Colostrum is the liquid gold your body starts producing during your second trimester. Colostrum is milk but has different properties, which is just what your baby needs in the first days postpartum. In this blog post, we will talk about the properties of colostrum and what makes it perfect for your 1-3 day-old baby.
Colostrum is thick, sticky, and comes in small amounts so your baby can learn to coordinate their suck, swallow, and breathing skills and encourage suckling that promotes milk making.
Colostrum is yellow gold in color due to its high amounts of vitamin A, an antioxidant that helps your baby recover.
Colostrum is high in protein used to build blood cells and other body structures, which also helps your baby recover.
Colostrum is high in immune cells, which passes protection from nursing parent to baby, protecting the baby before producing its immune system.
Colostrum lasts for 3-5 days after the placenta is birthed. These 3-5 days give your baby time to learn how to coordinate its suck before you produce higher amounts of more liquid milk.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513256/
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/breastfeeding/Pages/Colostrum-Your-Babys-First-Meal.aspx
https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/breastfeeding/colostrum-is-superfood-for-your-newborn/