“The Benefits of Colostrum: Characteristics and Myths Debunked”

Asri Ediyati |
Haibunda

Tuesday, 25 Apr 2023 11:55 WIB

Naturally, the mother’s body will release milk called breast milk (ASI) for the baby. The first breast milk or called colostrum comes out after giving birth. But, for some women, the first milk comes out during pregnancy.

However, some consider the yellowish first breast milk to be dirty. Does it really have to be thrown away? It’s just a myth, Mother. Precisely colostrum has extraordinary benefits and its production is limited.

Rianti A.Md, Keb said, colostrum is pre-milk or the first yellowish milk produced after a mother gives birth. Human colostrum is produced in just 24 hours, Mother.

Characteristics of colostrum

There are five characteristics of colostrum, namely:

1. Yellowish in color, more yellow than mature breast milk.
2. When heated it coagulates, while cooked breast milk does not.
3. The fat contains more lecithin cholesterol than mature breast milk.
4. Contains trypsin inhibitors, so that protein hydrolysis in the baby’s intestine is less than perfect. This makes your little one’s antibody levels increase.
5. Volume ranges from 150 – 300 ml per 24 hours.

“The protein content in colostrum is much higher than breast milk. This is beneficial for newborns because by getting a little colostrum, your little one has received protein to meet his needs in the first week after birth,” said Rianti, in her book Myths and Facts About Breast Milk.

The benefits of Colostrum or first breast milk

Colostrum is rich in protein, fat, carbohydrates, magnesium, B vitamins and vitamins A, C and E, and also contains antibodies. With a variety of nutrients contained in colostrum, many benefits are obtained by newborns, Mother. Here are some of the benefits:

1. Fights Infections

Two-thirds of the cells in colostrum are white blood cells that protect against infection, Mother. It has the role of helping the baby fight infection for himself.

White blood cells are important as far as the immune response is concerned. They provide both protection and challenge of pathogens. After leaving the protection of the mother’s body that contains him, the baby needs to prepare to face new challenges in the world around him. White blood cells in colostrum produce antibodies that can neutralize bacteria or viruses.

2. Support the Immune System and Digestive Function

Colostrum is very rich in an important antibody called SIgA. It serves to protect the baby from disease by lining its digestive tract. Molecules that provide the mother’s immune defense against infection are transported in her blood to her breasts, join together to form sIgA, and are secreted into her colostrum.

This SIgA is concentrated in the mucous lining of the intestines and respiratory system of the baby, protecting it from the diseases experienced by Mother. In addition, colostrum is also rich in other immunological components and growth factors that stimulate the growth of protective mucous membranes in the baby’s intestines, Mother.

While that’s happening, the prebiotics in colostrum feed and build the good bacteria in the gut.

Read the other benefits of colostrum on the next page, Mother.

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Also check out other information about colostrum in the video below:

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