express a few drops into then syringe them up from there, a baby bottle lid did nicely for this.

The midwife gave me a good tip that the syringes are so small you can pop them in your cleavage to defrost and warm and be ready to serve to baby at body temp within a few mins!

I was glad to have peace of mind with my stock of colostrum, as we’d had a lot of breastfeeding difficulties with our first baby. Baby 2 latched better and we gave the extra colostrum as top up feeds.

I hope that helps and all the very best with your baby on the way! 🙂

I've had three babies but never leaked colostrum before the births. I was able to breastfeed without any bother.

This collecting it beforehand is a very new thing, it wasn't done when I had my children. Also, remember you don't need to do it if you don't want to. If you can do it easily then fine, but it's not worth getting stressed over if you find you can't do it. The colostrum will be there immediately after birth, before your milk comes in on day 3 or 4.

When I had my first I was able to express like a dairy cow using a breast pump after the first few weeks getting breastfeeding established, but couldn't do it manually at all.

@Mumtumtastic I had a very similar experience. In my first pregnancy colostrum harvesting was never mentioned to me and never knew it was a thing until I saw it on a poster in the antenatal clinic but I ignored it as I just assumed after baby was born I would stick my nipple in his mouth and he would drink milk and that would be that 🤣. As it happens he wasn't great at latching, he would immediately chomp down on my nipple, not open his mouth wide or put his tongue down and he had newborn jaundice. Second pregnancy I knew the reality of breastfeeding and knew about colostrum harvesting so had lots of syringes of colostrum ready before birth and took some to the hospital with me. Naturally, my daughter latched beautifully from the day she was born and knew what she was doing, just gave the colostrum as a top up because it was there 😅

I never produced it with mine (I have one child). I read up a lot on it when I was pregnant and worried that I was not going to be able to feed him, but your body just knows what to do. The main priority should be getting the baby to latch on whilst they're here and milk will flow on its own. Unless of course they don't latch, there is always formula though this is of course plan b. Wishing you a safe labour, very exciting times ahead 😊

I've been getting drops since around w34 and now w37.

I bought tiny 1ml syringes but honestly I get so little in a day I'm not sure its worth the effort. Maybe there will be more as time goes on?

I had some success hand expressing colostrum in the bath from around 37 weeks with mine. First few times, I didn’t get much at all, but after persisting for a few nights on the trot I started managing to fill syringes and ended up with about 10 full(ish) ones. I felt the urgency to do it as I had to have a c-section due to my baby being breech position, and I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to breastfeed postpartum (spoiler: it was fine anyway!).

Nothing at all until after the birth. I had a section and my milk hadn't come in, that first night I remember squeezing my ripples for all it was worth while baby slept trying to get the tiniest amount of colostrum into a syringe!

Didn’t get any until after birth - she came straight out and latched on right away. Still going three years later so I wouldn’t worry.

I was leaking from 26 weeks and got loads, didn't use half of it in the end! 🫠

First child I started hand expressing from around 36 weeks. It took a lot of time and effort but was glad of it as I had a rough birth and emergency surgery. Dh was able to feed the colostrum syringes while I was in surgery and recovery.

Dc2 much easier to express, easy birth and no need, the kid came out and almost butterflied to the nipple. Was glad to have the frozen syringes just in case though.

I never leaked, had to work to get it. Dc2 was easier as I would hand express for dc1 so was pretty pro at milking myself 😆

I expressed some colostrum when I was 37 weeks pregnant. I knew I was being induced at 38 weeks.

It took bloody ages. 30 minutes to fill up the first syringe but then it sped up with subsequent ones.

I was very glad to have 6 in the freezer because I ended up with an EMCS and my partner brought them to the hospital just in time and they were my baby's first feed while he was in the glass box and I was in theatre.

Do not harvest or express before 37weeks.

First pregnancy no leakage
Second pregnancy leakage after 37weeks and it was barely anything. I did colostrum harvest but only managed 8mls. But when DS was born he latched right away and never needed any extra in fact I had an oversupply.

If you can hand express it's good to try and collect especially if baby is going to be deliverer via CS or induced earlier.

Hi! I leaked colostrum with my first pregnancy. I colostrum harvested using hand expression. I'm not sure from how amny weeks, maybe 36? I'm currently 34 weeks pregnant and want to harvest again, but don't seem to be producing colostrum yet 😫