Colostrum

What is it?

Colostrum is exactly what you think of when you hear the phrase “liquid gold”. It is the thick, sticky, yellow milk your body starts making WHILE you are pregnant. Colostrum production begins mid pregnancy and continues until mature milk comes in, a few days after baby is born.

What makes colostrum different than “mature breastmilk”?

Colostrum is higher in protein than mature breastmilk and is packed full of antibodies. This abundance of antibodies, such as SIgA, serves to protect baby from infections and helps to establish baby’s gut microbiome.

Colostrum is thick, sticky and in smaller quantities than mature milk, allowing baby to practice the suck, swallow, breathe rhythm before milk increases in volume and becomes thinner. It is ideal for babies to have ample opportunity to practice breastfeeding with colostrum before breastmilk transitions.

Colostrum also has an important laxative effect, helping baby poop out the meconium that has built up in their intestines during pregnancy (meconium is baby’s first thick, black, tarry poops)

Collecting colostrum while pregnant

Collecting colostrum while pregnant has become very popular recently. It is a great way to prepare for delivery and can be used if baby needs to supplement for any reason. It is not necessary for a successful breastfeeding journey, but if you are interested in trying it let’s go over what you need to know!

I would recommend clearing colostrum collecting with your provider first because there are some concerns that the release of oxytocin during colostrum collecting while pregnant can contribute to preterm labor. There are also concerns that this is taking away colostrum from the baby - this is not the case! Your body will continue producing colostrum up until and for a few days past birth!

Once cleared by your provider you can typically start colostrum collecting at 37 weeks

How to collect colostrum:

• You can choose to hand express or pump colostrum

  • You will most likely find better success with hand expression rather than using a pump - many people also report success with hand pumps

  • to hand express:

    • wash your hands well

    • grab a clean bottle or colostrum collecting kit to express into

    • start with gentle breast massage

    • form a C shape with your hand

    • place your pointer finger and thumb on your breast, well behind the nipple/areola

    • press your fingers back toward your chest wall

    • compress you finger and thumb together

    • move your fingers to another place on your breast and repeat the process

• It is really important to not be discouraged if you are unable to express anything - hand expression is a learned skill and colostrum is thick and in small amounts! It is not always expressible, and if you are using a pump it can be challenging to collect - you may only see drops that get stuck in the pump pieces or you may only see an accumulation of moisture

• You can collect a couple times a day, a couple times a week - however you want to do it

• Label with the date it was expressed! If you combine colostrum from different days be sure to mark the date the oldest colostrum in the mixture was expressed

You CAN bring collected colostrum to the hospital but be cautious - once it thaws it is only good for 24 hours! I would recommend:

• Checking if your hospital has a freezer you can access 

• Only bringing a small amount of colostrum. You can always have someone get more from your home if you need it!

This collected colostrum CAN be used to supplement your baby while in the hospital. Here are some common reasons a baby may need to supplement:

• If they are struggling with low blood sugar

• Weight loss is too high (over 10%)

• They are not voiding/stooling appropriately

• They end up in the NICU and are unable to breastfeed directly for any reason

• Jaundice

Important note: If your baby gets a supplement for ANY REASON: you should be pumping or hand expressing every time baby gets supplemented!

• Even if you breastfeed first and then supplement, you should be pumping!

• Anytime baby gets food away from the breast they will be stimulating the breasts less, making it necessary to add in extra stimulation by pumping or hand expressing!

When does milk transition from colostrum to mature breastmilk?

Breastmilk typically transitions around 2-5 days postpartum. Mature milk will gradually replace colostrum over several days. Milk will become thinner and typically transition from yellow to white or bluish white. This is a time when many breastfeeding mothers often feel engorged due to inflammation of the breasts as milk supply increases. Ice, as well as feeding frequently and efficiently can help treat engorgement quickly.

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Resources:

Jozsa F, Thistle J. Anatomy, Colostrum. [Updated 2023 Feb 5]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513256/