You may be most familiar with colostrum as the supplement that Buff McHardbody liked to down first thing in the morning to juice up those muscles. The reason that Buff is so devoted to those supplements is the same reason that the special milk you produce at the onset of lactation is so vitally important to your baby’s health.
While you are still pregnant, your breasts will start to produce colostrum -- a special milk that is super high in carbs, proteins and antibodies. This milk is usually yellowish or orangey in color, and is thick and sticky. Sounds appetizing, doesn’t it? Well, it is -- to your newborn. So what does it do for Baby McHardbody?
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It’s nutrient-dense, but it’s also highly digestible, making it the perfect first food for your baby.
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Has a laxative effect on babies -- we all know what that means! It’s important for new babies to rid themselves of excess bilrubin though, and the laxative effects of colostrum are perfect for that -- which means your baby is less likely to develop jaundice.
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It’s the perfect immunobooster -- it provides large amounts of living cells and the concentration of leukocytes is much higher than in the milk you produce later. These leukocytes protect baby from various microorganisms, bacteria and viruses.
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Contains secretory immunoglobin -- antibodies that protect baby’s mucous membranes in the throat, lungs and intestines.
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Helps establish beneficial bacteria in baby’s digestive tract -- because who wants a baby who is birthed shopping at the health food store for his probiotics!
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Coats baby’s digestive tract with a barrier to prevent foreign substances from penetrating.
You will likely produce this liquid gold for three or four days, after which you will start producing mature milk. At this point, your milk production will increase in volume and your milk will change to a whiter, more opaque color. In the days leading up to this change, it’s important to breastfeed 8-12 times in each 24-hour period, and even more if you can! This gives your baby the chance to absorb as much of that Breastmilk Cristal as possible, and stimulates the production of mature milk.
Unlike the volume of mature milk you will produce -- which will sometimes feel never ending -- the amount of colostrum produced can be measured in mere teaspoons. Knowing there is such a small amount available often concerns moms about whether it’s really enough for the baby. Never fear! Not only is colostrum the only food most newborns need, but a baby who is only a day old can only has a stomach capacity of about 5mls, meaning the stomach is roughly the size of a marble. If you produced any more colostrum than those few teaspoons, your babe would just spit up the excess -- making it to your advantage not to produce tons of it! And don’t worry -- as your baby’s stomach grows and expands, your milk production will do the same. Small, but frequent feedings will provide little McHardbody with all the milk he needs to become the next Buff.
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