Colostrum Pregnancy

Colostrum pregnancy. What exactly is colostrum and why have I never heard about it before ? Colostrum is the first milk or fluid the mother produces when she is pregnant and having delivered a newborn baby a mother who feeds her baby colostrum from her pregnant breasts is giving her child a great start in life. As we know, women’s breasts grow larger during pregnancy and during this process a Mother’s network of blood vessels and milk producing ducts (essentially her milk delivery system) develops quickly. Typically, a Mother to be begins producing colostrum in her breasts during the 3rd month of pregnancy, however some pregnant women produce colostrum much later. What colostrum does is provide a newborn with protection against infection, bacteria, viruses and disease. The colostrum lays down a coating on the baby’s intestines and reports suggest that baby’s who have beneffited from a Mother’s colostrum “milk” grow up to be healthier and stronger than non-colostrum fed babies. Amazingly, a pregnant women’s body can compensate for a premature birth by producing colostrum that is acceptable to a premature baby. Colostrum is extremely rich in proteins, sodium chloride and vitamin A and also contains lipids, carbohydrates, and potassium. Importantly, the passive immunity of the mother gets passed onto her baby through colostrum (or as its sometimes known – first milk). For more information on colostrum see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colostrum.