Breast milk contains several nutritional and immune supporting components for a growing infant.  One of the benefits of breast milk is that these important components can change depending on the age and needs of the infant.  Choosing to breast feed over bottle feed provides your child with the best nutrition at every stage of development.  As a lactation consultant, it is your job to educate the mother on all attributes of breast milk.

Colostrum is a component of breast milk that is secreted as early as approximately 12 to 16 weeks of gestation.  This highly dense, thick, gel-like liquid is generally yellow-colored, due to the amount of beta-carotene it contains.  During the first two days after the baby is born the primary liquid secreted from the breast is colostrum.  In most instances, transitional milk is secreted on day 3 and mature milk is available on or about day 5.  The primary function of colostrum is to provide a protective barrier in the gut from pathogens and to help promote the closure of the infant’s gut.

Colostrum contains enzymes, white blood cells, hormones and proteins.  White blood cells like polymorphonucleocytes make up about 90% of the cells found in colostrum.  The protein, secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), is an antibody that is found in high concentrations of colostrum immediately after delivery.  This antibody helps to protect the body from pathogens.  Several other components, such as lactoferin, lysozyme epidermal growth factor and interleukin 10 are also found in colostrum.

Colustrum is also beneficial to infants because when it is ingested it helps to clear the meconium out of the infant due to its reservoir of belirubin.  The intestinal non-pathogenic flora is also established in the gastrointestinal tract with the help of colostrum.  This flora helps to create a balance in the gastrointestinal tract and aids in the digestion of important vitamins and minerals.

Colostrum is an extremely valuable first food for every infant.  It is highly recommended for the long term health and well-being of every infant.  The combination of components found in colostrum makes it the best food option.

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The third trimester of pregnancy can often feel like the longest and most agonizing trimester due the physical strain that is placed on the mother’s body.  During this trimester, the mother’s abdomen grows quite large and can begin to feel very tight.  The baby has grown substantially during the last two trimesters and will continue to grow and gain a significant amount of weight.

Often during this phase of pregnancy many women experience acid reflux, which is caused from the limited space that is available for food.  This can be extremely uncomfortable for mothers, especially during the night when they are laying in bed.  Unfortunately, there is very little that can be done to relieve the discomfort caused by pregnancy induced acid reflux.  Fortunately, as soon as the baby is born and pressure is relieved from the stomach, the acid reflux goes away.

This trimester can be very exhausting for mothers.  The increased weigh gain often makes moving around more tiring.  The increased size of the uterus often causes many women back pain and sleeping becomes more difficult.  The mother’s joints often begin to loosen and creak due to the secretion of the hormone relaxin, which is supposed to help prepare the mother’s body for labor and delivery.  The baby is noticeably the most active during this time.  Bursts of movement often occur during the evening and at night, making sleep more challenging.  The baby’s quite times are often during the day when the mother is most active.  Come the seventh month, the baby begins to run out of room causing the mother to be acutely aware of every movement the baby makes. Generally, this phase of pregnancy is the least favorite for many mothers

Between the 22^nd and 25^th week the baby has developed to the point that should delivery be necessary, the baby could survive being born prematurely.  The closer the baby is born to full term, between 36 and 40 weeks, the less likely that the baby will be born with any complications.  If the baby is born before 36 weeks, the baby will generally be kept in the hospital for observation.  The length of time that the baby will remain in the hospital if born before 36 weeks depends on the development of the baby’s lungs.  The lungs are usually the last organ to develop.

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