Here I will cover every detail about expressing, collecting and how to store colostrum. I even share my number one hack to easily collect those precious little drops. You’ve got questions, I’ve got answers!
Working several years in labor and delivery as a registered nurse, I’ve helped hundreds of new moms express colostrum. These are my favorite ways to collect and store colostrum.
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Busy mom with no time to read the whole article?
Below are my must haves for collecting and storing colostrum
- 1 ml syringe with caps
- oral syringe for getting EVERY drop around the pump flange
- Labels for name and date
Please discuss expressing colostrum (particularly before your baby is born) with your midwife, OB or healthcare provider before starting. Meeting with a lactation consultant is also a great idea. Many hospitals have them on staff. They have a wealth of information and truly are experts! I met with a lactation consultant several times with my first baby. They played a huge role for me meeting my breastfeeding goals.
What is colostrum?
First things first, ever wonder if colostrum is different from regular breast milk? I’m here to tell you – it most definitely is!
Colostrum is the “first milk” that is produced around 12-16 weeks of pregnancy. It’s a thick yellowish fluid that can be expressed and collected in the third trimester. It continues to be produced in the early days after baby’s birth until it transitions to mature milk.
This first form of breastmilk is commonly referred to as liquid gold. And for good reason! It has more protein and less carbohydrates and fat than mature milk (milk the body produces after the baby arrives).
Colostrum has special properties that help protect the baby from infections and helps establish a baby’s gut microbiome. It’s a wonderful building block for a baby’s immune system.
There’s so much left to learn about the benefits of colostrum. I really could go on and on. This is really just the beginning of research. If you have time you can read more about colostrum research here.
When to collect colostrum?
Some Moms start collecting a small amount of colostrum at 36 weeks for the purpose of having some reserved for their baby “just in case” or they’re anticipating a need for their baby. This would include Mamas with multiples, gestational diabetes, or babies with special conditions who may not latch well right away (a cleft lip would be an example).
Other Mamas, can use a breast pump as a form of nipple stimulation to help stimulate contractions at the end of pregnancy. You can then save the colostrum that may be pumped during the process. This was the case for me with my first pregnancy. My daughter took her sweet time arriving and I used a breast pump to help stimulate contractions.
Some Moms are collecting colostrum after their baby is born if they may not be able to latch consistently yet. Their babies may be premature or have medical conditions and be unable to nurse. Some may be working on establishing a good latch or they may not be ready to nurse yet. Some babies are transported to another facility due to medical care needs. These moms are encouraged to start pumping their colostrum as soon as possible.
How can you collect colostrum?
How to express colostrum
There are a couple of ways to express colostrum. Hand expression or pumping with a hand pump or electric pump.
An easy way to collect colostrum is via hand expression. I like to use a spoon in my free hand to collect very small amounts of colostrum. If you have any extra help, you can also have someone else hold the spoon for you! Sometimes that makes things a little easier to manage.
Have no idea how to hand express? No problem! So many new moms are in the same boat! Here’s step-by-step instructions on how to hand express colostrum. There’s also a video link. I would recommend watching it if you’ve never seen it done before! It’s super helpful to see it done instead of just reading about it.
What to do with pumped colostrum?
What you do with your colostrum once it’s is collected depends on if your expressing it before or after your baby has arrived. You can either feed the fresh colostrum directly to your baby or store it for future use.
Most Mamas will have just a few drops of colostrum at first. Newborn babies have a stomach the size of a marble, so they really only need these small amounts at a time when they’re first born!
TIP! – When using a pump the colostrum may stay in the flanges and pool around your nipple. When finished pumping, it works best to lean forward to encourage the drops to fall into the bottle.
I then like to use a syringe to collect the colostrum from the bottle. If using a Medela pump, I like to leave the flanges on and pull the bottle/pump piece off. I then take a syringe (these oral syringes are the best way for collecting such small amounts) and move the tip of the syringe around the nipple in the flange before removing the flange. This is the best way to get every drop you can. It helps to have someone help use the syringe and collect the colostrum this way.
How to store colostrum?
How to store colostrum with a Syringe
I like to use small 1 ml oral syringes to store the collected colostrum. Be sure to label your syringes with your name and date. You can use stickers for this. Using a smaller 1 ml syringe helps avoid wasting any of your colostrum once it’s rewarmed. Like regular breast milk, it has to be used within a certain timeframe.
How to store colostrum without syringe
You can also store the collected colostrum in small baby bottles. I was able to collect 2-3 ml at a time and froze it in small bottles like these. I do think syringes are the easiest way to store your colostrum, and it helps prevent wasting it. But I did store my own colostrum both ways.
How long can you keep colostrum in the fridge
You may be wondering how long can you store colostrum. Colostrum has the same shelf life as mature breast milk. How long you can store it, depends on if it’s frozen or stored in the fridge. Storage recommendations are identical to regular breast milk.
Remember it’s a good idea to place it in the back of the fridge. Avoid placing it in the refrigerator door, where temperature changes more easily.
When rewarming chilled or frozen colostrum syringes or bottles, place in a bowl of warm water. Do not microwave.
How to store colostrum in the freezer
Be sure to label your frozen colostrum with your name and date (especially if you are collecting it prior to delivery). If you plan to deliver in a hospital, it’s important to have it labeled.
If you are planning a home birth, I still recommend labeling your colostrum in case of a transport to the hospital. Be sure to let your midwife know you have collected colostrum in the fridge or freezer and what you might want done with it in the event of a transport.
Colostrum stored in a deep freezer lasts the longest. Refer back to storage links I provided earlier for specifics on self life for colostrum stored in the freezer.
You will want ice packs and a cooler ready to transport your stored colostrum to the hospital.
I hope I helped answer your every question on how to store colostrum before birth and how to express colostrum before birth. There’s so much for new moms to think about that things like this can be overwhelming.
Interested in learning more?
Read all my articles related to breastfeeding and breast milk. I’m happy to share what I learned working as a labor and delivery nurse and what I’ve learned as a mom of three. If you have any questions about how to save colostrum (or any topic), ask away! I’m happy to help!
Please remember to discuss antenatal expression of colostrum with your health care provider before starting, as nipple stimulation can cause uterine contractions.
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