Colostrum during pregnancy can seriously scare a woman-first-person. After all, it seems to her that it is too early for the appearance of milk - the child has not yet been born. However, colostrum in pregnant women is quite a frequent phenomenon and is absolutely normal. However, like his absence until the birth of the baby.
The whole point is that the breast during pregnancy is thus prepared for the forthcoming lactation period. Even at the very beginning of pregnancy, the ducts expand, the mass of lobules increases, darkens and increases in the diameter of the nipple. All this is the result of hormonal changes in the body in connection with pregnancy and the upcoming birth of a baby.
And the appearance of colostrum - this is one stage of breast preparation. Some women even note some tingling and flushing in the chest. So the colostrum is pushed by the muscles to the exit from the nipple. It is worth worrying only if the allocation of colostrum is accompanied by pain and pulling sensations in the lower abdomen - probably, these are signs of a beginning miscarriage.
There is no definition of the exact amount of colostrum, if it appears. At someone colostrum can only appear a little from the nipple, and someone it flows strongly. If you are faced with the problem of leakage from the chest, you can buy a special padding in the pharmacy in the bra, so that the colostrum does not stain clothes and clothes.
The presence or absence of colostrum during pregnancy does not in any way indicate whether the young mother will be "milk" or milk, which will not be enough to feed the baby. All this is purely individual, and it is not a fact that if there was colostrum, then after the birth the breast will become well filled with milk. And vice versa: if there is no colostrum, this is not a reason to worry about the fact that you will not have milk or it will not be enough.
What does colostrum look like?
Much has been said about the number and "normality" of the colostrum, but it may be that a woman does not know what is at issue and does not know what the colostrum looks like and what color it is in pregnant women. So, colostrum usually in the first days of the beginning of separation from the breast has a yellowish color and a thicker consistency, sometimes resembling milk.
Then the colostrum of yellow color becomes more transparent and less dense. Sometimes to see it, you need to apply pressure on the nipple. If a drop of something white or yellowish is squeezed out of it - this is colostrum. Sometimes, by the way, colostrum continues to be allocated even after the cessation of feeding - sometimes it continues for several more years. Just do not be frightened, because it is invisible and to see it, you need to mash your nipple pretty.
If we talk about why colostrum goes before giving birth or long before them, that is, in which cases it is allocated, then it should be mentioned that during pregnancy this is facilitated by sexual stimulation of the breast, massage, stress, too high air temperature, because of which the ducts expand.
Benefit of colostrum during the feeding of the child
Some people mistakenly believe that colostrum is a useless and non-caloric product and even decant it, and only then give the baby a breast.
The benefits of colostrum can be said for a long time, because its composition is something unique. In addition, it prepares the baby's stomach for the intake of more fatty and nutritious milk. It is not for nothing that the first few days after delivery give birth to colostrum, not milk.
It is not necessary to think that the child is not gorging and rushing to give him a mixture from the bottle - this can lead to the fact that the child will never again take the breast. A child is quite enough that her mother has her colostrum. In the early days, he generally sleeps more and wakes up occasionally to eat a little and make sure that he is not alone and his mother is nearby.