Colostrum

Colostrum is the first milk you produce during pregnancy and for a short while after you give birth. Read about the benefits of this concentrated form of breast milk for your newborn baby.

Colostrum (also known as beestings or first milk) is a form of milk produced by the mammary glands in late pregnancy and the few days after giving birth. Human and bovine colostrums are thick, sticky and yellowish. In humans, it has high concentrations of nutrients and antibodies, but it is small in quantity. Colostrum is high in carbohydrates, high in protein, high in antibodies, and low in fat (as human newborns may find fat difficult to digest). Newborns have very small digestive systems, and colostrum delivers its nutrients in a very concentrated low-volume form. It has a mild laxative effect, encouraging the passing of the baby's first stool, which is called meconium. This clears excess bilirubin, a waste product of dead red blood cells which is produced in large quantities at birth due to blood volume reduction, from the infant's body and helps prevent jaundice. Colostrum contains large numbers of antibodies called "secretory immunoglobulin" (IgA) that help protect the mucous membranes in the throat, lungs, and intestines of the infant. Leukocytes are also present in large numbers; these begin protecting the infant from harmful viruses and bacteria. Ingesting colostrum establishes beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract. Premature babies tend to fare better on human colostrum than commercial infant formulas. Human milk contains special components, called growth modulators, that help the premature baby's digestive system adjust to oral feedings. Research indicates that premature babies fed formula tend to vomit more and continue tube feeding longer than those fed human colostrum and breast milk.

Moms: give yourself a big pat on the back. You’re doing great.

breastfeeding~American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) explains how colostrum, a baby's first feeding, provides all the nutrients a newborn needs.

Millions of women feed their baby colostrum every year, but do you know what it is, and why it's so beneficial to your baby?

Bovine colostrum is a supplement made from a milky fluid that’s released from the udders of cows shortly after they’ve given birth. This article reviews the nutrition, benefits, and possible downsides of bovine colostrum.

Colostrum is the earliest breastmilk produced, beginning in mid-pregnancy (12-18 weeks) and is continually produced for the first few days after baby’s birth. It is thick, sticky, concentrated milk and is usually yellow, clear or white, although it could be oth

Colostrum is the first type of breast milk you produce after giving birth. Discover why this ‘liquid gold’ is the perfect first food for your newborn.

Colostrum (known colloquially as beestings,[1] bisnings[2] or first milk) is the first form of milk produced by the mammary glands of mammals (including many humans) immediately following delivery of the newborn.[3] Most species will generate colostrum just prior to giving birth.