Trying to express colostrum for your baby: Harms both mother and baby

Many pregnant women tell each other to save the first drops of colostrum of pregnancy for their babies. However, according to doctors, this practice has no effect.

Premature birth due to colostrum

At 36 weeks pregnant, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Hoa, Chua Boc, Hanoi, was advised by her friends to express colostrum to save for her baby and to express milk to avoid losing milk and clogged milk ducts after giving birth. Every night before going to bed, Ms. Hoa spends an hour rubbing her nipples to express colostrum in the hope of saving the first streams of colostrum for her baby.

Despite her big belly and back pain, Ms. Hoa still tried to count each drop. On a good day, she could get 2 ml, but on other days, her breasts turned red and she could only get a few drops of pale yellow milk. Ms. Hoa treasured each drop, using a syringe to suck it out and put it in a special milk bag and put it in a tray in the freezer.

After squeezing too many times, Ms. Hoa's nipples hurt, so before squeezing, she had to massage for a few minutes before squeezing, which both helped to release colostrum and ease the pain. That night, as soon as she went to bed, she felt a stomachache and had uterine contractions as if she was about to give birth. She and her husband rushed to the Central Maternity Hospital to give birth. Ms. Hoa was worried because her due date was not yet due, so the couple went straight to the hospital in the hope of receiving intervention from leading doctors.

After the examination, the doctor saw that she began to have uterine contractions, which increased more and more, but the cervix did not open. After a day in the hospital, Hoa still had uterine contractions and vaginal bleeding. The doctors had to perform an emergency cesarean section to save both mother and child. When she woke up in the postpartum room, Hoa recounted that she often expressed colostrum to put in the refrigerator for her child to use gradually. However, her child had jaundice and had to undergo irradiation, so she could not go home to sleep with her mother. She had to leave all of her colostrum at home.

Many mothers have the bad habit of storing milk in the refrigerator.

The case of pregnant woman Le Anh Nguyet residing in Phu Dien, Hanoi is similar. Ms. Nguyet was 31 weeks pregnant, because she saw people sharing their experiences on the internet expressing colostrum to save for her baby to drink. Ms. Nguyet also gritted her teeth and endured the pain of expressing milk. After a few times of expressing milk, Ms. Nguyet felt abdominal pain. She went for an ultrasound, the doctor warned that she could give birth prematurely at any time because of frequent uterine contractions. Ms. Nguyet had to lie down with her legs dangling and be monitored. The doctor strictly forbade her from expressing colostrum because expressing milk could cause premature birth.

Dangerous for mother and fetus

Doctor Nguyen Van Ha - Central Maternity Hospital said that obstetricians do not encourage pregnant women to express colostrum.

In pregnant women, the milk production stage begins from week 16 to 20. At this time, in the mother's breast, the process of milk production cells and the first drops of colostrum take place. At this stage, the distance between the milk sacs is not yet closed, so the circulation between serum (blood) and milk is quite high, so colostrum can be slightly reddish in color, pink, orange-yellow or light yellow.

Although colostrum is good, expressing colostrum is very dangerous for the mother and fetus. When expressing milk, the nipples are stimulated to increase the secretion of endogenous oxytocin and there is a risk of premature labor, and in some cases, there are even cases of intense uterine contractions, causing uterine bleeding, especially in people with placenta previa and low placenta. Therefore, doctors advise women not to express colostrum, even when having sex, it should be very gentle and avoid strong stimulation.

Doctors often advise mothers to breastfeed their babies frequently after birth so that the baby can enjoy colostrum from the mother while still ensuring safety for both mother and baby.

In terms of nutrition, Dr. Nguyen Trong Hung - National Institute of Nutrition said that colostrum is very good because it contains many antibodies and good energy for children. However, if mothers express it and store it in the refrigerator with an expiration date of up to 1-2 months, it is not recommended because the longest storage time is in a regular refrigerator used by the whole family, opening and closing it many times will not only lose nutritional value but also cause bacteria to contaminate. Breast milk is good and it is best to breastfeed directly - Dr. Hung said.

According to Zing.vn