Harvesting colostrum
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@Nicole thank you so much! Definitely needed to research more!
Once you reach 36 weeks I’d look up the c shape when you hand express, it’s always better to manually express rather than use a pump as it stimulates your breast naturally and it will increase the amount of colostrum you get over time. Consistency is key to collecting colostrum, but also if you can’t get a lot you still have just as much of a chance to BF when baby is here. Maybe invest in some nipple pads so you don’t come through your tops in pregnancy!
Also know if you can’t collect any colostrum is not a reflection that you will have low milk supply! I stressed myself with this while pregnant, because everytime I hand expressed the tiniest drop came out and I couldn’t collect it with a syringe or spoon, but I didn’t have any milk supply issues and my milk still came in on day two, despite having a c section, which can commonly delay it to day four or five. As mentioned above, don’t start trying to collect until weeks 36/37 though!
Please don’t hand express until 36 weeks as it is not advised and can cause preterm labour. Anything that naturally comes out is fine to collect but it can be hard to collect if it isn’t coming out a lot in one go. You can get milk collectors that sit in your bra but I wouldn’t actively express colostrum until 36 weeks. Also how much colostrum you produce is not a reflection on how much milk you can make once baby arrives x