Why colostrum is secreted during pregnancy and at what stage does this most often happen?

An essential component of a woman’s pregnancy journey is colostrum. It is a nutrient-rich liquid that is essential for getting the body ready for nursing. This shift is noticed by many women, who wonder why it occurs before the baby is even born.

One of the many changes the body experiences during pregnancy is the early synthesis of colostrum. Although it usually starts later for some women, this usually happens in the later stages. All the body is doing is preparing for the baby’s arrival.

The first milk to nourish a newborn is colostrum, which supplies vital nutrients and antibodies. It might seem strange to feel like this before giving birth, but this is a common and healthy aspect of pregnancy.

The first stage of breast milk production, colostrum, frequently starts to be secreted in the third trimester of pregnancy. It’s the body’s method of supplying vital nutrients and antibodies in preparation for feeding the newborn. While not every woman will experience this, leaking colostrum is a normal sign that the body is preparing for the baby’s arrival.

What is it

Colostrum is a thick secretion of the mammary glands. It is produced in all mammals: cats, dogs, cows and goats. People are no exception. A few days after birth, thick and viscous colostrum is replaced first by transitional milk, and then by full-fledged breast milk, which in medicine is called mature. Pregnant women secrete colostrum under the influence of changed hormonal levels, because the mammary glands of the expectant mother begin to rebuild for the upcoming breastfeeding in advance. Colostrum is a thick, sticky, salty liquid. In the early stages of pregnancy, it can be transparent, a little later its color changes to various shades of yellow, closer to childbirth, colostrum begins to lighten again, in order to become white and opaque after childbirth, turning into transitional milk. This usually takes from 2 to 5 days.

Colostrum is completely different from milk: they have nothing in common either in composition, consistency, or properties. In its chemical structure, this liquid is more reminiscent of the composition of blood. Despite the fact that in the later stages and immediately after childbirth it looks almost like breast milk, it differs in color and quantity. Nature has assigned colostrum the most important function – it should provide the child with a smooth transition from nutrition through the placenta to nutrition in the usual traditional way. Colostrum will give the baby the necessary protective antibodies, antitoxins, so that the tiny organism can survive as easily as possible the enormous stress that will be associated with its birth into this world and adaptation to completely different living conditions.

Composition and properties

In terms of its energy value, colostrum significantly exceeds breast milk and any artificial milk formulas. It is thick and viscous, it contains little water (excessive stress on the weak kidneys of a newborn will not do him any good). But the density of useful substances in it is several dozen times higher than in full-fledged breast milk, which the baby will be fed about a week after birth. Colostrum not only effectively eliminates the feeling of hunger, saturates the baby, but also promotes soft and quick bowel movements. It contains natural laxatives that help the baby to free its intestines from meconium in the first day – the original dark green feces that accumulated in it during the intrauterine period of development.

Colostrum softens the consequences of the destruction of red blood cells: it reduces the level of bilirubin, as a result of which the infant may not have physiological jaundice, or it will occur in its mildest and simplest form. If we consider colostrum from the point of view of chemical composition, then, in fact, it is a mixture of easily digestible proteins – albumins and globulins. Unlike regular milk, colostrum contains less casein, lactose and fats, which are quickly absorbed. It contains a large amount of natural antioxidants – vitamins A and E, as well as zinc and selenium. In addition to the fact that these substances are involved in preventing "oxygen stress" in a newborn, they also help the difficult processes of establishing the independent work of the child"s immunity.

There are no natural counterparts for colostrum’s chemical makeup and characteristics, making it a special, priceless liquid that boosts a baby’s chances of survival and healthy growth in the future.

Protective factors

Everyone knows that with breast milk a mother passes on antibodies to her child, which in the first months of his life form passive (or innate) immunity. But not everyone knows that the content of immune factors is higher in colostrum than in milk. In particular, this concerns such substances as: immunoglobulin A, lactoferrin. Colostrum is rich in live macrophages-leukocytes, neutrophils and lymphocytes. All these "residents" of the secretion of the mammary gland do not participate in the digestion of the baby, are not digested by his body. When they get into the stomach, they remain in the gastrointestinal tract, it is there that they come into "combat readiness", protecting the baby from the invasion of pathogenic bacteria and aggressive viruses that enter through the mouth.

There are more T-lymphocytes in colostrum than there are in blood. Colostrum leukocytes can aid in a child’s development of viral defenses. Mammary gland secretions contain certain polysaccharides that function as an anti-glue, preventing harmful microorganisms from adhering to mucous membranes and intestinal walls.

Exciting facts have been shown by laboratory studies: It turns out that colostrum from females is a special kind of natural antibiotic and antiviral "in one bottle." It can also break the structure of many viruses, including rotavirus, Coxsackie, polio pathogen, and herpes virus. It actively resists E. Coli, salmonella, cholera pathogens, and dysentery bacillus. Because of this, it is customary to breastfeed the newborn in the delivery room, preparing him to fight off germs and viruses from the very beginning of his life.

From the same perspective, even if the infant isn’t producing any milk yet, it’s crucial to nurse them during the first few days following delivery. A baby can get enough colostrum with just a few drops, as it will meet all of his energy needs. Additionally, these drops are crucial for the baby’s long-term health.

From the very beginning, children who received colostrum always possessed a stronger and more potent immunity than those who received donor milk or artificially modified milk formulas. This implies that these kids become healthier and more resilient as well as less susceptible to illness.

Reasons for the appearance

Under the influence of progesterone, from the very first hours after the conception of the baby, large-scale changes begin in the body of the expectant mother, who has no idea what is really happening. They also concern the mammary glands. Of course, other hormones also help progesterone. That is why sometimes a woman begins to guess about the conception that has taken place even before the delay of menstruation – by the characteristic swelling of the breast and pain in the nipple area. The ducts located inside the mammary gland gradually expand, the glandular tissue grows, which is why the breast increases in size. Colostrum begins to be produced by the mammary gland when the level of the hormone prolactin this allows.

Prolactin increases gradually, which is why some women have colostrum already in the first trimester, while others have it only a couple of months before giving birth. The pituitary gland is responsible for the production of prolactin, the process itself is the first stage of lactogenesis. Very often, a pregnant woman can hear the opinion that a small amount of colostrum during pregnancy can be a sign of future problems with the amount of breast milk. This statement is a mistake or a profanation. Neither the quantity, nor the quality, nor the color of colostrum, nor its absence or presence during the period of bearing a child affect how much milk there will be after giving birth. After the birth of the child, the second stage of lactogenesis will begin, during which colostrum will begin to change its chemical composition under the influence of oxytocin.

Some women secrete colostrum only after giving birth, and this has no effect on lactation; these mothers are excellent breastfeeders. Other women do not produce colostrum during pregnancy.

Timing of appearance

There are no uniform standards regarding at what stage of pregnancy, at what week the secretion of colostrum should begin. In primitive women who have a prolactin level is initially small, and the nipples are stronger, colostrum may begin to stand out shortly before childbirth or even after them. At the same time, the breast will hurt, swell and at earlier stages, perhaps when pressing on the nipples, a small, barely noticeable amount of thick liquid will be released. Most often, primiparous women indicate that the first signs of colostrum appeared in them at a period of about 10-12 weeks of pregnancy. Even more often, the periods are indicated – 16-18 weeks. For most, it did not flow out and was detected exclusively with mechanical pressure with fingers on the nipple from both sides.

A woman’s colostrum will arrive earlier in her subsequent pregnancy if she has previously given birth and experienced breastfeeding. The fact remains that a woman who has given birth will always have a higher level of prolactin in her body than a woman who has not given birth. Furthermore, after the first child, the mammary gland’s ducts enlarge, producing more colostrum that may leak and cause the woman to have hygienic problems.

Is it possible to squeeze out?

The clearest response to this is that extracting colostrum is not allowed. Oxytocin, a hormone that relaxes the uterine smooth muscles, is produced in response to mechanical stimulation of the nipples. A higher tone increases the risk of an early miscarriage or an earlier birth at more conspicuous stages of gestation. Elevated uterine tones also play a role in the development of oxygen starvation in the developing foetus and raise the risk of foetoplacental insufficiency.

From this vantage point, you should refrain from accidentally mechanically compressing youth as well as squeezing it, as in the case of a massage, washing the mammary glands, preparing them for nursing, or having sex. Hot beverages and hot baths can raise oxytocin levels.

Expressing colostrum does not make sense after childbirth either – usually the processes of lactogenesis occur on their own. The exception is cases when a woman has already developed transitional milk, but the nipples are too "tight" and the baby cannot "suck" them. Expressing is also indicated when converting colostrum into milk when it is not possible to feed the baby fully (the baby eats little, the nipples have individual anatomical features that make it difficult for the baby to grasp them, and also if the baby is not brought for feeding (he is in intensive care or undergoing procedures)). Expressing in this case will stimulate milk production, and then the baby will not need complete, healthy and much-needed nutrition.

It is best to use a special bra if a pregnant woman has heavy colostrum flow that gets under her clothes and under her underwear. Particularly for nursing moms, these are sewn. They include a spot for inserts that will take up extra liquid and keep clothes from getting unsightly stains.

Possible problems

Colostrum, which was and suddenly disappeared, can be an indirect sign of a frozen (non-developing) pregnancy. Along with the disappearance of colostrum, other symptoms of the "interesting situation" usually disappear – toxicosis, increased appetite. At a later stage – fetal movements stop, its heartbeat is not heard. It should be noted that in the case of intrauterine fetal death, colostrum does not disappear immediately, but a few days after the tragedy. In the early stages, a woman may not feel the death of the fetus for a long time. Therefore, the disappearance of colostrum should alert the pregnant woman. It is imperative to visit your doctor and undergo an urgent examination.

If in a colostrum a woman notices pinkish impurities, as well as fragments of blood, you do not need to panic. The secret of the mammary glands with blood may be a variant of the physiological norm. This is due to the expansion of the Milky ducts. Sometimes this process proceeds so intensively that the capillaries (small blood vessels) cannot withstand and burst. So in the colostrum there are impurities of blood. But if the colostrum has become greenish, gray, baked crusts from such a liquid are formed on the nipples, an unpleasant odor has acquired, then this may indicate an infection, most often a bacterial. At the same time, the chest becomes more painful, a pronounced anxiety is affected by touching it. Such pathological changes can be a sign of mastitis, staphylococcal infection, tumor process in the mammary gland. The most attentive should be women who have previously suffered surgical intervention on the mammary gland.

In the event that the color and smell of mammary gland secretions change, you should see a doctor right away, get tested, and start treatment. Many issues can be resolved successfully even during pregnancy if the doctor promptly prescribes the appropriate and skilled treatment.

An essential and natural component of pregnancy is colostrum. It’s the body’s method of getting ready to feed the newborn. It may come as a surprise to detect it prior to the baby’s arrival, but this is the body’s preparation for nursing.

Though it usually becomes apparent in the third trimester, this unique early milk can begin to appear as early as the second trimester. Since each woman is unique, her time of colostrum production may differ.

The presence of colostrum during pregnancy is normal and indicative of healthy development. It is always a good idea to speak with your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns about it.

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