Colostrum collection

can I ask what your process is for collecting them and how you are doing it? My OB has asked me to try and collect it too and I’ve tried every technique and getting nothing :( I get leaks here and there but just not able to hand express anything

@Bhar I’m the same way, I leak here and there sometimes without even knowing

@Bhar yeah absolutely so I only started yesterday cuz I found I wasn't doing it right so I take out the long push in part of the syringe and put the cap on the bottom first and hold it against my nipple. I was told to put my thumb and index on top and bottom of my areolas and press them into my boob and then try squeeze them together and the colostrum starts to come out so I drip that into the syringe . Every squeeze for me is maybe like a drop or two. I was told sometimes when you start it doesn't leak much but every body is different I think my body just kinda knows we didn't produce enough first time round so now it's like ok we need a lot more if this one's a hungry fecker too 🤣🤣

How are ya leaking ? I’m not

It’s very good progress. I’ve been asked to collect it the first day I could even get enough to put in the syringe, the day after I got 0.1ml the day after I got 0.2, then 0.5 and now back to 0.2 I haven’t been able to get a full syringe yet xx

@Kat I'm 38 weeks tomorrow and I hand express them. They leak drops tho on the daily 🤷🏻‍♀️ every body is different tho so don't be discouraged if yours doesn't produce a lot immediately. I'm sure there's moms who produce more than me 🤷🏻‍♀️

I mean I squeeze my nipples and I get like bubbles form in 37 weeks today but I remember the doctor telling me not to play with them bc it will start early labor so I never itbi also never breastfed so I just left them alone but won’t that come out anyways ?

@Kat those bubbles that come after squeezing is the colostrum. There's a way to express not just squeezing the nipple 😅 they say to start collecting at 37 weeks if you want to breastfeed but it's not necessary everyone's different. I expressed again and managed 5ml so I've like 13ish ml from 3 pump sessions of 5mins on each breast so it's a good head start for me as I didn't have enough producing for my first son so I want to make sure I have the supply this time round

I can't get a drop.. no leaking and I'm 36 weeks help me 😥😥

@Jodie I had this and found having a hot water bottle and just keep massaging and doing the process of collecting colostrum helped make it come in. I also had to drink a lot of water to be able to collect as well. I’ve only managed max half a syringe so it’s not brilliant compared to other people but that’s what helped me xx

@Jodie they recommend to wait till 37 weeks because it could potentially put you into labour and at 37 weeks they're considered full term . I was told a hot shower or bath and massaging the breast before trying to express is recommended.

@Tiana I agree with the warmth and massaging helps. The midwife told me every 3/4 hours 5mins on each breast too to start the breast getting used to producing more milk for the baby once they're out.

I’ve thought about collecting it but everyone I’ve asked has never collected it. How or what do you use colostrum for? How do you store it and for how long?

@Cerryiah so what the midwives told me your milk usually doesn't come in 4 ISH days after the baby's born, the colostrum is like the first very fatty very filling milk that fills the baby's up very quickly they don't really need more than 5idh mls first feed cuz their stomachs are size of a pea and then as they grow they expand. They said to express every 3/4 hours for 5 mins on each breast into syringes and then put those into zip lock bags label them and put them in the freezer. Frozen breast milk is ok for 6monthe and fridge stored 6days. Now it's also important to write if it's daytime or nighttime milk cuz daytime makes them more active but nighttime have melatonin so it makes them more sleepy apparently. I'm still learning as I go along as my first son was tongue tied so he couldn't latch onto me so if I only had the colostrum prepared in the syringes I could've fed him straight from those. The nurses judy said to collect as much as I can until birth and then bring all of them in with me in a cold bag

How much colostrum you produce while pregnant will not indicate how much you will produce when baby is born you could produce a ton of colostrum while pregnant and no milk once you give birth or you can produce no colostrum during pregnancy then after birth be an over producer

@Jodie that is normal

@Cheie I'm just going off of what I was told I'm not a professional obviously I'm not trying to give out false information or whatever all I said is just literally what I've been told 🤷🏻‍♀️

Not trying to be funny but how to you collect it ? Did you pump for 5 mins ?

@Brianna I was told not to pump cuz that has a higher chance to put me into labour, to avoid pumping till after birth. I was told to hand express for 5 mins on each breast and whatever is collected in the 5 mins is it not to go over 5mins on each and then to label it and put it into the freezer. Repeat every 3/4 hours. I can go into detail how I expressed if you want what I pressed etc