Colostrum

I tried for the first time yesterday and then again today with no luck 😕 very frustrating.

Try not to be disheartened, just keep trying! I started at 37 weeks and couldn’t get anything, but by 39 weeks I was able to! Just took a while and perseverance 😌 x

It’s not advised but I’ve been using a pump, which is much easier than hand expressing. With my first pregnancy I hand expressed after having a relaxing bath but I’m getting a lot more out with my pump this time around xxx

I struggled using the hand expression technique so I ended up going in for a hand pump and it worked like magic xx it took me a few attempts x I massaged around and got myself relaxed then I tried to hand express for about 10-15 mins and I gave up I stayed hydrated and I just decided to go in for a pump and it worked so well for me

@Katie yeah I thought it was going to be easier 😅 Plenty of time though! 🥰

@Amelia that’s good to hear!! As long as I get some before he’s here I’ll be fine! x

I feel very lucky that I managed to get some the first time and every time since. First I spent a while thinking about baby whilst massaging from the outside of my boob inwards, all around. There is a certain soft spot just near the edge of your areola where the milk ducts are. I watched a few videos first, so would defo do that if you haven’t already. Good luck! xx

@Sophie yeah I tried with my Haakaa in the bath! Hoping a few more tries and I’ll get some out! How long did you use the pump for? Xxx

@Maria I tried with my Haakaa but maybe I didn’t try for long enough (think I was being a bit of a pussy ahah)! I’ll keep trying 😌😅 xx

@Kerri omg I was scared to use my pump x I used the hand pump I got from Amazon x but honestly I was scared to do it again but honestly the scare goes after you just get on with it x it takes a while x but it flows nicely after you got th rhythm x

For those who used a pump how much did you manage to harvest? I'm getting tiny drops with hand expression but they're drying up and crusting over before I can even get them in a syringe so I think if I get anything out with a pump it might get lost in it 😢

@Nance I got out 3 full syringes 😅 I only filled 3 up with my pump x only a little bit got lost but I didn’t really fuss about it because I still managed to fill the syringes xx

I use an egg cup (sterilised first) warm bath & massage, best to be super relaxed, then squeeze into the egg cup until there is enough to syringe up :) some days I get barely anything other days 3-4 syringes Don’t be disheartened if it doesn’t work it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to breast feed !

I'm 38 weeks now and started hand expressing colostrum last week and the first time it took me ages to fill a syringe. Now it only takes about 15 mins but I only seem to be able to get a good enough amount to collect with the syringe from one boob 🤷 but my midwife advised having a warm bath or shower before harvesting to stimulate the milk ducts, there's also loads of videos and guidance online about massaging and technique which I found super helpful!

I couldn’t collect any in my first pregnancy no matter how hard I tried. Second pregnancy has been different however. I always make sure I’m super hydrated, have a nice cup of tea or coffee and a snack, then I sit down somewhere quiet for 30 mins in front of the telly while I try to collect. My no 1 tip would be to avoid stressing about it if you don’t get much at all because stress can really impact your body producing any colostrum, and keep trying a few times a day. Even if you just get a drop that’s amazing and a sign your body is doing what it needs to do!

@Kerri I do 15 mins on each side and get just under 10ml in total. However, everyone’s different and will get different amounts.xxx

Awh thanks everyone! I think I just need to be a little more patient 😂