Oral Colostrum Care for Preemies

For babies born prematurely who are unable to take milk by mouth, offering oral colostrum care can reduce risk of several very concerning conditions (necrotizing enterocolitis, late onset sepsis, ventilator-associated pneumonia, feeding intolerance) and has been shown to speed up return to birth weight and hospital discharge. It is also linked to increased exclusive breastfeeding rates.

Parents can hand-express colostrum, which is then applied to the inside of their babies’ cheeks every few hours.

I recommend all parents learn how to hand express before giving birth. (The guidelines are that if you are medically cleared to have intercourse, you are safe to practice hand expression. Stop if you start to experience contractions.) Particularly if you have been told you may be at risk of preterm birth, take some time to watch some videos or talk with a lactation provider about how to hand express. If you are cleared to practice, go ahead and practice! This is not a plug to build a “stash”! a couple of small syringes of colostrum in the freezer just in case of maternal complications can be reassuring, but babies do not need much and after birth your body will make what they need. It’s the skill and confidence you want to have before birth, not really the milk.

References:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41467993/

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/19345798241310739