Collecting Colostrum

The What, When & HOW?!

Harvesting colostrum is a method of expressing and collecting colostrum during your pregnancy (around 36-37 weeks) and storing for use after your baby is born.

This practice is becoming more and more used & for good reason! There are incredible benefits to harvesting colostrum. I personally have never collected colostrum during my pregnancy because I had very early babies. You should avoid collecting colostrum until 36-37 weeks (& once cleared by your health care team).

Collecting colostrum is not a MUST so if you aren't able to collect colostrum at the end of your pregnancy, this is not to say that you wont go on to have a wonderful breastfeeding journey! It can just be another tool in your breastfeeding toolbox.

Make sure you are cleared by your health care team to collect colostrum & wait until 36-37 weeks to begin

How Much Will You Collect?!

When first starting to harvest colostrum it is very normal to only get drops! Every drop is helpful and you’ll notice that the amount you express will increase the more to do it. Many moms can get discouraged when they first start thinking that the amount they are getting is so minimal, but this is to be expected! You likely won't fill a syringe (even a 1mL syringe) on your first session!

What You'll Need

• 1ml Syringes or Collection Chambers (make sure they have caps to keep sterile until you give them to your baby)

• Labels (you want to make sure to date each syringe)

• Optional: a small collection cup to express in to (e.g. medicine cup, silverette, etc)

You can find these items linked in my Amazon storefront here.

TIP: I would start off by collecting with a 1mL syringe! You likely won't fill this at the beginning & a few drops (ex. 0.3mL) can look very different in a 4mL syringe vs a 1mL syringe. This can feel a bit defeating but is so normal!

How To

1. “Warm Up” your breasts with some breast massage . You may even want to try a heat pack or warm shower first to help!

2. Wash your hands well with soap & water

3. Hand express drops on to your nipple & scoop with a cup or draw up into your syringe

Hand Expression Technique

Think Press, Compress, Release

• Start by washing your hands with soap & water

• Using a C shape hand position, cup your breast just outside your areola

• Press your hand inward toward your chest

• Compress your breast by bringing your thumb & fingers closer together (without releasing the press)

• Release the compression but keep your hand on your breast

• Repeat in a rhythmic motion, moving your hands to different areas on the breast

For more of a visual, checkout my reel on How to do Hand Expression here!

How Long & How Often Should You Collect?

I would try to spend a good 15-20 minutes per session to collect & aim to collect a few times a day.

How to Store Colostrum

You would label & store the colostrum the same as any other breastmilk, following the CDC guidelines.

You can transport the frozen colostrum in a cooler bag to the hospital or birthing centre. I would contact your hospital's labour & delivery unit or your birthing centre ahead of time to discuss their policy for storing colostrum when you arrive.

I have a free breastmilk storage chart that you can download to keep on hand!

Can You Combine Collection Sessions?

You can! Just like with breastmilk, you can combine colostrum syringes together from different sessions to make larger syringes (as opposed to having a bunch of 0.2-0.3mL syringes). You will want to put your syringes in the fridge, labeled with the date you collected them before freezing. Then you can combine them making sure to follow the milk storage guidelines. You'll want to combine, label & freeze based off of the oldest session.

So for example, say you collect on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, you put them in the fridge and are ready to combine, you'll want to combine them, date & freeze based off of Monday's date. The colostrum will be good in the fridge for 4 days from collection, so Monday morning's session would need to be in the freezer by Friday morning.

When & How to Use It

Having harvesting colostrum on hand can be extremely helpful in getting your breastfeeding journey off to a great start. There are many reasons why you may need to use it for supplementation, including:

• low blood sugar

• jaundice

• difficulties latching

• slow weight gain

If you don't end up needing it or you have extra leftover, you can also use it postpartum for any “top ups” or save it for times of illness (those antibodies will work wonders!)

Good luck mama & happy collecting!