Prenatal Colostrum Collection: Benefits for Early Postpartum
Prenatal colostrum collection (or harvesting) is becoming more popular and for good reason! More parents are considering it because of its ability to set you up for breastfeeding success and prevent the need for supplementation in the early days of breastfeeding.
What is Prenatal Colostrum Collection?
Prenatal colostrum collection is the act of collecting colostrum prenatally (at the end of pregnancy) usually by hand expression. You may also hear it referred to as prenatal colostrum harvesting. With your health care providers approval, you can begin hand expressing around 37 weeks of pregnancy and storing any colostrum you may collect in the freezer.
What is Colostrum?
Colostrum is your first milk and what baby will drink when they are born. It typically begins forming around 16 weeks of pregnancy. Colostrum can be thick, sticky, and can vary in color range from clear, to white, to yellow/gold.
It’s highly concentrated with nutrients and antibodies in just a few drops. These antibodies support and protect your baby’s immature immune system. It also improves baby’s gut health by providing a protective coating to their digestive tract.
Colostrum also has a laxative effect which helps your baby clear meconium (their first stools) lessening their chances of developing jaundice.
The Benefits of Collecting Colostrum Before Birth
Colostrum is often collected by hand expressing. Hand expression is a skill every new mom should learn! It is the best at removing colostrum from the breasts because of its thick, sticky consistency. Unsure how to hand express? Check out my FREE Guide to Hand Expression & Collecting Colostrum.
Hand expression is also useful in other scenarios such as increasing milk supply and if you’re in an emergency without a breast pump. So you’re getting practice and becoming more efficient at this skill before baby arrives. This will help you to feel more prepared and increase your confidence in breastfeeding.
Research shows collecting colostrum prenatally reduces time for establishing full breastfeeding and reduced breastfeeding failures. You’re setting yourself up for a successful breastfeeding journey before your baby is even born — early expression may support milk production postpartum!
Collecting colostrum prenatally provides a backup or safety net if you encounter any feeding challenges or need to be separated from baby when they are born. If baby is struggling to latch or needs to go to the NICU for any reason, you already have colostrum ready for them.
Having this safety net of arriving at the hospital with collected colostrum can support your baby with any medical needs. If your baby experiences low blood sugar, jaundice, or any other conditions, you can supplement right away with your own colostrum.
Who Should Consider Prenatal Colostrum Collection?
Truthfully, every expecting mom! However, there are certain scenarios where prenatal colostrum collection would be incredibly beneficial!
Ideal candidates for colostrum harvesting include those with gestational diabetes, babies with known intrauterine growth restrictions, planned C-sections, and potential blood type (+/-) differences.
If you anticipate your baby needing any time in the NICU, you would also be a good candidate for prenatal colostrum collection. But remember, you need to get approval from your provider first!
When we hand express (or pump) and collect colostrum prenatally, we are getting the hormone oxytocin flowing. This is also the hormone that causes contractions. If you have a high-risk pregnancy, your provider may want you to avoid anything that can cause contractions. So always check in with them first. Generally speaking, if you are cleared for intercourse, then you should be able to hand express.
How to Collect Colostrum for Storage
You can hand express into a medicine cup, clean spoon, or silverettes. You would then draw the colostrum up into a 1 or 3 cc syringe and store in the freezer. If you plan to bring your colostrum to the hospital, be sure to label it and bring it in a cooler.
Haakaa also makes great colostrum collectors that you can express directly into or squeeze to collect any droplets that can then be used to syringe feed baby.
Click here to shop my favorite colostrum collecting products.
You can safely store your colostrum in the fridge for 4 days or freezer for 6-12 months (per the CDC).
Common Questions & Concerns
Does it cause early labor? As long as your pregnancy isn’t high risk, there should be no more of an additional potential of early labor than there would be as you having intercourse. Oxytocin is released in both situations so if intercourse is approved by your provider, hand expressing should be as well.
What if I don’t collect much or any colostrum at all? You’re not alone! Some mothers never get any colostrum when expressing at the end of pregnancy, but learning the skill of hand expression is still vital.
Some moms may have trouble expressing any colostrum until the placenta is delivered. It can be hard to elicit the same levels of oxytocin experienced after giving birth. I want to reassure you that this does not mean you won’t have enough milk or a good supply when your baby is born!
Some tips to help you through this:
- Get as relaxed as possible and do things that make you feel good before attempting to express
- Take a warm bath or shower
- Try a different hold on your breast or using two hands to express
Need More Support?
If you want to learn exactly how to hand express, check out my FREE Guide to Hand Expression. It includes visuals and extra tips for getting the hang of hand expression.
Want even more support? My comprehensive prenatal breastfeeding guide, Bump to Breast, goes over all of this and so much more. We discuss latching, pumping, common breastfeeding struggles, all about your baby’s first week of life — everything you need to know about breastfeeding before your baby arrives!
