Before your baby is born, your body prepares to feed it. Breast changes begin to occur, more or less around the sixteenth week of pregnancy. The mammary glands, formed by a multitude of small sacs called mammary alveoli, have the walls upholstered by the cells in charge of milk production.
From there, the milk is conducted through ducts that drift up to the height of the areola, where they widen forming a kind of backwaters, called galactophores breasts (of galacts, milk, and forums, carry), in which It stores a small amount of milk, waiting to be sucked by the baby.
For the birth of the baby will prepare one of the most important foods of his life, colostrum. This food is the first milk that is produced and its duration is between 2 and 5 days, before the final milk begins to be produced. Colostrum is an ideal and essential food, since it is the first immunization of the baby and also meets the nutritional needs of its small organs, not yet mature.
Some existing differences with respect to definitive milk are for example the density, much higher and more sticky. Its color, the colostrum is nicknamed liquid gold, this is due to its somewhat golden color, of course it depends on the breast that produces it, sometimes it is darker and sometimes lighter, but regardless of this, it is still the perfect food for the baby
Its composition is formed by a higher content of proteins, minerals, sodium, potassium, vitamins A and E, and carotenoids. In addition carbohydrates, fat and lactose, rich in secretions of IgA, (an important immunoglobulin and agent to prevent infections). It is also full of leukocytes, which have the ability to destroy bacteria and viruses.
A mother may not feel her breasts full of milk, with which she worries, since she believes that the baby does not take anything out, but it is not so, colostrum, even in small quantities, is a special laxative that helps stimulate the passage of the meconium thus decreasing the possibility of jaundice. In addition, it quickly digests and stabilizes the blood sugar of the baby.
It also protects the digestive membrane, building a barrier against infections, establishes bacterial flora in the digestive system, builds the immune system and its growth factors. It is a fluid that is alive and similar to blood, can build, change and prepare the baby against germs. A curious thing is when the baby is born prematurely, colostrum has even more potential to prevent infections. It is especially important that premature babies receive the colostrum produced by the mother. The baby's body is a work not yet finished that the colostrum is responsible for finishing.
