Antenatal expressing
Learning to express colostrum during pregnancy is a useful skill for all pregnant people. Being familiar with your breasts and how they work will give you confidence for after the birth. There are also benefits to having stored colostrum for your baby in the early postnatal period.
You can start hand expressing from 35 weeks pregnant after discussing with your midwife. It helps to be warm and relaxed. You could practice in the bath or shower first. With clean hands massage your breasts beforehand to help milk flow. Hand express from both breasts and take care not to cause pain or discomfort. Expect very small amounts – the amount does not predict breastfeeding success. You can express up to 3 times a day for 10 minutes each time (5 minutes on each side). You can use the same syringe over the day (storing in the fridge in between) and place in the freezer after 24 hours.
Please check out the Global Health Birth and Beyond app for some great breastfeeding videos which show women with different sizes and shapes of breasts latching their baby in many different languages.