Colostrum

[HoopyGirl]

Looking for some reassurance on colostrum.

How much colostrum did you harvest before giving birth? Did it increase daily/ after a few days?

Did anyone not collect and still manage to breastfeed successfully?

I’ve been unwell and haven’t managed to get much and now worried I won’t be able to breastfeed well.

I harvest about 2ml each time and stopped - I’m breast feeding still here now at 8 weeks postpartum

if you read your information sheet it tells you it has no bearing on milk supply

My eldest is 12 and breastfed very happily and this wasn’t a thing when they were born. Are you having a normal pregnancy? Is there a special reason to do this?

Thanks for your reply @nodramaplz congratulations on baby & breastfeeding.

Not sure what information sheet you’re talking about but that’s reassuring to hear.

I got none at all, despite trying lots and folllowing all the tips. I successful fed until 14 months when I chose to stop

normal but difficult pregnancy.

I want colostrum so baby can have it in hospital should any issues arise.

I got 0.1ml once and the odd tiny drop. Still breastfeeding at almost 19months

I tried to harvest but I couldn’t. Had a rocky start to BF because of jaundice but now have a chubby EBF 3mo

@HoopyGirlI got an information sheet with my harvest kit. I’ll see if I can find it.
@ItsCalledAConversation
my youngest before this baby is 9, it wasn’ta thing then either, it’s so if baby doesn’t latch they can syringe the colostrum

@nodramaplz a harvest kit? Is this from a midwife or just something you ordered off amazon?

Im just hand expressing and using 1-5ml syringes.

I’m managing about 0.5ml a day, but not every day.

I was told by both the breastfeeding counsellor at NCT and women running a workshop for the Breastfeeding Network that being able to / not able to harvest colostrum has NO impact on ability to breastfeed.

@HoopyGirl the amount in the tub is 3/4 times

I didn’t harvest and I had no issues with breastfeeding.

Important to remember that harvesting colostrum is a very new thing.people have been successfully breastfeeding for hundreds of years without doing it. IMHO it’s just another thing to make new mothers feel shit.

I could not harvest. Bf my first until 3 1/2 and still bf my second at 2 1/2.

I tried with DD at 37 weeks and couldn’t get anything. She was born a few days later and when the midwife suggested putting her to the breast I said that I was worried there wasn’t anything in them. The midwife came over and squeezed my boob (with consent!) and it was there! I breastfed for 17 months and only stopped because I got pregnant again.

Currently 38 weeks pregnant and have been collecting colostrum since 37 weeks, but this time I have been using my madela manual hand pump (with midwife approval) rather than hand expressing. Currently have over 60ml in the freezer that I’ll probably never use!

I have to agree, yet another thing to make new mums feel inadequate. Just why?

When my DDs were born decades ago this was not a thing, I breastfed them for 19 and 13 months, they presumably got colostrum in the first few days.

Is it being harvested for use with bottle fed babies? Surely not needed if the baby is breastfed from birth. Maybe I'm missing something.

I couldn't get any either time and breastfed completely fine. Some people get lots but my body just didn't want to.

With my first he was in the NICU so I'd have loved him to have some ready but they put him onto formula in a feeding tube due to blood sugar issues. I pumped and got colostrum to him that way and I also brought my milk in by pumping. Switched to EBF after a week and fed until 14 months.

Really wanted to get some for DD but couldn't again. She basically came out rooting and has fed brilliantly so fae. Both sections as well.

So don't stress you don't need it and if you do you can collect once baby is out and your body is ready.

I didn’t harvest for DS but successfully breastfed him for 2 years. DD was born 2 weeks ago and I didn’t harvest for her either but she did end up having a stay in the NICU so as soon as I was ready (after a mad labour) I was in my room on the ward collecting colostrum and running it down to them in NICU every time. They have syringes and sterilised collectors on the maternity ward if you aren’t able to collect any before delivering, just ask a midwife. But definitely don’t put too much pressure on yourself to collect beforehand. There’s enough to get ready for baba without worrying about this as well

My baby wouldn't latch for the first 24 hours or so and we gave her the colostrum that I had harvested before the birth and expressed some more after birth too as I only had about 6mls. I found it a useful headstart on the expressing but would have been OK without too.

Don't worry if you can't get any or not very much now. It isn't linked to how much milk you will produce post partum.

It’s a very modern fad to harvest colostrum and personally I think it’s a disgrace how it’s now being used as yet another thing to make women feel bad about themselves!

There is absolutely no need to harvest colostrum in advance of giving birth. Your body will know what to do in terms of producing it once baby is here. Please don’t not worry, it really isn’t worth stressing over 😊

Completely agree. DC2 is only 7 and it wasn't a thing at all with her. Has no bearing on ability to breastfeed and seems to cause loads of worry. I reckon that in less than 10 years it will be removed from official advice again.

I collected maybe 5 ml or less. It seemed so difficult! I had no problem with it once baby was born. You have to persevere though as nipples do get sore at the early stages of breastfeeding.

I managed to get around 6 full syringes (gave birth 2 weeks ago now) and so glad I did because baby was jaundiced and was very sleepy to latch in the night so in those first days it gave me comfort they were at least getting those as I syringed straight into the mouth.
that being said, my two best friends didn’t harvest anything but still went onto breastfeed for 6-8 months! So it doesn’t have any bearing as far as I know 😊

DS1 not a single drop breastfeed him for just shy of 4 years. And he started out over 10 pounds!
DS2 a few drops but that was only cause I was trying to induce labour. Again about 4 years.
DD quite a bit. Maybe even 10 ml all up. I had GD so expressed a bit and also need to induce early. She did end up with a few ml of formula and I used the colostrum when she had some tests done. She breast fed til about 3 years.

Some women get some others get none. It's not an indication of milk production. It's strongly recommended if you have gestational diabetes to help baby sugar levels stabilise quickly.

I had GD with DS2 so had about 20ml in 1ml syringes. When I first started trying at 36 weeks would get less then 0.1ml. Harvesting during labour I got 7ml but I did that to keep labour going at hospital (my body does not like medical settings!)

Don't put pressure on yourself, the gestational diabetes UK website has some fairly detailed guidance on it if you want it.