19/10/2025
There is sometimes a misunderstanding that colostrum is something different than milk.
Yet it isn’t; it is milk.
Colostrum is just the first stage in the continuum of human milk: colostrum, transitional milk, and mature milk.
Colostrum is yellow milk you produce in small amounts in the first days after your baby is born and your milk transitions to mature milk around day three.
Our bodies start making colostrum in the 16th week of pregnancy. 🤰🏾
The constituents of colostrum are fascinating: it is high in things called white cells, growth factors, ‘lactoferrin’, and ‘secretory immunoglobulin A’ (sIgA). All of these components (plus many many more! ) are great for your baby’s immunity and sIgA is particularly mind-blowing because it is an anti-infective agent that coats the intestines to protect against the passage of harmful bacteria, germs 🦠 and foreign proteins that could create allergies. It has the right level of acid to encourage the beneficial bacteria in the intestines. This is your baby’s microbiome.
The composition of colostrum and mature milk is complex, and lactation scientists are still making discoveries. For example, compared to mature milk, colostrum is higher in sodium, chloride, zinc and magnesium, and it is lower in lactose, potassium, and calcium. Colostrum is easy to digest, is a laxative and chock full of all the nutrients needed to get your baby’s development and immunity off to the right start.
There’s so much more that we could write about, but ultimately, your baby gets exactly the right mix of vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, carbs and immuno-protection factors that they need. 💪
In the first 24 hours post Birth, your baby will be taking around 2 to 10 ml per feed. And the next day that will go up to 5 to 15 ml per feed. You don’t need to worry about measuring it, as when you’re breastfeeding, just be guided by your baby and feed responsively.
We ❤️colostrum 💃🏻🕺🏿
