Colostrum question
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@Jen didn’t mean for it sound horrible, just frustrated as a first time mum, don’t have to sit there explaining to me, but could just do what you’ve just advised and tell me I can start now and have a look online on how to do it…as a first time mum it’s all overwhelming and googling things aren’t always the best
I completely understand where you’re coming from. I’ve had no information as well. Had to ask for it all myself. It’s a shame how they don’t have more time to spend with us. I hate that they ask if we have any questions but don’t ask us anything about birth etc. I wasn’t asked to do a birth plan or anything like that till nearly 37 weeks… Googling it isn’t the best at all and the little leaflet they give you with the kit isn’t that helpful either. When I first tried it I got so frustrated bc I didn’t get much eventhough I leak quite bad but there wasn’t much on Google to help and had to figure it out on my own. First time mum here too
@Estera that’s all I meant by this post to be honest, it can be overwhelming for first time mums, and our brains are so full of so much research that we are left to do on our own! Sometimes not have to think about the questions we may have and the midwife just bringing them up would be great! I had no birth plan either and still don’t was just given a leaflet to read and write my plan myself…so completely get you! I’ve not leaked at all, so not sure if I should try now or not?
You could still try and it might help to stimulate it to start coming. Don’t get disheartened if you don’t get much like I did I found out it’s perfectly normal. I definitely agree as someone doing it for the first time you have so many worries and thoughts that half the time you forget to ask the questions you want to ask and it definitely would be helpful for midwives to prompt some things and questions
@Estera thank you so much!! Did you get given syringes or did you sterilise your own containers etc? As I haven’t got any yet!
I didn’t mean to sound critical; just trying to explain why the midwife may not have mentioned it to you. If you’re able to, pop into your GP or Maternity Unit and they’ll have the syringes you need. If you’re not seeing any colostrum coming yet try massaging your boobs after a shower.
I got a kit from the hospital when I went for my scan as my midwife had ran out of them when I went for my appointment
My midwife is exactly the same I’m 36 week just over and she’s not once touched my belly thinks it’s fine to leave it for the scans which I’m not happy about, my apps with her last ab out 2 mins in and out just no care there
I feel ya. Had the exact same experience every single appointment. I feel like another person on the assembly line. Today I went in with a birth plan and walked her through it and asked plenty of questions. Took syringes for harvesting too. Sadly, the NHS is not the place for support, you have to do your own research, through other resources. I don’t expect information to be forthcoming from midwives. I’ve been following useful instagram pages and listening to audio books. And informing myself as much as possible, realised early on that there was no other option.
I learnt more about harvesting colostrum at my antenatal classes, my midwife never mentioned it either. I bought sterile syringes online, sterilised a shot glass and I found this works best… have a warm bath/shower, sit down with a show you like to watch and massage your boobs, then get 1 syringe out and hand express (google how to do this or have a play around as I believe it works differently depending on your boob shape, mine are big but quite floppy so I couldn’t do the typical ‘C shape’ people talked about) once I started getting droplets onto my nipple I used the syringe and then put it in the shot glass.. I then once I had a bit in the shot glass I used a fresh syringe to soak it all up ☺️ don’t be disheartened if you don’t get anything, I know a lot of people who have struggled… I got 0.3ml on my first go and then got 1.5ml on my 2nd. Good luck xx
Thank you so much all!! I will get on and try and hope for the best haha!! Xxx
Harvesting colostrum isn’t a necessary requirement and your midwife is there to ensure you and the baby are safe and healthy and baby is developing as it should be. Sadly they don’t have time to run through every possible thing that you could explore as part of pregnancy and post partum. There’s heaps of videos on YouTube that are really helpful for harvesting colostrum.