Colostrum: The Original Liquid Gold

Colostrum, or "first milk" or "foremilk" is a milky substance that female mammals (not just humans!) begin producing toward the end of the pregnancy. Some women will begin to notice it in the second trimester, others not til the third, and some mothers will not notice the colostrum until after they give birth. I do not "leak" colostrum as some women do (at least, I haven't yet) but I began noticing it early in the third trimester.

Colostrum is the original liquid gold - the first "milk" your baby gets that is yellowish in color with a myriad of beneficial properties.

It is usually a clear/translucent yellow to orange color and is thicker than breast milk and a little sticky. Small but mighty - it is low in volume but rich in protein, fat-soluble vitamins, antibodies, immune factors, enzymes, and it also has laxative properties which help your newborn expel meconium, their first poop. If you deliver prematurely, your colostrum will contain even more proteins and different fats that are important to premature babies. Colostrum even "seals" baby's intestines, protecting them from bacterial invasion.