Collecting colostrum
Show your support
I collecting the drops straight into the syringe. Store in the freezer. Write date and name on. I did not take them to the hospital, I thought my husband could drive home if needed and I did not want them to defrost and waste if not needed. However some people take them in a cool bag with something to keep it cool and hospitals tend to keep it but you may want to check with your particular hospital.
I’ve been collecting mine in a sterilised pot and then sucking up into the syringe once I’ve finished. I struggled to get the drops straight into the syringe.
Thanks lovely ladies, is there a best time to do this? Or something I should do before? How do I know if my nips are ready or do I just go for it?
Replying to your comment- you want to wait until after 37 weeks, the best time to do it is when you're relaxed, some people get a good amount in the bath. You want to try and get that oxytocin going so pictures of your kids, scan photos, wedding video things like that might help x You are probably best hand expressing, make sure you're gentle and don't stress yourself out if it doesn't happen, it's not a reflection on the milk you will eventually produce x
I have been using a steelies bottle to collect it in. Then using rhw syringe to take it out of the bottle, labeling and then freezing it. To take it to the hospital put it in a bag with a couple of icepacks and they will then store it for you until it is needed. It's really hard to collect straight into the syringe. Some form of sterilised pot would work to then collect it into the syringe from. If you don't manage to fill a syringe you can store it in the fridge and make another attempt a few hours later to see if you can get some more and then put it in the fridge. However, you need to freeze it within 24hrs of collecting the first bit.
I was told straight into the syringe and stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours whilst collecting. Once it hits 24 hours freeze the syringe and start the next one
I just use a spoon like a medicine spoon you’d get with calpol and i collect it onto that. I collect it in the morning on the spoon and suck into the syringe then put in fridge, then in the evening i collect more colostrum on the spoon and put that into the same syringe then i label it and put in freezer. Then when you go to the hospital take your syringes out of the freezer and put them in your bag with an ice pack so they stay frozen for the journey there, then the hospital should put the syringes into their freezer for you and give them to you as needed. If you don’t end up using them they will just give them back to you. Frozen colostrum can be kept for up to 6 months