Colsetrem

colostrum can come in anytime like 20+ weeks, some people not at all until baby is here. It isn’t recommended to be collected until like 37 weeks due to the potential for premature labor. Nipple stimulation can cause contractions so be careful, ask your OB for their recommendation.

colostrum* start collecting at 37 weeks as said above, your midwife will explain to you about it i think at your 34 week appt, or around then. no pressure though, don’t put pressure on yourself, some people can collect it and some people struggle. you can freeze it and it’s good for 6 months! x

Colostrum can be harvested from 36/37 weeks only providing your midwife says it’s ok to do so as can start early labour. It’s not mandatory either, you don’t need to do it. It’s a very new thing people have started doing. You can try after this time frame using your hands & syringes bought from Amazon. You can collect, put it in a sandwich bag and put in freezer. You can keep in fridge for 24 hours if you plan on using the same syringe for two days of harvesting. You can take to hospital and the staff will keep in a fridge for you for straight after birth or you can keep at home as emergency especially if your baby is sick as this is liquid gold.

I wasn’t able to get any colostrum before birth so don’t worry if you can’t - I still breastfed from the minute he was born until he was 13 months! As others have said, wait until at least 37 weeks, yes it can be frozen but mostly don’t worry if you can’t get any out, it’s not an indication of whether you’ll be able to breastfeed or not x

I didn’t get any out in either pregnancy but I breastfed both my babies within an hour of birth (caesareans). Colostrum is no indication of your breastmilk supply so don’t stress if you get none.

To further what's been said, here's some super helpful information for you https://laleche.org.uk/antenatal-expression-of-colostrum/

Colostrum can be collected as soon as it starts leaking as long as you’re not physically expressing it, you don’t need to wait until 37 weeks. If it’s freely dripping out it makes no difference whether that then goes into a collection pot/syringe or a tissue. Mine started leaking around 16 weeks x

I started leaking milk around week 20. I tried to collect colostrum at 37 weeks. However, it was too thick to get into a syringe. It can be stored in the freezer for 6 months. It was helpful to get used to hand expressing and using the handheld pump. No harm in trying however don't put pressure on your self.

I didn’t bother collecting any and Bf from birth until he was 3yrs lol. Asian countries have the highest BF success rates and they don’t collect any colostrum beforehand. It’s handy, but not necessary