The Benefits of Colostrum: Liquid Gold
1146
post-template-default,single,single-post,postid-1146,single-format-standard,bridge-core-3.1.4,qode-page-transition-enabled,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,boxed,,qode-child-theme-ver-1.0.0,qode-theme-ver-30.3,qode-theme-bridge,disabled_footer_top,qode_header_in_grid,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-7.5,vc_responsive

The Benefits of Colostrum: Liquid Gold

10 Jan The Benefits of Colostrum: Liquid Gold

Posted at 10:43h in Breastfeeding by

Feeding your baby colostrum in the first hour of life gives your baby the best start in life.²

If you’re a first time Mama or never breastfed your baby before, you may be wondering what colostrum is. And, why is it so amazing that it’s frequently called “Liquid Gold?”

Colostrum is a liquid that comes from the nipples right after giving birth. It can range from watery to thick, from clear to yellow to white in color. When your milk comes in around day 3 or 4 after birth, colostrum is still present in the milk for weeks afterward.

Colostrum should be your baby’s first food, preferably within the first hour of life. It’s packed with immune factors, antibodies, protein, sugar and fats. When the baby is fed colostrum, it is an amazing protectant against germs in the environment. It coats the baby’s intestines and “seals them,” preventing germs from getting into the baby’s system.¹

Colostrum not only kills off harmful organisms, but it’s a powerful anti-inflammatory. It also serves as a laxative to clean out meconium (baby’s first black sticky stools), which helps to reduce the risk of jaundice.¹

In full term babies, colostrum helps to prevent low blood sugar. In premature babies, studies show that they have much better outcomes when they are fed their mothers’ colostrum. If you’re unable to feed your baby after birth, colostrum is best expressed by hand. You get more this way than by using a breast pump. For more information on pumping check out Mommyato. It can be fed by spoon or syringe to a newborn. It doesn’t take much to fill their small bellies and the colostrum will help expand their stomachs for a breast milk when it comes in.¹

Now you know why colostrum is called “Liquid Gold” because it is not only nutritionally dense but biologically active too; nature’s design to give your baby the very best start in life!

REFERENCES:

  1. La Leche League International. 2018. Colostrum: general. https://www.llli.org/breastfeeding-info/colostrum-general/
  2. World Health Organization. 2018. 3 in 5 babies not fed in the first hour of life. https://www.who.int/news/item/31-07-2018-3-in-5-babies-not-breastfed-in-the-first-hour-of-life
Tags:
Print page
0 Likes
JessicaB
[email protected]