Your baby’s first meals may be tiny, but they’re packed with important nutrients and immune protection. Colostrum, the first milk your breasts produce, is specially designed to meet a newborn’s needs.

Some expectant parents choose to collect colostrum before giving birth. But is prenatal colostrum collection necessary – and is it safe? Heather Ramsey, DNP, APRN-CNM, FACNM, explains what you need to know.

What is colostrum?

Colostrum is the thick, nutrient-rich milk your breasts produce during late pregnancy and the first few days after birth. Your body usually begins making it around 16 to 22 weeks of pregnancy.

Colostrum is often deep yellow or gold. However, it may also look clear or watery. All these colors can be normal.

Although your body produces colostrum in small amounts, each drop delivers valuable nutrition. Colostrum contains more protein, white blood cells, and protective antibodies than mature breast milk. These ingredients help protect your newborn from infection.

Colostrum is also lower in fat and lactose than mature milk. This makes it gentle and easy for your baby’s developing digestive system to process.

After birth, transitional milk gradually replaces colostrum. By about 10 to 15 days after delivery, your breasts typically produce mature milk, which looks thinner and whiter.

What does it mean to collect colostrum before birth?

Prenatal colostrum collection, also called antenatal colostrum collection, involves expressing milk by hand during the final weeks of pregnancy. You collect the drops in small syringes, freeze them, and bring them to the hospital for your baby to receive after birth if needed.

Having stored colostrum available may help reduce or avoid early formula supplementation. However, prenatal collection is not necessary for everyone. It may be most helpful for mothers with diabetes because their babies have an increased risk of low blood sugar after birth. 

Ramsey says it may also benefit those at risk for a delayed milk supply or low milk production, including people who have:

• Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS
• Had breast surgery
• A hypertensive disorder, such as high blood pressure during pregnancy

Is collecting colostrum during pregnancy safe?

Colostrum collection is generally considered safe beginning at 36 weeks of pregnancy for people with low-risk pregnancies and those with well-controlled diabetes. It should not begin before 36 weeks.

There’s less information about its safety and benefits in some higher-risk pregnancies. For that reason, talk with your OB-GYN or midwife before trying it. Your provider can consider your health and pregnancy history and tell you whether prenatal collection is appropriate for you.

Stop expressing colostrum and contact your care team if you experience:

• Regular uterine contractions
• Vaginal bleeding
• Ruptured membranes, also known as your water breaking

How do you collect colostrum?

Hand expression is preferred over using a breast pump because it tends to work better for collecting the small amounts of thick colostrum produced before birth.

With your provider’s approval, Ramsey recommends beginning gentle breast massage once a day between 35 and 36 weeks. After 36 weeks, you can progress to hand expression one to three times a day for five to 10 minutes.

Colostrum often comes out one drop at a time. Ask your care team where to obtain sterile syringes and how to perform hand expression safely.

If you plan to deliver with Nebraska Medicine:

1. Collect the colostrum in sterile 1- or 3-milliliter syringes
2. Label each syringe with your name and the collection date
3. Seal the syringes in a zip-close bag and freeze them
4. Bring up to 10 frozen syringes to the hospital in an insulated cold container
5. When you arrive at labor and delivery, tell your nurse you brought frozen colostrum
6. The team can label it and place it in the breast milk freezer

What if you cannot collect any colostrum?

Some people collect several syringes before delivery. Others see only a few drops or cannot express any colostrum at all. Both experiences are normal.

Most importantly, the amount you collect during pregnancy does not predict how much milk you’ll produce after your baby is born. Collecting colostrum is an optional way to prepare – not a test your body needs to pass.

After delivery, Nebraska Medicine lactation consultants can help with hand expression, positioning, latch concerns, and other breastfeeding questions.

Get breastfeeding support
Whether you’re considering prenatal colostrum collection or preparing to breastfeed after delivery, Nebraska Medicine is here to help. Talk with your OB-GYN or midwife about what’s right for your pregnancy. To schedule an appointment with a Nebraska Medicine lactation consultant, call 800.922.0000.