Gloria wrote: <<..some cultures believe that colostum is not good, and the moms do not nurse until the mature milk comes in. I have heard that this is the case in Vietnam as well.>> When I worked at a small community hospital near Monterey CA ('84) this was a common belief among the Vietnamese moms and they insisted on giving abm for about three days. Same thing when I worked in San Diego, Jax FL, and here in Northern VA. Wonder if a nih medline search would yield any research done on this cultural tradition, why so common in the states? Very interesting chat that Gloria had with her mil: <<I believe that my mil's explanation about how the colostrum cleans the baby out might help these moms understand the need to nurse the baby immediately----more so than talking about immunity being passed to baby>> Also, when working with these moms to encourage early feedings at breast, I heard a suggestion once to refer to colostrum as being like "liquid gold". Deb Springfield, VA