Colostrum is the first breast milk your body makes. It is the perfect source of nutrition for your baby because it: People who have had breast surgery, or a history of low milk supply, can benefit from prenatal harvesting of colostrum as it ‘fires up’ the milk ducts and gets colostrum moving through them,” explains Leigh Anne O’Connor, a lactation consultant in New York City. Antenatal colostrum harvesting is when the mother collects or expresses the colostrum from the breast during pregnancy before the baby is born and freezes it for use after birth. Start with short periods of time, three times a day, building up to five to ten minutes at a time, two to five times a day. You can also collect any leaking colostrum There’s no set time that you’ll start leaking colostrum when you’re pregnant. In fact, some people never do, and whether or not you leak doesn’t mean anything about your ability to breastfeed. “Some women begin leaking colostrum around 20 weeks, others never leak colostrum,” Schooler says. Whether you leak or not means nothing about what your breastfeeding journey will be like. “Leaking colostrum during pregnancy is not an indicator of how full a woman’s milk supply will be,” Schooler notes. Does leaking colostrum mean labor is close?

Results: Eighteen (47%) infants developed hypoglycaemia (blood glucose level less than 2 mmol/L) during the first 2 h of life. There was no difference in the cord blood glucose levels between infants with or without hypoglycaemia (3.7 ± 1.1 vs 4.5 ± 1.1 mmol/L, respectively). Infants of mothers with diabetes diagnosed prior to 28 weeks gestation were at a higher risk of developing hypoglycaemia (8 of 10 vs 10 of 28, OR 7.2, 95%CI 1.3–40.7). Hypoglycaemic infants were of significantly higher birthweight, and were more likely to be born to Caucasian mothers and by Caesarean section. Raised maternal fructosamine blood level, the need for insulin treatment or the infant’s haematocrit were not different between infants with or without hypoglycaemia. When you are around 32 – 33 weeks pregnant your Antenatal Specialist Midwife/Community Midwife will explain colostrum harvesting and how to hand express and store your colostrum. In this analysis of the experiences of women with diabetes in pregnancy, women were motivated to collect and store colostrum by wariness of medicalisation and an underlying desire to provide the best start for their babies and avoid unnecessary interventions such as formula. These motivating factors, however, also contributed to an ongoing and often overwhelming pressure to obtain colostrum, associated with considerable guilt and distress when they had difficulties with the process. This pressure also drove women to develop personal strategies to regain control in the context of their pregnancy complicated by diabetes. Women were able to adjust to frustrations associated with expressing and ultimately develop biopsychosocial fortitude for motherhood.

How to transport your frozen colostrum

The syringe of colostrum will need to be brought to room temperature. You can either immerse the plastic bag containing the syringe of colostrum in a bowl of warm water or place it next to your skin.

Colostrum is a great source of nutrition for your baby, and some women will collect their colostrum before giving birth, otherwise known as ‘colostrum harvesting’. Some pregnant women may do this if they know their baby is going to have trouble feeding, while others simply want to become more confident at hand expressing their breast milk. Conclusions: In well-controlled diabetic mothers, the incidence of early hypoglycaemia in infants is still high, particularly in those mothers who had a longer duration of diabetes. Cord blood glucose level did not identify the infants with hypoglycaemia. If I hadn’t [expressed] I wouldn’t have known where to go and probably wouldn’t have felt comfortable reaching out but I’d already made those relationships. (GDM, 30s)Your baby will need to breastfeed at least 8-12 times in 24 hours. If, for any reason, you are separated or unable to breastfeed your colostrum can be defrosted if needed, one container at a time to avoid waste. Your colostrum can also be used if your baby needs supplements. The first few days Before you have your baby and in the first few days after birth only hand express. You could practise in the bath or shower as relaxation and warmth often helps with expressing. It is very normal to get nothing initially, even learning how to hand express will get you off to a great start for when you have your baby If your baby doesn’t breastfeed well in the first few days, being able to hand express will help you:

If harvested colostrum ends up being ‘wasted’ because you are able to establish early exclusive breastfeeding, this is a cause for celebration rather than commiseration!

Version

Colostrum is the first breast milk which your body starts to produce during pregnancy, it is the optimal source of nutrition for your new born baby because it: Put the syringe or container in a clean re-sealable bag and place it in your freezer at a temperature of -18°C. Please be aware that if it is a false alarm and you are sent home your milk may have defrosted and it will not be safe to freeze it again, Milk will only last for 24 hours in the fridge once defrosted. It may be beneficial to bring milk FOLLOWING delivery if possible). Feeding your baby with colostrum

You will only be expressing small amounts of colostrum, so using the pump at this stage will be impractical and may not be as effective. Before your baby is born, you will only need to express until you have a few drops of colostrum expressed. By expressing up to three times a day, you can express enough for baby’s first feeds as babies require no more than a teaspoon of colostrum. Gather a clean, sterile container. Feeding syringes are often a good choice if you can get help collecting the colostrum (it’s often hard to hold the syringe while hand expressing). find a time where you can relax for at least 30 minutes without being interrupted. It may be easier to practice whilst having a warm + relaxing bath the first few times There are specific reporting arrangements for healthcare professionals to follow in each of region. Healthcare professionals should report incidents: The expressing of colostrum in the final few weeks of pregnancy. This practice is advocated by some NHS Trusts although you are advised to wait until around 36 weeks before starting to harvest.It is easier to store and defrost small amounts of colostrum in syringes, but you can store or freeze your colostrum in any suitable sterilised container, especially if you are collecting larger quantities. How long can I use one syringe for? Mothers start to produce colostrum (early milk) while pregnant. Being able to express colostrum is a useful skill to have. Saving your expressed colostrum may also be beneficial if your baby is likely to need special care after birth. Why express while pregnant?