What is colostrum
Colostrum – a special nourishing liquid reminiscent of very thick milk, may appear in the breast before the baby is born. This will mean that the body comes hormonal changes and the breast preparing for breast feeding. The woman in these moments you may experience tingling and itching in the chest, and the nipples may appear yellow selection. In such cases, you need to use a cotton swab so as not to dirty clothes, and wash the chest with warm water to avoid breeding of bacteria. These same procedures should be carried out before feedings after the baby is born.
The first days after birth a baby should only eat colostrum. Gradually its composition changed: in 3-4 days after birth, the breast produces transitional, after a week of normal breast milk. With the advent of "real" milk, the amount increases dramatically, so in some cases you may need to apply racking. In contrast, the colostrum contained in breast in a small amount, but it has a very high nutritional value. Besides, this is the most suitable food for the newborn, provided by nature.
The composition and quantity of colostrum
Colostrum also contains leukocytes, and substances that develop a child's natural immune system. This nutritional liquid has a mild laxative effect, helps the discharge of the original feces of the newborn, the conclusion from the body of bilirubin, but also promotes the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria in the sterile intestine of the baby.
Sometimes women are perturbed in breast lack of colostrum. For the most part, these fears are unfounded, because the production process may not be noticeable. In addition, the size of a newborn baby's stomach is very small and the amount of colostrum that is, is good enough for a child even if the mother is convinced otherwise. In such cases, you need to put the baby to the breast as often as possible, even if it seems that it is "empty", and in the intervals between feedings to do her massage. Gradually, the amount of colostrum will increase, in addition, these procedures promote uterine contractions after birth and the emergence of full-fledged breast milk.
To make the child comfortable to breastfeed, you should immediately correct to apply it: hold chest with hand on top and bottom, and put the nipple in the mouth, including the areola. In this case, the woman will experience less pain, and is easier for the baby to suck. After birth, all babies lose weight. If this loss fit into the physiological norm (5-7%), to worry and to Supplement the child is not necessary; the loss of 8-10% is possible to speak about inefficient feeding by the decision of the pediatrician, the introduction of supplementary feeding.