Colostrum - The First Baby Milk

By Jyoti Bedi

Key Facts

1. Your baby reaps many benefits if breastfed right after delivery. Colostrum or premilk contains important proteins and antibodies and it is produced a few days before your milk 'comes in'. First milk protects your baby against infection during her first 72 hours of life. It is quite scarce in quantity but very valuable in terms of content. Your baby stands to gain greatly from frequent feedings of this yellow fluid.

2. Colostrum is often referred to as 'liquid gold' owing to its properties; it provides perfect nutrients for a newborn and also imparts large amount of living cells to provide your child with immunity against many harmful agents. You may notice the leak of 'practicing milk' as early as 20 weeks or the fifth month of pregnancy but not all women experience this. Human placental lactogen or HPL is responsible for its production.

3. Conversely, mature breast milk contains lower concentrations of antibodies but it is higher in volume. Baby continues to benefit from the disease fighting properties of human milk as long as it is breastfed.

Colostrum is beneficial because:

It is low in fat, high in protein, carbohydrates and vitamin K. What's more it is easy on baby's tummy.

It starts your baby's digestive system working.

It works as a natural, 100% safe vaccine; the immune agents contained in colostrom are much higher in comparison to mature milk.

While in the utero, the placenta provided your baby with the antibody IgG; now with a new antibody, secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA), your baby is protected from germs attacking areas like the mucous membranes in the throat, lungs and intestines.

It protects baby's gastrointestinal tract; colostrum seals the permeable holes of the intestines and prevents foreign bodies from entering the intestines.

It sensitizes baby to the foods the mother eats.

It acts as a laxative by loosening baby's first stool or meconium (black sticky substance contained in the intestines); excess bilirubin is expelled from the system thus preventing jaundice.

It also contains high concentrations of leucocytes, protective white cells that destroy harmful bacteria and viruses.

Jyoti Bedi, a homemaker and a mother, officially writes for http://www.welcomebabyhome.com, a pregnancy and parenting site. Articles are simple-to-read, relevant and concise for today's busy parents and parents-to-be.

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