During pregnancy, the breasts produce their first milk, known as colostrum. Colostrum is high in antibodies and protective substances that help to support a newborn baby's immunity. Although not much colostrum is produced, it is very high in energy, protein and fat. Colostrum is also easy for newborns to digest.
Colostrum is a nutrient-rich first milk produced by your breasts during pregnancy. It changes to transitional breast milk a few days after your baby is born. However, small amounts of colostrum remain in your breast milk for several weeks.
The first milk that your breasts produce is called colostrum. It can be yellow, white or clear in colour and is thicker than other fluids. Learning to hand express and harvest colostrum can help you improve your breast milk supply. It can make breastfeeding easier after your baby's birth.
Your body begins to make breast milk long before your baby is born. Colostrum production can start as early as the beginning of the second trimester of pregnancy. If you notice small drops of clear or yellow fluid leaking from your breasts or staining your bra while you're pregnant, that's colostrum.
If your baby cannot nurse at first, hand express the colostrum so it can be fed to your baby. Hand expressing colostrum generally yields more volume than using a breast pump in the early hours. The amount of colostrum you are making is just right for your baby.
If you hand express and use a syringe to draw up the individual drips of colostrum, you can use these syringes for storage prior to birth. Your health care provider may be able to supply you with sterile syringes.
If you would like to collect your colostrum, you can start hand expressing for a few minutes once a day when you are 36 to 37 weeks pregnant.
What are the nutritional benefits of colostrum? Compared to all milk that follows, this first milking is significantly higher in enzymes, nutrients, proteins, vitamins, and antibodies. Research shows that consuming bovine colostrum may promote immunity, help fight infections, and improve gut health throughout life.
Colostrum is higher in both fat and protein than regular milk. It is an impressively concentrated substance, packed with important nutrients and antibodies that newborns need for protection. Colostrum is essential in strengthening both the immune and digestive systems of the baby.
Colostrum is rich in minerals too, such as magnesium, which supports your baby's heart and bones; and copper and zinc, which help develop his immune system. Zinc also aids brain development, and there's nearly four times more zinc in colostrum than in mature milk10 to support your newborn's rapidly developing brain.
For the first few days after your baby's birth, your body will make colostrum, a nutrient-rich "pre-milk." Colostrum (kuh-LOSS-trum) has many benefits, including nutrients that boost a baby's immune system and help fight infection. For some women, colostrum is thick and yellowish. For others, it is thin and watery.
The Basics of Breastfeeding
Breast milk has three different and distinct stages: colostrum, transitional milk, and mature 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. Around day 3 through 5, your milk will come in.
Colostrum is a highly concentrated form of breast milk that contains immune-boosting properties for your newborn. It's packed with protein, salts, antibodies, and protective properties, all of which are beneficial for your baby.
You may start producing breast milk months or weeks before your due delivery date. One of the first signs that your breasts have started producing milk is that they will become fuller and heavier, and they may even hurt sometimes. During the second trimester, your breasts begin to create colostrum.
Colostrum, which is the highly-concentrated and nutritious first milk your body makes after giving birth, is often thick and yellow in color.
Potential Downsides
People who are allergic to milk should not consume bovine colostrum. Products may also be made with additives that can include other common allergens like soy. Depending on how the cows are raised, bovine colostrum may also contain antibiotics, pesticides, or synthetic hormones.
In human uses, bovine colostrum is good for maintaining health and preventing disease. Proteins and peptides. The protein content in bovine colostrum is 15%, much higher than the 3% found in mature cow's milk.
Should You Pump Colostrum Postpartum? While pumping colostrum while pregnant isn't typically necessary, pumping colostrum after birth can be important in some circumstances, including if your baby is not latching well or if you and your baby may be separated for any reason, Gourley says.
Colostrum is an infants' first immunization against many bacteria and viruses. Colostrum is also a laxative which helps the baby to pass meconium (the first sticky black stool). Colostrum is therefore the perfect first food for newborns [1].
Benefits of colostrum
Colostrum is loaded with white blood cells that produce antibodies used to combat bacteria and viruses. This is why many refer to it as a superfood for newborns.
Body Composition and Strength. Some early studies suggested that colostrum may enhance body composition by promoting muscle gain and fat loss.
Checklist for bringing your frozen colostrum into hospital
Please bring between 5 and 40 ml of expressed colostrum to hospital. If you have more than this, it can be brough from home at a later date if required.
Antenatally, you'll only need to express for three to five minutes – just until you have a few drops of colostrum. It may not seem very much, but a baby's first feed is no more than a teaspoon of colostrum. By expressing up to three times in a day, you can express enough for a feed.
“To avoid waste it's best to store amounts of 1 to 2 milliliters,” Tan explains. After that, says Tan, “it should be frozen until needed.” To freeze it, place the syringe into a sterile zip-top bag, label it with the date you expressed, and place it in the freezer.