Colostrum Harvesting Kit & Free Hypnobirthing Script

Product Information

If you are booked to have an induction of labour or caesarean, in the 2 to 3 days before, do not freeze the colostrum but instead put it in the fridge. This will lengthen the amount of time the colostrum can be used, as once defrosted the colostrum should be used within 12 hours. Many babies born to diabetic mothers can have low blood sugar levels after birth putting them at risk of neonatal hypoglycaemia and jaundice.

Colostrum is a natural laxative that helps your baby get rid of meconium — their tar-like first poop — in their digestive tract. Some women may find the process of colostrum harvesting tender, however, it should not hurt,” says Leila. This may be diagnosed during pregnancy. Babies with any form of cleft can find it harder to breastfeed. Breastfeeding is particularly important for the first six months as it helps protect these babies against ear and respiratory infections. When the cleft is repaired, your milk helps promote healing and protects your baby against hospital germs.

How to transport your frozen colostrum

There are plenty of positive things about harvesting colostrum, but it’s not all good. Before you start, you be aware of both the pros and cons. Here are a few reasons you might want to try it: Many ladies who are experienced breastfeeding mothers do not understand the need for expressing colostrum before birth. Firstly, each and every baby can be very different, along with different complications such as issues with latching and/or tongue tie, preventing them from breastfeeding. GD babies can be very sleepy and may also struggle to latch, wake for feeds or feed effectively. Some babies may feed well from the breast but still require additional feeds on top of regular breastfeeds to keep blood sugar levels stable. Colostrum v’s formula

Colostrum can be expressed from about week 37 of pregnancy. It has become common practice in the NHS for women to be offered antenatal colostrum harvesting. Some local trusts supply kits for colostrum collection. The kits are also available to buy online. When the drops slow down, move your fingers round to try a different section of your breast and repeat. Harvesting your colostrum will be especially beneficial for your baby if they are likely to have difficulties with feeding or maintaining their blood sugar levels during the first few days after birth. This may be because your baby: It also contains the perfect balance of proteins, fats and micronutrients needed for human babies as well as acting as a laxative to help the passing of the first tarry meconium stools.If the drops don’t appear at the breast, try moving your fingers slightly towards the nipple or further away, and try a gentle massage. It can also come in handy if you’re ever engorged and don’t have your pump nearby. It can help supplement breastfeeding if you need it

Colostrum actually has more in common with blood than it does with breast milk since it’s full of white blood cells and immune-boosting properties. It contains antibodies that protect your newborn against disease and infection and bioactives that help to activate their immune system, jumpstart gut function, and seed a healthy gut microbiome in the first few days of life, giving your baby the best possible start. Easy for newborns to digest This is produced from about sixteen weeks of pregnancy onwards. Your breasts may leak colostrum from 28 weeks. The amount of colostrum will vary from woman to woman. It can range from nothing initially, to a few drops, progressing to a teaspoonful or more. Learning to express colostrum can increase confidence and ability to breastfeed, especially in situations where the first feed may be delayed, high risk pregnancies and other special situations for example: Forster, D. et al. Diabetes and Antenatal Milk Expressing (DAME). Lancet, 2017; 389 (10085): 2204-2213.

What are you looking for?

You’ll be able to express a small amount of colostrum onto your nipple if your baby needs encouragement to feed. in Scotland to Incident Reporting & Investigation Centre (IRIC) and their local incident recording system

Breast feeding can take time for you and baby to get to know each other. The harvested colostrum can help supplement feeds during the first few days. You can collect colostrum 2-3 times a day with the same syringe if it is stored in the fridge between harvests. NB - to avoid spillage ensure cap is placed on syringe after collection Label, bag and freeze. Can be stored for up to six months in the freezer. Once taken out it must be used within 24 hours.To raise blood sugar levels the baby needs to feed as much as possible. Even though many mothers manage to successfully breastfeed, some babies still require further top-up feeds and some have difficulties feeding and therefore require bottle or cup feeds. In more concerning situations, babies born to gestational diabetes mothers may need an NG tube or a glucose/dextrose infusion. Have a clean sterilised purple feeding Syringe and cap or small container to hand before you start. Because it comes in earlier than regular breast milk, you may be able to start collecting and harvesting colostrum it before your little one arrives. However, you should wait until you’re at least 37 weeks pregnant to try harvesting colostrum and you should get your doctor’s approval before you begin, Melanie Silverman, MS, RD, International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant and President of Pacify Health, tells Romper.