This week I'm writing my colostrum harvesting 34 weeks pregnant entry much later than planned. I've had a very busy couple of weeks where I've been handing over at work to a lovely lady who is covering my maternity leave and also I've been very busy nesting and organising stuff around the house in preparation for baby and generally my own sanity! Overall, everything has been fine. I've been feeling ok; a little tired hear and there obviously, because I'm getting much bigger and it's coming towards the end of my pregnancy, which is a very normal set of feelings to experience.
The colostrum I'm expressing has increased quite a lot in volume which is due to my diet. I've recently been more interested in eating sugary and fatty things like chocolates, hobnob biscuits, slices of bread with Nutella, oat biscuit bars and raiding the sweetie tin frequently!
I've also had a few tired days. One day I wasn't able to express and just wanted to sleep! Again, this is quite normal and part of pregnancy life. I get days where I have lots of energy and other days where I just feel exhausted but it's all part of being pregnant and looking after a 15 month old toddler, juggling work and part-time creative hobby at the same time.
My Colostrum Harvesting Diary at Week 34 of Pregnancy - Week commencing 9th February 2021
My last day of expressing was 8th February and I'm expressing at the rate of once per day this week.
9th February - 6.4ml
10th February - 6.5ml
11th February - Hand expressed 10ml today which could be my bumper express for the week, although not quite as much as my large express last week... This colostrum express was about 10mins per side.
I did feel a little hardness in my left breast which I know to be colostrum stuck in the one of the glands/ducts. To remedy this, I simply worked the deep tissue really well for several minutes to remove any potential duct blockage, expressing off the colostrum here. I could see a little more pressure in the express of this colostrum so I know the duct has been cleared, as well as the hard feeling disappearing.
Feeling hardness in the breast with colostrum is a little different to feeling full with milk; it tends to be a deeper feeling that's more within the glands than the whole breast. It is still uncomfortable and I have found that expressing to relieve it is still working well for me.
12th February - I was so tired today that I didn't express any colostrum and went straight to be before 8pm 🤣 welcome to being pregnant and mum life!
13th February - To make up for yesterday, today I did 2x expresses: Morning hand express of 10ml at about 7mins per side, then an afternoon express of 4ml at about 5mkns per side. So 14ml in total expressed that day.
14th February - My valentine's Day express was just 4.4ml, probably because I had expressed twice the previous day. 5mins per side.
15th February - 10.1ml hand expressed at about 7mins per side.
Total expressed for the week: 51.4ml
Total expressed to date: 215.2ml
My pattern of antenatal expressing of colostrum over time since week 28:
Now that I have some data, we can see a few patterns emerging...
Firstly, the range of colostrum expressed appears to be more varied with a daily hand express i.e. the highest value is 14ml and lowest is 4.4ml. Secondly, the lowest daily amount of expressed colostrum is higher at 4.4ml than that which is expressed every other day at 2-2.5ml. There is a steady upward trajectory leading to a gradual increase in the amount of colostrum harvested which indicates a steady pattern of growth - something that I certainly want to maintain!
In terms of the total weekly volume of colostrum expressed, it's fairly steady up to week 31 which is when I expressed every other day, then at week 32 & 33 it jumps significantly. At week 34 it seems to have plateaued a little, only showing a marginal increase in volume. This may change however at week 36 where I plan to express twice daily.
My Disclaimers
Firstly, I'm not a medical professional; I am simply a mum second time round and I'm just documenting my experience, that is all. This blog is not intended to be taken as advice or guidance in any way, but if it helps somebody make a more informed decision because they have read a bit more information on my experience then I'm glad to be of help. I would strongly advise people to talk to their medical professional first before expressing colostrum antenatally to ensure it is safe to do so.
Secondly, I need to provide a bit of background information about myself. I am 32 years old, I am a low risk pregnancy due on 23rd March 2021. I started producing colostrum naturally from week 27 of my pregnancy which is when I noticed the discomfort in my breasts, hence why I discovered how much I was producing and thought it was worthwhile saving. I already have a 15 month old boy who was initially breast fed but is now bottle fed cow's milk - this small gap between the pregnancies may have a part to play in influencing my body chemistry second time round.
Thirdly, this is a personal blog, not a scientific one. I'm simply documenting my thoughts, feelings, actions and anything useful that I can find, mostly for my own benefit.
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Read my week 35 blog to find out about the next installment of my colostrum harvesting diary and talking about what syringes to use when storing colostrum.
Links to My Blogs on Antenatal Expressing of Colostrum
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