Have you heard of antenatal colostrum harvesting? It is a process whereby nutrient rich and immune-boosting colostrum is collected and stored via hand expression before baby is born. If you’re planning to breastfeed and baby is experiencing difficulties feeding after birth, the colostrum can be fed to the baby via a cup, syringe or spoon (as ideally, bottles should not be introduced until after breastfeeding has been well established). That said, breastfeeding works via supply and demand, so it is important to ensure that milk is still being removed even when you supplement with expressed colostrum to communicate to your body to continue making milk.
And as always, reach out to a lactation consultant for individualized support to help overcome breastfeeding challenges - you deserve support!