Colostrum is truly fantastic first milk that your body makes for your baby. It can look thick and golden, pale yellow, or sometimes almost clear – and although it’s made in very small amounts, it’s incredibly powerful.
Colostrum is uniquely rich in proteins, fats and antibodies that help protect your baby from infection and support their early digestion. It also helps stabilise your baby’s blood glucose (sugar) levels in the first hours and days after birth. A newborn’s stomach is tiny at birth – around the size of a marble – so just a few millilitres at a time is usually enough. This is why babies often feed little and often in the early days, sometimes as frequently as every hour.
What Is Colostrum Harvesting?
Your breasts begin producing colostrum during pregnancy, often from around 16–20 weeks. Because colostrum is made before birth, some women choose to hand express and store small amounts of colostrum in late pregnancy. This is known as antenatal colostrum harvesting.
Colostrum harvesting isn’t about replacing breastfeeding. Instead, it’s a way of:
- practising hand expressing
- having a small supply of your own milk available if it’s needed
- feeling more confident about feeding before your baby arrives.
Why Might Colostrum Harvesting Be Helpful?
Breastmilk is uniquely designed for your baby. If the unexpected happens, for example, if you and your baby are separated after birth, or if feeding takes a little time to establish breastfeeding, having practised hand expressing can make it easier to express milk when needed.
Colostrum harvesting can be particularly helpful when babies are more likely to need extra feeds in the early days. In these situations, expressed colostrum can sometimes be used instead of formula, depending on your baby’s needs and local guidance.
Who May Benefit Most from Harvesting Colostrum?
Colostrum harvesting may be especially useful if your baby has a higher chance of low blood sugar or feeding difficulties after birth. This can include:
- women with diabetes in pregnancy (including gestational diabetes)
- planned caesarean birth
- babies known during pregnancy to have a cleft lip and/or palate or certain congenital conditions
- babies with growth restriction
- situations where early separation is more likely.
If your baby does need extra feeds, expressed colostrum can often be given using a syringe or cup, supporting breastfeeding while meeting your baby’s immediate needs.
Is Colostrum Harvesting Right for Everyone?
Not everyone needs to harvest colostrum, and it’s absolutely fine to decide not to. Many women don’t express any colostrum during pregnancy and go on to breastfeed successfully.
Colostrum harvesting may not be recommended if you:
- have a history of premature labour
- have cervical concerns
- are pregnant with twins or more
- have been advised to avoid nipple stimulation.
This is because nipple stimulation can release oxytocin, a hormone that can sometimes trigger uterine contractions. For most women expressing in late pregnancy this risk is small, but it’s important to check first.
Always talk to your midwife or doctor before starting antenatal expression, especially if you have any pregnancy complications.
When Can I Start Expressing Colostrum?
If advised that it’s suitable for you, colostrum harvesting usually starts from around 36–37 weeks of pregnancy.
If you’re planning an induction or a planned caesarean before your due date, your midwife or doctor may suggest starting a little earlier.
Hand expression only is recommended during pregnancy – breast pumps should be avoided until after birth.
How to Hand Express Colostrum
Choose a warm, private and comfortable place. Take your time – it can take a while for colostrum to appear, especially at first.
You can also watch a short midwife-led demonstration video here, which many parents find helpful:
👉 https://www.instagram.com/reel/CNp9TppjtzX/
Step-by-step:
- Wash your hands thoroughly.
- Applying warmth (a warm compress, bath or shower) can help milk flow.
- Gently massage your breast, moving from the chest wall towards the nipple.
- Place your thumb above the nipple and your fingers below, forming a “C” shape.
- Press back towards your chest, then gently compress your fingers together, then release.
- Repeat: press, compress, release – building a gentle rhythm.
- Rotate your fingers around the areola to stimulate different areas.
- Express from each breast for a few minutes, once or twice a day.
Colostrum often appears drop by drop. At first, you may just notice a glisten on the nipple – this is completely normal.
Collecting and Storing Colostrum
- Collect colostrum into a clean 1ml or 2ml syringe.
- Label each syringe with your name, date of birth and the date expressed.
- Freeze as soon as possible.
- Frozen colostrum can be stored for up to six months.
To use:
- Defrost at room temperature or under warm running water.
- Once defrosted, keep in the fridge and use within 24 hours.
If you have a planned birth, you may also be able to express and refrigerate colostrum shortly beforehand. Bring frozen colostrum to hospital in a cool bag and give it to your midwife on arrival.
Always check your local hospital guidance, as storage arrangements can vary.
If Expressing Doesn’t Work for You
If you don’t manage to express colostrum during pregnancy, please don’t let this knock your confidence. This is very common, especially if it’s your first baby and it doesn’t predict how breastfeeding will go.
You are not depriving your baby of anything. Your body will continue to make colostrum after birth, and feeding or expressing soon after delivery will provide everything your baby needs.
References
- NICE. Antenatal care (NG201).
- NICE. Intrapartum care for healthy women and babies (NG190).
- Royal College of Midwives (RCM). Antenatal expression of colostrum.
- Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). Breastfeeding and diabetes.
- UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI). Guidance on antenatal expression of colostrum.
- World Health Organization (WHO). Infant and young child feeding.
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM). Clinical Protocol #19.