The volume of colostrum you will produce varies. It is generally between 2ml and 20ml (millilitres) per breastfeed in the first 3 days. It also depends on the number of breastfeeds your baby has in the first 24 hours after birth.
New moms may produce anywhere from 10 to 100 milliliters of colostrum per day. Typically, though, it's around 30 milliliters or about an ounce a day, which is right around the amount that your baby needs.
This is because colostrum exists in such a low volume (even 5 to 7 milliliters of colostrum is good nutrition for a little one) and is a slow-moving liquid, Syms-Brown explains. "Babies' stomachs are so small and therefore don't require a large volume to satisfy them."
Day one after birth
Your baby will receive approximately half a teaspoon of colostrum per feed in the first 24 hours. Their stomach is the size of a small marble. Colostrum is clear or yellowish in colour and is all your baby needs in the first few days.
You will make small quantities at first, often less than a millilitre at each feed or expression, and this volume of colostrum is usually adequate for the needs of a healthy baby born at term. It can be almost transparent, or within the range of light to deep yellow in colour.
Based on the limited research available, suggested intakes for term healthy infants are: Day 0 (up to 24 hours) 2-10 ml/per feed; Day 1 5-15 ml/per feed, Day 2 15-30 ml/per feed, Day 3 30-60ml/per feed, Day 5 30-60ml/per feed... but feeding should be by infant cue to satiation.
It is generally between 2ml and 20ml (millilitres) per breastfeed in the first 3 days. It also depends on the number of breastfeeds your baby has in the first 24 hours after birth. If you have breastfed before, your milk may come in sooner and you'll likely have colostrum in larger amounts.
Using the 1,2,3 rule:
Use the first milk (colostrum) from the cow; Feed the calf colostrum within the first two hours of birth; Calves must be offered at least 3L of good quality colostrum.
In the first 24 hours (day 0-1), a healthy term baby needs around 5-7ml colostrum in total so 0.3ml could be a good feed if feeding frequently.
Applying a warm compress to your breast or expressing after a warm bath or shower can help the flow of colostrum.
We recommend collecting colostrum in small syringes (1-2ml) so that small top-up feeds can be defrosted as and when needed to avoid any wastage of defrosted colostrum.
They only need about an ounce of colostrum per day. This equals about a teaspoon each feeding (you can expect to feed your newborn eight to 10 times the first few days). The amount of colostrum (and then transitional milk) your baby needs increases slowly each day as their stomach expands.
In the early days colostrum provides your baby with antibacterial fighting properties which help keep infections at bay. It is highly concentrated in a small volume as a baby's tummy can only take about 5 – 7 mls in the first couple of days.
However, some fear that the baby 'won't get enough' or that the 'milk won't come in,' and want to express colostrum before the baby is born. According to research, the breasts make 10-100 ml of colostrum per day, averaging about 30 ml or an ounce per day – more than the baby needs.
The International Milk League and Alba Lactancia Materna mention that if you can mix breast milk from other days or sessions. As long as both milks are at the same temperature and that the mixture is used within 24 hours.
Generally speaking, breastfeeding your husband or partner is OK. It's not perverted or wrong if you want the person you are intimate with to breastfeed, or if they ask to try breastfeeding or taste your breast milk.
Colostrum can be stored at room temperature for up to four hours. It can remain in a refrigerator for up to four days. You can store pumped colostrum in the freezer for up to six months (for best quality) or 12 months, at most.
In some cases, you might not produce enough colostrum to satisfy your baby, which could increase her risk of jaundice, dehydration, excessive weight loss or low blood sugar.
The truth is that milk production rates vary from woman to woman. If your flow of colostrum takes a little longer than usual, your breast milk may be thinner and lighter in colour than you'd expect.
It is normal to make only 1-4 teaspoons of colostrum per day. Remember, your baby's stomach may only be the size of a marble, so a large feeding may look small. Learning to suck and swallow milk is easier in small amounts.
It is up you. You can express as little as twice a day or as much as 8 times a day. For example, you could start hand expressing twice a day, for 10 minutes, from 36 weeks increasing the frequency gradually to a maximum of 8 times a day if you choose. Just remember to do what feels comfortable for you.
As your baby grows she quickly begins to need more food and a different balance of nutrients. The quantity of milk you produce over this period increases dramatically too: you may make a whopping 600 or 700 ml over 24 hours5 – compared to the tiny amount of colostrum you produced at first.
As estrogen and progesterone levels rise, your body prepares for lactation by increasing the number of milk ducts in your breasts, and those milk ducts will transport milk from the alveoli to your nipples. About midway through pregnancy, your body creates colostrum, which is your baby's first milk.
For the first 2 to 5 days after your baby is born, you will make a small amount of colostrum, which is all a healthy term baby needs. Colostrum is a thick, rich milk that is high in nutrients.