What is Colostrum Harvesting Service?
Antenatal expressing of colostrum is the hand expression and collection of colostrum during pregnancy. Expressed colostrum is collected and frozen and used to feed your baby after birth, if required. Antenatal Harvesting is now recognised to assist women (unless contraindicated) and especially those with a history of diabetes initiate a milk supply before the arrival of your newborn. There are many benefits to harvesting colostrum and it is recommended that milk is collected from 36-37 weeks gestation. Our antenatal teams will discuss this service with you and offer you a colostrum harvesting pack around this time. Hand expression is a learned skill that takes time. If you are unable to obtain colostrum in the antenatal period, this is no reflection on your ability to successfully breastfeed your baby.