Every drop counts so do not lose heart if you feel you have not collected much colostrum. This does not mean your baby will find it difficult to breastfeed. How do I store colostrum? Get yourself comfortable. Perhaps seated and leaning slightly forward but find what works best for you. Seek advice from a healthcare professional for guidance on how to feed the harvested colostrum to your baby. in Scotland to Incident Reporting & Investigation Centre (IRIC) and their local incident recording system Formula will raise blood sugar levels, however, research suggests that breastfeeding colostrum has a better effect on raising blood sugar levels than formula:

According to the NHS, there is no evidence that hand expression of colostrum can trigger labour for women who are not known to be at risk of premature labour. It [expressing] made breastfeeding this time really a lot easier. I didn’t really breastfeed my first baby. (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 It can be helpful if your baby is born with a medical condition. Silverman notes that collecting colostrum can be great if your little one is born with a condition like a cleft lip or palate, Down syndrome, intrauterine growth restriction, cardiac complications, or if you have diabetes. It can feel discouraging. You’re not guaranteed to collect a lot of colostrum before giving birth and sometimes you might struggle to get any at all. “It can be discouraging if you don’t see any colostrum, or painful if you are hand expressing for too long,” Silverman says.If you hand express and use a syringe to draw up the individual drips of colostrum, you can use these syringes for storage prior to birth. Your health care provider may be able to supply you with sterile syringes. If you're keen to learn more about colostrum harvesting and give it a go, we've answered all your questions, from the advantages of harvesting to exactly how to do it. What are the pros and cons of colostrum harvesting?

This is a common myth says Leila: “Research shows that hand expressing colostrum is highly unlikely to induce labour. If it was that easy, we wouldn’t need to induce so many pregnancies!” What are colostrum harvesting kits?Step 6: You may only express a few drops of colostrum or a full teaspoon, so don’t be disheartened if you feel you haven’t expressed a lot, colostrum is extremely concentrated so every drop counts.

Most colostrum harvesting kits consist of multiple syringes and caps, cloths and a user guide,” says Leila. “Some also come with a storage bag or cup.” Forster, D. et al. Diabetes and Antenatal Milk Expressing (DAME). Lancet, 2017; 389 (10085): 2204-2213. Colostrum is very concentrated. At birth the baby’s stomach is about the size of a marble, so they will only need a small amount to receive all the nutrients they need. Colostrum harvesting

Have a clean sterilised purple feeding Syringe and cap or small container to hand before you start. Is easily digested and helps your baby’s digestive system develop, which protects your baby from allergies

Please do not panic or worry that you are not leaking colostrum or do not notice any difference in your breasts. This does not mean you will not be able to harvest colostrum. Equipment neededBefore you begin harvesting colostrum, you might want to practice hand expressing. It can be helpful to practice in the bath or shower while you get used to the technique. Colostrum is produced in very small quantities, so using a pump doesn’t work well for collection. If hand expressing does cause soreness, you should try changing the pressure or position of your fingers. You can also get expert help from a Lactation Consultant who can help guide you through the best practice of colostrum harvesting.” How do you harvest colostrum? Our article Hand Expression of Breastmilk also describes an effective method. Antenatally, you’ll only need to express for three to five minutes – just until you have a few drops of colostrum. It may not seem very much, but a baby’s first feed is no more than a teaspoon of colostrum. By expressing up to three times in a day, you can express enough for a feed. With practice and regular stimulation, you’ll be able to express more colostrum. When you go into labour Some women may find the process of colostrum harvesting tender, however, it should not hurt,” says Leila. 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.