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What Is It, Benefits & What To Expect

Overview

What is colostrum?

Colostrum (kuh-loss-trum) is the first milk your body produces during pregnancy. It forms in your mammary glands (breasts) and plays an important role in building your baby's immune system. If you plan on breastfeeding (nursing or chestfeeding), it's the first milk your baby will get from your breasts. If you don't want to breastfeed or if your baby is struggling to breastfeed, you can hand express colostrum. It's high in protein, vitamins, minerals and immunoglobulins (antibodies) that help build your baby's immune system. It's often called "liquid gold" because of its rich, golden color and valuable benefits.

What is colostrum made of?

Colostrum is high in protein and low in fat and sugar. It's filled with white blood cells that produce antibodies. These antibodies strengthen your baby's immune system, protecting him or her from infection. Colostrum is highly concentrated and nutrient-dense even in tiny doses, so your baby's tummy doesn't need a lot to reap its benefits.

What kind of nutrients are in colostrum?

Colostrum is rich in nutrients that protect and nourish your baby unlike anything else. It's made up of things like:

• Immunoglobulin A (an antibody).
• Lactoferrin (a protein that helps prevent infection).
• Leukocytes (white blood cells).
• Epidermal growth factor (a protein that stimulates cell growth).

It gets its color from carotenoids (an antioxidant) and vitamin A. Vitamin A plays a vital role in your baby's vision, skin and immune system. Colostrum is rich in magnesium, which supports your baby’s heart and bones, and copper and zinc, which also support immunity.

What's the difference between colostrum and breast milk?

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.

There are distinct differences between colostrum and breast milk:

• Colostrum is filled with immunoglobins to boost your baby's immune system and protect it from illness.
• Colostrum has two times as much protein.
• Colostrum has four times as much zinc.
• Colostrum is lower in fat and sugar so it's easier to digest.
• Colostrum is thicker and more yellow.

What are the stages of breast milk?

There are three different stages of breast milk: colostrum, transitional milk and mature milk.

• Colostrum: Your first milk that lasts between two and four days after birth.
• Transitional milk: Begins approximately four days after birth and lasts about two weeks.
• Mature milk: Milk that lasts from approximately 14 days after birth until you are done producing milk.

When does colostrum turn to milk?

After approximately three or four days, colostrum will turn to transitional milk. This is often referred to as someone's milk "coming in." Your breasts will feel firm, tender and full. It means your milk supply has ramped up. By this time your baby's stomach has expanded and they can drink more milk each feeding. Once your milk supply is established and your body has stabilized, transitional milk changes to mature milk.

What makes colostrum turn to breast milk?

The pregnancy hormones created by the placenta help you create colostrum. The hormone progesterone drops significantly when the placenta separates from your uterus (after your baby is born). This drop in progesterone triggers your breasts to create milk.

Function

What is the purpose of colostrum?

The function of your breasts, or mammary glands, is to produce milk to feed your baby. Colostrum is more than the first milk your baby consumes after birth. It's highly concentrated with nutrients and antibodies to fight infection and protect your baby. It provides a powerful, unique immunity that only it can provide. Because your baby only needs a little bit of colostrum, it also helps them learn to suck, swallow and breathe during feeding.

What are the benefits of colostrum?

Colostrum builds your baby's immune system and provides concentrated nutrition. Some of the benefits of colostrum are:

• Helps strengthen your baby's immune system.
• Helps to establish a healthy gut by coating the intestines. This helps keep harmful bacteria from being absorbed.
• Offers ideal nutrition for a newborn.
• Has a laxative effect that helps your baby clear meconium (your baby's first poop) and lessens the chance of jaundice.
• Easy to digest.
• Helps prevent low blood sugar in full-term babies.

Why is colostrum good for newborns?

Colostrum has all the nutrients your baby needs in the first few days of life. It's also packed with nutrients and vitamins to strengthen your baby's immune system.

The flow of colostrum from your nipples is slow so your baby can learn to breastfeed (nurse). Learning how to breastfeed takes practice and requires your newborn to not only learn to suck and swallow but breathe at the same time.

Does leaking colostrum mean labor is close?

Colostrum leaking from your breasts doesn't mean labor is coming. Leaking colostrum is normal and some people notice it as early as the second trimester. Some don't notice any signs of leaking colostrum while others will see dried colostrum on their nipples. If you are leaking colostrum, you can wear disposable or washable breast pads.

Can you express colostrum if you're pregnant?

Colostrum can be expressed by about week 37 in pregnancy and is beneficial for some people. Using your hands to compress your breasts in a rhythmic pattern so that milk comes out is called hand expressing. Expressing colostrum before your baby is born carries some risks like contractions or premature labor. It can be beneficial to those at risk for premature birth, low milk supply or when certain health conditions present.

Speak with your healthcare provider before you remove colostrum from your breasts. If you are leaking colostrum, it may be safe to collect and store it for when your baby is born.

Can you pump colostrum?

It's difficult to pump colostrum with a breast pump because of its thick consistency. Most people recommend and prefer using their hands to express colostrum. Hand expressing colostrum usually produces more colostrum than a pump.

Anatomy

What does colostrum look like?

Colostrum is often a deep, rich yellow or orange color, almost like the yolk of an egg. This is because it contains high levels of beta carotene. It can sometimes appear white, clear or creamy. It's a thicker consistency than breast milk (or cow's milk), but the thickness varies from person to person. Colostrum is often sticky and can contain faint traces of blood (this is normal).

How do I know I am making colostrum?

Your body begins producing colostrum between 12 and 18 weeks in pregnancy. Most people will produce anywhere from a tablespoon to an ounce of colostrum within the first 24 hours of delivery. This slowly increases until transitional milk comes in around the third or fourth day. In most cases, you will not know if you are making colostrum, however, it's very rare to be unable to produce colostrum. You will know if your baby is getting colostrum if he or she is maintaining their weight and wetting diapers.

How long do you have colostrum?

Your body produces colostrum for up to about five days after your baby is born. It changes to transitional milk around this time, then changes again to mature milk after about 14 days. Traces of colostrum are present in your breast milk for up to six weeks.

Conditions and Disorders

What happens if you don't produce colostrum?

Most people will produce some colostrum — not producing it is rare. It's normal to feel like nothing is coming out of your breasts and worry that your baby isn't getting enough. Your baby only needs a few teaspoons of colostrum to fill their tiny stomach.

Care

How do you store pumped colostrum?

If you and your healthcare provider decide it's safe to express and store colostrum, there are a few rules to follow. First, you should ensure the colostrum is stored in a sterile container or syringe. It can be kept in your refrigerator for about two or three days. It must be moved to a freezer after three days. Colostrum can be kept in a freezer for at least three months.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much colostrum does a newborn need?

Your newborn's tummy is about the size of a marble. 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. As your body transitions to producing regular breast milk, your milk production will increase to meet their needs.

Do I need to supplement?

No, you shouldn't need to supplement. A tiny bit of colostrum goes a long way in filling up your baby. Check with your healthcare provider to make sure your baby is gaining weight. If your baby is wetting diapers and seems pretty happy, supplementing is usually not necessary.

Is it okay to squeeze out colostrum?

Yes, it's usually OK to squeeze out colostrum once you reach full-term pregnancy (37 weeks). Check with your healthcare provider if you wish to do this prior to your baby being born. If you want to hand express colostrum for your newborn, follow these steps:

• Cup your breasts with your hand in a "C" shape. Four fingers should be under your breast and your thumb should be above your nipple.
• Use your thumb and index finger to gently squeeze your areola and nipple.
• Repeat several times and in a pattern. Apply firm pressure but do not slide your fingers. If colostrum doesn't come out, try moving your fingers to another spot.
• Colostrum should slowly flow out within minutes. It's thick and comes out in drops.
• You can repeat this a few times per day.

Please note that expressing colostrum before your baby is born carries risks. Some people can go into premature labor or begin having contractions. Talk to your healthcare provider before you express colostrum.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Colostrum is the first milk produced by your breasts. It's rich in nutrients and high in antibodies and antioxidants. Getting started with breastfeeding can be difficult and usually requires assistance, so don't be ashamed to ask your healthcare provider for help. Breastfeeding early and often is the best way to make sure your baby gets the many benefits from colostrum. Hand expressing colostrum and feeding your baby with a syringe is also an option. Ask your healthcare team for help if feeding your baby colostrum is something you wish to do.

Colostrum during pregnancy | Medela

Colostrum is sometimes called liquid gold, and not only because of its color. We will tell you why this first food is so important for a newborn baby.

Share this information

Colostrum, the first milk produced at the start of breastfeeding, is the ideal nutrition for a newborn. It is very concentrated and rich in proteins and nutrients, so even in small quantities it saturates the tiny tummy of a newborn for a long time. Colostrum is low in fat and easy to digest, yet provides the baby with all the essential ingredients for an optimal developmental start. And perhaps most importantly, it plays a decisive role in the formation of the baby's immune system.

Colostrum looks thicker and yellower than mature milk. Its composition also differs in accordance with the special needs of the newborn.

Colostrum fights infections

Almost two-thirds of the cells in colostrum are white blood cells, which not only protect the baby's body from infections, but also teach them to fight them themselves. ¹ “White blood cells are very important for the development of immunity. They provide protection and counteract pathogenic microbes,” says Professor Peter Hartmann of the University of Western Australia, a leading lactation expert.

After giving birth, your body no longer protects the baby, and he must confront the new dangers of the world on his own. The white blood cells found in colostrum produce antibodies that can neutralize bacteria and viruses. These antibodies are especially good at dealing with indigestion and diarrhea, which is very important for very young children, whose intestines are not yet fully developed.

Colostrum supports the child's immune system and intestinal function

Colostrum is especially rich in secretory immunoglobulin A -
is the most important antibody that protects the child from diseases, but not through the circulatory system, but as a protective coating of the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract. ² “The molecules that provide the mother's immune defenses enter the mother's bloodstream into the breast, where they combine to form secretory immunoglobulin A, which is then transferred to the baby along with colostrum,” explains Professor Hartmann. “Secretory immunoglobulin A accumulates on the mucous membranes of the intestines and respiratory system of the child and protects him from diseases that the mother has already had.”

Colostrum also contains many other immunological components and growth factors that stimulate the development of protective mucous membranes in the intestines of the child, and the prebiotics contained in it contribute to the formation of beneficial microflora. ³

Colostrum prevents jaundice

Colostrum not only protects against indigestion, but also has a laxative effect. This helps newborns to empty the intestines frequently, removing from it everything that was digested there in the prenatal state, in the form of meconium - dark and viscous feces.

Frequent stools in newborns also reduce the risk of jaundice. A baby is born with a high level of red blood cells that absorb oxygen from the air. As these cells break down, the liver helps to process them, producing a by-product called bilirubin. If the child's liver is not yet sufficiently formed to process it, bilirubin begins to be deposited in the body, causing jaundice. ⁴ The laxative properties of colostrum help the baby to remove bilirubin from the body along with the stool.

Colostrum contains vitamins and minerals

Carotenoids and vitamin A give colostrum its characteristic yellow color. . ⁷ Babies are usually born with a low supply of vitamin A, ⁸ and colostrum helps to replenish it.

"The first three days are especially important for establishing breastfeeding"

In addition, colostrum is rich in minerals, such as magnesium, which is good for the baby's heart and bones, and copper and zinc, which are involved in the development of the immune system. ^9.10 Zinc also contributes to the development of the brain, and there is almost four times more zinc in colostrum than in mature milk, ¹⁰ because the brain of a newborn must develop rapidly.

Colostrum helps your baby grow and develop

Colostrum contains many other ingredients that help your baby grow and develop. The role of some of them is still unknown to scientists.

“Colostrum retains its composition for about 30 hours after the baby is born,” says Prof. Hartmann. - It contains quite a lot of proteins, because all the antibodies in its composition are essentially proteins. It is relatively low in lactose [milk sugar] and has a different fat composition than mature milk. ”

In addition, colostrum is close in composition to the amniotic fluid that your baby swallowed and excreted while in the womb, making it ideal for adapting to the outside world. ¹¹

Transition from colostrum to mature milk

Breast milk usually begins to arrive two to four days after delivery. The breasts become firmer and fuller, and instead of colostrum, transitional milk is excreted, which is whiter in color and creamier in consistency.

“The first three days are especially important for establishing breastfeeding,” says Prof. Hartmann. “If everything is done correctly during this period, lactation is likely to be good, and the baby will be able to grow normally.”

It seems unbelievable now, but in just one year your baby will be able to walk and maybe even talk. Colostrum is produced for only a few days, but makes an invaluable contribution to the development of the baby during the first 12 months, and the resulting benefits remain with him for life.

Want to know more? Read our free e-book Surprising Breast Milk Facts and article What is Transitional Milk?.

Literature

1 Hassiotou F et al. Maternal and infant infections stimulate a rapid leukocyte response in breastmilk. Clin Transl Immunology. 2013;2(4): e 3. - Hassiot F. et al., "Infectious diseases of the mother and child stimulate a rapid leukocyte reaction in breast milk." Clean Transl Immunology. 2013;2(4):e3.

9 Kulski JK, Hartmann PE. Changes in human milk composition during the initiation of lactation. AUST J EXP Biol Med SCI . 1981;59(1):101-114. - Kulsky JK, Hartmann PI, "Changes in the composition of breast milk at the onset of lactation". Aust Zh Exp Biol Med Sai. 1981;59(1):101-114.

10 Casey CE Studies in human lactation: zinc, copper, manganese and chromium in human milk in the first month of lactation. Am J Clin Nutr 1985;41(6):1193-1200. - Casey S.I. et al., Female Lactation Study: Zinc, Copper, Magnesium, and Chromium in Breast Milk in the Early Months of Lactation. Am J Clean Nutr. 1985;41(6):1193-1200.

11 Marlier L et al. Neonatal responsiveness to the odor of amniotic and lacteal fluids: a test of perinatal chemosensory continuity. Child Dev . 1998;69(3):611-623. - Marlier L. et al., "Newborn responses to amniotic and milk odors: testing perinatal chemosensory continuity. Child Dev. 1998;69(3):611-623.

Important Information / Important Information / Breastfeeding / Information for Patients / Perinatal Center / Departments of the CDMC

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• Important information

Colostrum is the secret of the mammary glands, which is produced during pregnancy and the first 3-5 days after childbirth (before the arrival of milk). It is a saturated thick liquid from light yellow to orange color.

The color is due to the presence of the coloring matter of fat, and the saturation of the color of colostrum for each mother is individual and does not indicate the degree of nutritional value of colostrum for the child.

Colostrum differs in composition and quantity from mature milk.

• Very little colostrum is produced, but it is enough for a newborn. A large amount of fluid in the early days creates an increased burden on the baby's kidneys. The baby's body is simply not ready to process volumes of nutrition greater than the mother's colostrum is produced. That is why healthy, well-sucking newborns do not need, and may even be harmful, supplementation or supplementation with glucose water.
• Colostrum contains several times more protein than mature milk, especially immunoglobulin A. Immunoglobulins are responsible for protecting the baby from infections and allergens, thanks to special mechanisms they are quickly absorbed in the baby's stomach and intestines.
• Colostrum contains less fat and sugar (milk sugar lactose) than mature milk.
• Colostrum contains several times more carotene, ascorbic acid, vitamins A, B12 and E.
• Colostrum contains many enzymes, hormones, antioxidants, as well as protective cells - leukocytes.
• The calorie content of colostrum is very high, many times higher than that of mature milk.

Getting colostrum is extremely important for a baby in the first days of life! Thus, the child's immunity is being laid, the normal settlement of the child's gastrointestinal tract sterile from birth with microflora is maintained. Colostrum feedings are important for the mother as well. with frequent application in the first days in the breast, the number of prolactin receptors (areas sensitive to this hormone) increases, which further contributes to sufficient milk production. Frequent applications in the early days contribute to a more relaxed flow of milk, without pronounced symptoms of engorgement.

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