How much colostrum?

[Abombflower]

I’m 35+2 weeks and will be getting a planned C-section this time round (my first was a forcep delivery). When I was pregnant with my first 7 years ago nobody explained colostrum collecting to me and it took days for my milk to come in. I’m aware milk can be delayed coming in after a c section too so this time round planning to collect plenty of colostrum first but I’m quite confused by the whole thing and looking for some advice!

Can I start collecting now? I am producing colostrum and can squeeze a fair bit out. I got a little kit off Amazon - do I just collect in the cup, syringe and then label and freeze?

How many frozen syringes should I take to the hospital?

Can anyone else who has had a section also share how long it took for their milk to come in?

Thanks :)

They recommend you don’t start collecting until 37 weeks as it can bring on labour.

I started late and harvested about 20ml but wish I had done more as baby ended up in NICU and they only lasted a couple of days. If you don’t use them just keep them stashed in your freezer.

I bought some 1ml syringes off Amazon and hand expressed straight into the syringe (it was only coming out in drops). I’d express as much as I could in a 10 min period (5 min per breast) then label each one with a date and freeze straight away. The first few times I struggled to get 1ml but as time went on I was getting enough for a couple of syringes. You can gradually increase the time you spend doing it as you go on.

I had an emergency section and my milk came in on day 3, overnight and with a vengeance (had to get up and ask the midwife to change my sheets!).

I’d probably take 5-10ml to the hospital in 1ml syringes at first, as you don’t want to waste any by taking them out of the freezer too early. If you need more because your stay in hospital is longer than expected you can hopefully send someone home to collect the rest for you.

This is really helpful, thank you! :)