Colostrum harvesting before birth

Colostrum is the first milk, thick and usually yellow, that your breasts start making during pregnancy. It comes in small amounts but is very rich in antibodies and nutrients. In the last weeks of pregnancy you can hand express it and store it for your baby.

Updated 7 October 2026

In short

It's usually started around week 36–37, after talking to your doctor or midwife.
It's expressed by hand and collected drop by drop with a small syringe.
It's stored in the freezer and taken to hospital in a cooler bag.

Why it can help

Colostrum collected in advance can be given to your baby in the first days if they need a little more food or have trouble latching. It's especially useful when:

you have diabetes, before or during pregnancy, because your baby may have low blood sugar after birth;
you're expecting twins or a planned caesarean;
your baby has been diagnosed with something that may make feeding harder, such as a cleft lip;
you've had breastfeeding difficulties before.

Even if you don't end up needing it, the practice helps you get to know your breasts and learn hand expression before your baby arrives.

When it isn't advised

Always talk to your doctor or midwife before you start. It's usually not advised if you've had or are at risk of premature labour, have a short cervix or a cervical stitch (cerclage), have placenta problems or bleeding, or take medication that could pass to your baby.

Hand expression is unlikely to start labour, but stop straight away if you feel painful contractions or cramps, and let your doctor know.

What you need

A small clean container to catch the drops, such as a medicine cup or a clean spoon.
Small sterile 1 ml or 2 ml syringes with caps. Ask at the maternity unit or the pharmacy.
Labels or a pen to write the date and time.
A zip-lock food bag to keep the syringes together in the freezer.

How to hand express

Wash your hands well and get the container and syringes ready.
Get comfortable and relax. A warm shower beforehand or a warm compress helps the flow.
Massage the breast very gently for 1–2 minutes, from the top towards the nipple.
Place your thumb and first finger in a C shape, about 2–3 cm from the nipple, outside the areola.
Press gently back towards your chest, then compress your fingers together and release. Don't slide your fingers over the skin and don't squeeze the nipple itself.
Build a rhythm: press, compress, release. When the drops stop, rotate your fingers to another part of the breast, then switch to the other breast.
Collect the drops with the container or directly with the syringe.

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Start with a few minutes, 2–3 times a day, and build up gradually to about 10 minutes. At first only a few drops may come out, or nothing at all. That's normal and doesn't mean you won't have milk after the birth.

How to store it and take it to hospital

Cap the syringe and write the date and time.
Within the same day you can keep the syringe in the fridge and add to it several times, then freeze it.
In the freezer (-18°C) colostrum can be kept for up to 6 months.
When you go to hospital, take it in a cooler bag with ice packs and ask the staff to keep it in the freezer. Write your name on the bag.
Ask your maternity unit in advance whether they accept it and how they want it labelled.

Track it with Ditari i Bebes

Once your baby arrives, in Ditari i Bebes you can log every feed, at the breast, by bottle or with expressed milk, from day one.

See the app

Sources

This guide is for information only and doesn't replace advice from your doctor, midwife or lactation consultant. Every mother and every baby is different. If something worries you, talk to your doctor.