Is it true? Labour and birth. Community groups. Home Pregnancy Labour and birth Planning your baby's birth. Clare Herbert Community midwife. Colostrum is packed with nutrients and antibodies that nourish your baby and protect them from illness. But breastfeeding soon after birth gives your baby all the colostrum they need. There are times when it may be of benefit though. Why might I want to express colostrum?
And are there some situations that are more risky than others? The amount women collect varies from nothing, to a few drops, to a teaspoonful or more. They collect it in a syringe or small sterile jar, which they store in the freezer at home. They then bring it still frozen to the hospital when they give birth, where it is thawed if needed to give to the newborn baby while he or she is one or two days old. Before birth, all babies receive a continuous supply of food in the form of glucose from their mother.
This stops suddenly at birth and as babies transition to life outside the womb they have a period of low blood sugar hypoglycaemia. However, this adaptation to outside life takes longer for babies of mothers with diabetes. About one in four or five of these babies develop hypoglycaemia soon after birth. Expressing and storing colostrum before birth, may decrease the risk of your baby being given infant formula after birth. Expressing can assist in the promotion of successful, exclusive breastfeeding for you and your baby.
Exclusive breastfeeding promotes growth of good gut bacteria. Do not express if: you have a history of, or are currently experiencing, threatened or actual preterm labour you have a history of, or are currently experiencing, cervical incompetence you have had a suture put in your cervix to prevent preterm labour you have a history of bleeding through pregnancy or placenta praevia your placenta is near to, or covering, your cervix.
Mater acknowledges consumer consultation in the development of this patient information. Consumers were consulted in the development of this patient information. For further translated health information, you can visit healthtranslations. Share this page. Was this information helpful? No Yes. Comment optional. Enter security code:. Exclusive breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the risk of a baby developing diabetes later in life.
Consider expressing the day before birth so your milk is available if you and your baby are separated, especially if your baby will be born early. Some medical conditions may make it harder for you and your baby to establish breastfeeding. Or, if you need to start medications that are incompatible with breastfeeding immediately after birth, your saved colostrum can still be given to your baby.
Some NHS hospital trusts already have policies in place for sharing information on antenatal expression. Your midwife and other members of your antenatal care team may have information to share on breast massage and how to hand express.
They should also be able to give you small sterile bottles, syringes or other containers with identity labels in which to save your colostrum. Do ask if the hospital has an Infant Feeding Specialist who will be well informed about breastfeeding and a source of support in those early days.
Hand expression is the best way to express colostrum. It is simple to learn and gets easier with practice. You may receive information and a demonstration on hand expression from your midwife. Hand Expression of Breastmilk gives information on an effective technique. By expressing up to three times in a day, you can express enough for a feed. Take your stored colostrum with you to the hospital in a cool bag.
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