{"id":102515,"date":"2019-11-01T08:34:21","date_gmt":"2019-11-01T12:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.oviahealth.com\/guide\/102515\/all-about-colostrum\/"},"modified":"2025-02-21T15:29:49","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T20:29:49","slug":"all-about-colostrum","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.oviahealth.com\/guide\/102515\/all-about-colostrum\/","title":{"rendered":"All about colostrum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As adults, the milk that we drink is pretty consistent in appearance, taste, and nutrition. But breast milk is different in that it changes in the days following childbirth. During pregnancy and then when we begin breastfeeding, our bodies make colostrum. After a few days transitional milk comes in and gradually changes to more mature breast milk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is colostrum?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Colostrum is an early form of breast milk that a person\u2019s body produces during the second half of pregnancy and for at least a few days following childbirth. Colostrum is an incredibly nutritious, protective, and healthy form of breast milk that is so important in a baby\u2019s first days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does it look like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Compared to breast milk, colostrum is usually stickier, thicker, and more yellow in color. It is lower in volume and has a slower flow than mature breast milk. New parents do not usually feel like their breasts are full until their mature breast milk comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is colostrum so important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the days immediately following birth, newborns need the protective effects of colostrum more than they need nutrition from breast milk. Colostrum is easier for newborns to digest, and it has a natural laxative effect which helps them pass all of the sticky, tarry meconium in their bodies and reduces the risk of jaundice. The small quantities baby eats may not seem like \u201cenough,\u201d but remember, baby\u2019s stomach is about the size of a blueberry at birth. Colostrum also contains the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n