Colostrum is a thick, yellowish liquid that the breasts produce toward the end of pregnancy and during the first few days after birth. It will be your baby's first food.

Colostrum can be collected during pregnancy, starting around 36 weeks. A technique called hand expression is used to collect the colostrum for your baby. Once colostrum is collected, it can be frozen and saved for your baby to have after birth.

Some of the benefits of collecting colostrum during pregnancy may include:

• Controlling your newborn's blood sugar (glucose). After birth, your baby may need extra colostrum. This supports their blood glucose levels. Low blood glucose can affect your baby's breathing and body temperature. This can happen if they have trouble eating in the first few hours of life.
• Supplementing until your breast milk supply comes in. Using collected colostrum can help if you are planning to breastfeed and your breast milk doesn't come in right away. This means you might not need to give your baby formula.
• Providing nutrition if you are separated from your baby. Pregnancy and delivery are complicated things to predict. Collected colostrum can be used to help feed your newborn until you can be together again. This can be helpful if you need an emergency C-section or if your newborn needs to spend time in intensive care.

Collecting colostrum is often considered safe, but it may not be recommended for everyone. It's generally avoided if you have certain medical conditions that increase the risk of early labor, such as a history of preterm labor, a short cervix, placenta previa, unexplained vaginal bleeding, or other high-risk pregnancy concerns.

Talk with your doctor before you plan to express colostrum during pregnancy.

To collect colostrum during pregnancy, you'll use a technique called hand expression. It works by encouraging milk flow and using your own hands to release (or express) colostrum. You can also use this method later on for expressing breast milk.

Here's how you do it.

1. Wash your hands with soap and water.
2. Stimulate milk flow. Try lightly massaging your breast, stroking toward the nipple, or shaking your breast. Use what works best for your body.
3. Get the right hand position. Rest your thumb on one side of the dark circle (areola) around your nipple and rest your fingers on the other side. Your hand should be in a C-shape around your areola.
4. Press, compress, and release. Press your thumb and fingers in, then gently compress, and release. Keep going. Try to rotate your hand around the areola and repeat.
5. Collect the colostrum that flows out.
6. Repeat with the other breast.

At first, hand expression may take 20 to 30 minutes. With practice, it'll take less time. Try doing shorter sessions more often. You can do it 2 or 3 times per day starting after 36 weeks of pregnancy and up until your baby is born. Hand expression should not hurt.

Before handling colostrum, wash your hands with soap and water. Use clean, food-grade containers to collect colostrum. Then draw it up into 1 milliliter (mL) syringes. Keep it in the freezer to use for your baby later. Remember to label the colostrum with the date and time that it was collected.

Colostrum can be kept on the counter, in the fridge, or in the freezer. Keep these storage guidelines in mind:

• Unrefrigerated, fresh colostrum may be left at a room temperature of 77 °F (25 °C). Use it within 4 hours.
• Colostrum can be kept in the refrigerator at a temperature of 40 °F (4 °C). Use it within 4 days.
• In the freezer at -0 °F (-18 °C) or colder, colostrum can be kept for 4 to 6 months. Don't refreeze colostrum after it's been thawed. Thaw it in the fridge or in warm water, not in a microwave.