Colostrum: features and properties

Colostrum, sometimes called "liquid gold," is the first milk that mammals—including humans—produce after giving birth to their young. Packed with nutrients, antibodies, and immune-boosting properties, this thick, yellowish fluid is vital to a newborn’s growth and well-being.

Colostrum is made in smaller amounts than regular breast milk, but its concentrated formula is specially designed to meet the needs of a newborn during their first few days of life. It offers vital defense against infections and aids in building a solid immune system foundation for the infant.

Knowing the special qualities and advantages of colostrum can make new parents appreciate its importance in the early stages of their baby’s life and help ensure that the child has the best start possible.

Feature Description
Definition Colostrum is the first milk produced by a mother after giving birth, rich in nutrients and antibodies.
Appearance It is usually yellowish or golden in color and has a thicker consistency compared to regular milk.
Antibodies Colostrum contains high levels of antibodies that help protect newborns from infections and diseases.
Nutrients It is packed with essential nutrients, including proteins, vitamins, and minerals, crucial for the baby"s early development.
Production Duration Colostrum is produced in the first few days after birth before transitioning to mature milk.
Benefits It supports the immune system, aids digestion, and helps establish a healthy gut flora in newborns.

What is it?

From a biological perspective, colostrum is a unique secretion that forms in a postpartum woman’s mammary glands. An alteration in hormone levels is necessary for colostrum to develop in the female body. The onset of lactation requires these particular changes, which start to happen in the body during pregnancy.

Certain hormones in the female body cause the mammary glands to become ready for the synthesis of colostrum and, eventually, breast milk. Prolactin is among the most significant of them. It first manifests in the late stages of pregnancy in women, and after the baby is placed on the mother’s breast for the first time, its quantity quickly rises.

As the infant breastfeeds, he or she touches the mother’s nipple with his lips, irritating the nerve endings that are abundant in the mammary gland’s alveolar zone. This helps explain why the nerve impulse grows quickly and enters the brain. There, prolactin is released into the bloodstream by the activation of the pituitary gland. The mammary ducts of the mammary glands, which are responsible for releasing the nutrient secretion, are subsequently impacted by this hormone.

It’s intriguing that prolactin levels are a little bit higher in the morning and evening. This fact can be considered and attempted to be applied in practice, particularly in the early postpartum period when the infant is not yet firmly enough attached to the breast.

The female body releases oxytocin when giving birth naturally. Nature did not create this feature by accident. The contraction of the pectoral muscles and the uterus occurs actively when oxytocin is present. The fact that a woman who has recently given birth has a nutritious breast secretion is largely due to these changes.

When it appears?

According to medical professionals, the mammary glands start to synthesize colostrum in the very final stages of pregnancy. Its quantity does, however, only rise following childbirth. After three to five days of preservation, colostrum progressively transforms into mature milk.

Different women produce different amounts of colostrum after giving birth. Some people report that it starts to show during pregnancy, and others say that it was almost completely gone on the first day following delivery.

Numerous factors can influence the development of colostrum in a woman’s breast. These include the woman’s gynecological disease status, the characteristics of her hormonal background during pregnancy, and even the delivery technique. In some cases, women who gave birth to their babies well in advance of their due date experience a slight delay in the "arrival" of nutritious breast fluid.

Similar issues with the "arrival" of colostrum right after birth may also affect women who had cesarean sections to aid in childbirth.

Mothers produce colostrum, also known as "first milk," a nutrient-rich fluid, right after giving birth. Because of its special makeup, it offers antibodies and immune factors that are vital for defending against infections and promoting healthy growth and development in newborns. Its vital role in maternity care and newborn health can be highlighted by being aware of its features and advantages.

What it looks like?

Colostrum and mature milk have very different appearances. Its chemical structure is similar to that of blood. This is a healthy food for newborns, and the first bite may even be bloody. The chemical makeup of breast fluid will progressively alter in the future.

It is not by coincidence that its composition is similar to that of blood. The mother’s blood vessels carried all the nutrients the unborn child needed for growth and development during the pregnancy. This mechanism is disrupted after birth. It takes some time for the baby’s digestive system to start working properly. Here, colostrum aids in progressively getting the baby’s digestive system ready for its impending "work."

Colostrum is thought to be a special evolutionary phenomenon that is required for the baby to switch from parenteral nutrition to breastfeeding.

Colostrum typically has a yellowish liquid appearance. It may have a different color. Colostrum may even appear beige in certain women. The healthy breast fluid has a very unique color.

Chemical properties and caloric content

The liquid known as colostrum is relatively thick and slightly sticky. These characteristics result from the unique chemical makeup of this product.

It is possible to conditionally separate colostrum into two fractions: liquid and nutritious. There is very little water in the liquid fraction. Colostrum appears to be a thick substance because of this.

In the early days following birth, a small amount of liquid contained in the nutritious secretion of the mammary glands keeps the child’s kidneys from experiencing severe overload.

All of the essential nutritional elements required for the baby’s nourishment in the first few days following birth are found in colostrum. It includes easily digested proteins, for instance. In essence, albumins and globulins are the representative proteins. The healthy breast secretion contains a significant amount of casein.

It also has a moderate level of fats that have been emulsified. The baby’s body can absorb them more readily in this form. The body of the baby depends heavily on fats, particularly in the early postnatal days. Lactose and glucose are also present in colostrum.

Apart from the primary components, colostrum also includes several essential vitamins and microelements. For instance, it has zinc, selenium, beta-carotene, and other vital components that are biologically active. Additionally, vitamin E, which is crucial for preserving cellular immunity, is present in relatively high concentrations in colostrum. It is noteworthy that the provided values are averages. Colostrum’s nutritional value varies from woman to woman.

Researchers have determined the proportions of the primary nutrients found in colostrum. The table below displays this ratio.

A signpost

Quantity (measured in grams per 100 grams of colostrum)

709 kJ, or 169.57 kcal

Numerous factors, including the nursing mother’s diet, have an impact on this.

How can you distinguish it from milk?

Mature milk and colostrum have different primary physicochemical characteristics. It is thicker and more viscous, for instance. When it comes to the amount of nutritional ingredients, colostrum far outweighs mature milk.

Colostrum has a much lower calorie content than milk, which is produced a few days after birth. It is nearly twice as high as the milk level. Mature milk also has a different protein, fat, and carbohydrate ratio.

Benefits

It is impossible to overstate colostrum’s advantageous qualities. It facilitates the child’s body’s gradual adjustment to novel environmental circumstances.

The child simply needs this kind of adaptation because it gets him ready for an independent life. Colostrum has a multitude of uses.

Providing immunity

The child’s body retains a vital immune function thanks to colostrum. When colostrum is consumed in the early postpartum period, it shields the infant’s body from numerous harmful pathogens that are prevalent in the outside world.

Colostrum helps the newborn’s immune system work by introducing unique protein molecules called antibodies into the body. Another name for them is immunoglobulins.

Their consistent bloodstream ingestion helps the infant develop passive immunity against a range of infections.

The colostrum of a nursing woman contains the following significant immune substances:

  • immunoglobulins A;
  • lactoferrin;
  • macrophages;
  • neutrophils;
  • lymphocytes.

The leukocyte cell abundance boosts the immune system’s potency. It should be mentioned that the child’s gastrointestinal tract does not usually destroy these cells. They stay in the child’s body, are widely dispersed, and are capable of carrying out the immune duty that nature has endowed them with.

Researchers have discovered that a pregnant woman’s colostrum has a surprisingly high concentration of T-lymphocytes. The immune system is comprised of these cells. They are able to produce interferon, a substance with potent antiviral activity, which is very important.

Colostrum’s oligosaccharides and polysaccharides contribute to the child’s body’s antimicrobial defenses. They have an adverse effect on pathogenic bacteria and stop them from adhering to the child’s healthy cells. As a result, these compounds aid in preventing bacterial infections in newborns.

The fact that colostrum also has unique peroxidase enzymes is intriguing. They possess the ability to cause harm to bacteria, ultimately resulting in their demise. A newborn baby’s body is shielded from numerous harmful infections by this effect.

According to current scientific research, colostrum contains a variety of unique chemicals that shield the infant against pathogens that can cause serious illnesses, such as salmonella, rotaviruses, enteroviruses, herpes simplex viruses, E. Coli, streptococci, clostridia, cholera vibrios, and even Candida fungi.

Participation in activating the work of internal organs

Colostrum’s growth factors aid in promoting the baby’s gastrointestinal tract’s activity. Colostrum has been shown to contain insulin, cortisol, and type I epidermal growth factor (IGF-I). These drugs have a particular impact on the gastrointestinal tract’s cellular epithelium in infants, which can alter how the organs function.

Colostrum is known to have a laxative effect. This characteristic is crucial for ensuring that the baby’s meconium, or original feces, pass through their intestines in the early days after birth. After birth, meconium stays in the baby’s intestines but is progressively eliminated. Colostrum can help remove it from the baby’s body, which will improve it.

Colostrum has been shown in recent research to benefit a baby’s growth as well. Scientists surmise that the growth factors found in colostrum help with this. They cause the cells’ internal synthesis of molecules to be accelerated, which causes the cells to grow quickly.

Analysis for postmaturity

These days, it’s becoming more and more common to do this lab test. We can ascertain the chemical makeup of the mammary gland secretion by analyzing it.

This test is typically recommended for post-term pregnant women. In this instance, even in the initial days following delivery, milk comes from the breast in place of colostrum.

By carrying out this kind of analysis, you can differentiate between mature breast milk and colostrum. Gynecologists recommend doing this test.

How to stimulate the appearance?

Attaching the infant to the mother’s breast on a regular basis is the easiest yet most efficient way to encourage lactation. If their babies are not sucking well, many mothers get anxious. It is not appropriate to do this. First and foremost, the mother’s general health and, by extension, the lactation process itself may be adversely affected by her anxieties and experiences. Furthermore, colostrum "arrivals" in the mammary glands gradually.

Many nursing moms report that they had significant lactation difficulties in the initial days following delivery. Later, breastfeeding was done more successfully and the amount of colostrum and breast milk gradually increased.

According to medical professionals, there’s no need to express colostrum right away after it appears. Lactation disruption may result from such active intervention. It is noteworthy that the degree of colostrum’s "arrival" in the mammary glands varies. Therefore, there might not be much of it in the first day after birth, and then there will be more nourishing fluid.

It is best to talk to a doctor about the necessity of expressing colostrum. The primary reason for prescribing this procedure is to avoid excessive stagnation within the mammary ducts.

A lot of issues can arise from colostrum that is too thick. The most typical one is called lactostasis, which is the accumulation of nourishing fluid in the mammary ducts. One of the most crucial tasks during lactation is preventing lactostasis. It is advised that a nursing mother nurse her infant more frequently in order to address this. Physicians refer to this as "demand feeding."

It is essential to keep in mind the rules of hygiene when nursing. A nursing mother ought to adhere to them religiously. It’s crucial to keep in mind that a newborn’s body is extremely susceptible to different infections in the early days of life.

A nursing mother has to strictly adhere to all doctor’s recommendations regarding breastfeeding in order to prevent dangerous diseases.

How much does a newborn need?

Mothers are frequently concerned that the quantity of colostrum is negligible. This is not something to be concerned about. The baby is essentially saturated with colostrum due to its high nutritional value.

In the initial days after birth, it is crucial to feed the baby properly. Doctors advise breastfeeding the newborn more frequently in order to treat this. Even with a small amount of nutrient-rich colostrum, the child is satisfied. The baby will immediately burp up any food that he has eaten in excess of what he needs at that moment.

In the initial days following delivery, a baby is typically breastfed six to eight times daily. Increasing the frequency at which the infant latches onto the breast can induce lactation.

In the first day following delivery, you should absolutely see an obstetrician-gynecologist if lactation abruptly stops. The child’s overall health may worsen if there is an inadequate intake of nutrients into their body in this scenario. You ought to think about whether the infant needs to start receiving particular nutritional concoctions in such a circumstance.

Mothers occasionally start to feel as though their breasts are "empty." This is frequently just a subjective opinion. Latching the baby to the breast is still necessary even if it appears at first that there is no discharge from it. Lactation frequently occurs during this type of latching when a woman’s hormonal background shifts.

Colostrum, which is rich in nutrients and antibodies that support the development of a baby’s immune system, is an amazing first food for babies. Its special composition is intended to meet all of a newborn’s needs during their first few days of life.

Colostrum’s high concentration of antibodies, which shield infants from infections in those early, vulnerable days, is one of its main advantages. Additionally, it facilitates healthy gut development and aids in digestion.

Colostrum is made in small amounts, but it has significant advantages. It is an important stage of the breastfeeding process for both mother and child, providing vital protection and nourishment from the beginning.

Video on the topic

COLOSTRUM FOR CHILDREN FROM THE UNIMAL COMPANY WILL STRENGTHEN IMMUNITY! #vitaminsforchildren #vitaminsforimmunity

Colostrum – what is it? / How breast milk is good for a child?

Colostrum, mmm…

Colostrum or protein. What is included in colostrum.

How to express colostrum and breast milk by hand.

Colostrum. What is colostrum. Benefits of colostrum

💊 Colostrum. Benefits of colostrum.

What way of spending family time do you like the most?
Share to friends
Olga Sokolova

Experienced pediatrician and consultant on children's health. Interested in modern approaches to strengthening the immune system, proper nutrition and child care. I write to make life easier for moms and dads by giving proven medical advice.

Rate author
Sverbihina.com
Add a comment