In a popular TikTok video, a doe-eyed creator named Kurin winces as she angles a syringe toward her (off-camera) nipple.
At 38 weeks pregnant with her third child, the self-proclaimed “crunchy” momfluencer is demonstrating how to collect colostrum, or the nutrient-rich “liquid gold” that precedes breastmilk.
By using her fingers to press and compress her breasts — called antenatal hand expression in medical speak — she and other moms-to-be eke out drops of the coveted beige goo before even giving birth.
“As you can tell from my facial expression, it does not feel good for the first couple of minutes,” Kurin admits above her bare and very pregnant belly. “My nipples are so sore right now.”
But she says she tries to go through the process every day in the few weeks leading up to her baby’s delivery. The idea, she says, is to stock up on — and freeze — colostrum in case the newborn has trouble latching, gets separated from her or later gets sick and could use “a little boost,” Kurin says.
“Harvesting colostrum is just an amazing way to protect your breastfeeding relationship with your baby,” she tells her 466,800 followers. The video is two years old, but remains a top performer — and in increasing company — in the #colostrumharvesting corner of TikTok.
Colostrum collection toward the tail end of pregnancy isn’t new. Some health care professionals have been studying and recommending it for at least a decade in certain cases, like when a mom has diabetes and may want to use it to help stabilize the infant’s blood sugar right after birth.
But the practice has more recently taken off on social media. Women with presumably healthy pregnancies are celebrating their stashes of colostrum-packed syringes — and urging their expectant followers to get on board.
“This is your sign to start harvesting colostrum before your baby arrives,” one such video says.
“Feeding your baby, making sure your baby is growing and thriving — that is success.”
Abrie McCoy
“I can’t stress enough to KEEP IT UP!! The more you stimulate, the more you’ll produce!!” a comment on another similar post cheers. Some moms say they freeze the stuff for months or years, pulling it out of storage for sick toddlers — or possibly even sick adults.
They’re not wrong. Colostrum, as well as human breastmilk more generally, is “a medicine besides being food,” Leigh Anne O’Connor, an international board-certified lactation consultant, or IBCLC, in New York, told the Post.
It’s gained such a health halo that Kourtney Kardashian is among those hawking supplements of cow colostrum for immune support, gut health and to “empower your body with the blueprint to revitalize health from the inside out.”
But women’s health care providers worry the online hype among pregnant women is overblowing expectations and putting on more pressure during a highly vulnerable time. And while largely safe, the trend isn’t risk-free. At the very least, it can suck up a lot of time, effort and discomfort in pursuit of a pot of gold that may never get cashed in.
“There have been more questions about it, and TikTok trends do drive this perception that you have to have ounces of colostrum frozen in your freezer in order to have enough,” Dr. Miena Meek Hall, a breastfeeding and family medicine physician in the Chicago area, told the Post. “And that’s just physiologically not accurate.”
Going for gold
There’s good reason influencers are idolizing colostrum.
The substance, which is the first “milk” a newborn receives from a breastfeeding mom, is chock-full of nutrients including protein, vitamins, minerals and antibodies that build a baby’s immune system. As the parent’s body transitions to breastmilk, the little one needs nothing else.
“At the point of them being delivered, their immune system is nearly non-existent,” Abrie McCoy, an IBCLC with the pregnancy and postpartum support platform SimpliFed, told the Post. Their first line of protection is vernix, a skin coating that serves as a shield and a blanket. The second is colostrum. “It’s extremely beneficial in that first couple of days,” McCoy said.
Storing a bit ahead of time can be a good idea for some pregnant women, like those who know they’re having a cesarean delivery and so may find their milk production is delayed.
Moms with diabetes, again, can be good candidates for colostrum harvesting, as can those who know their babies have a congenital condition, like a cleft palate or Down syndrome, that can make latching difficult. The same goes for expectant parents who’ve had breast surgeries or have so-called “insufficient” glandular tissue.
“Not everybody needs to, but there are certain situations where it can be a very good idea,” O’Connor said.
For Jamie Lee McIntyre, a registered dietitian nutritionist in South Florida, collecting colostrum while pregnant with her third child gave her peace of mind.
“For many new moms, it can bridge that emotional and physical gap between birth and full milk production, easing some of the pressure and helping those early feeds feel calmer and more supported,” she told the Post.
Starting at 38 weeks pregnant, she pumped for 10 minutes three times a week. After her baby arrived and she returned from the hospital, the stash allowed her husband to take over while McIntyre enjoyed three hours of uninterrupted sleep.
“I felt it gave me security and flexibility around breastfeeding and milk regulation, and I found comfort in knowing my baby was getting such precious and rare nutrients from my colostrum milk,” she said.
Worth it?
Research on antenatal colostrum harvesting is largely mixed, in part due to inconsistencies in exactly how, how long, and how often it’s done — and why.
Still, if a woman is well-informed and supported by her provider, practicing hand expression (though not “aggressive” pumping) before birth is generally a good thing, experts agree. But a few times a few days before birth — rather than daily for weeks — can often suffice, O’Connor said. “It’s an inconvenience,” she said. “Who needs to be doing that?”
Plus, McCoy added, “the reason for doing this should be to help prepare yourself and educate yourself — not to feed a freezer.”
For one, despite some women’s motivation, there’s not a connection between stimulating colostrum production while pregnant and long-term milk supply, McCoy said. “That difference is not made until you’ve delivered your placenta after birth and a hormone shift happens where your body can continuously make milk and build on that milk production,” she said.
What’s more, nipple stimulation produces oxytocin, which can stimulate labor. While one 2025 study showed that women with healthy pregnancies could successfully collect colostrum beginning at 34 weeks without triggering an early delivery, experts still advise waiting until you’re at least 37 weeks along even if you’re low-risk.
And if you are at risk of pre-term delivery and so unable to safely collect colostrum pre-birth, milk banks can help get infants in intensive care the early milk they need, said Hall, who serves as the director of scientific affairs at the Mother’s Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes.
Then, there’s the small risk of getting a clogged duct or even mastitis, and of creating anxiety in moms-to-be about their milk supply — or lack thereof, one 2025 journal article finds. The paper also points out that stored colostrum can lead to overfeeding, a poor latch and “early reliance on supplemental milk.” It questions whether the practice “interferes with nature.”
There are also limits to how long you should keep it in the freezer. Colostrum or milk that’s close to a year old isn’t great for digestion and won’t pack the same immune-boosting punch. “Antibodies in colostrum and milk are constantly changing, constantly dynamic,” Hall said.
Finally, there are psychological implications. On Reddit, pregnant women worry that their queasiness about colostrum collection implies they won’t be able to nourish their baby. Others say they just can’t be bothered. Research on the practice has found that, while women’s experiences are largely positive, some report pain, embarrassment and confusion around the trend.
Social media reels of freezers overflowing with colostrum don’t necessarily help. “That’s now the expectation of this new mom — she has to have a freezer full of milk for her to consider herself successful, when that’s not the definition,” McCoy said. “Feeding your baby, making sure your baby is growing and thriving — that is success.”
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