Sometimes it helps to explain to moms WHY colostrum is made the first 
few days. I tell moms to think of colostrum as training wheels for 
coordinating swallowing and breathing. The baby swallowed in the uterus, 
but did not have to worry about breathing. Colostrum is thick and 
sticky, and helps the baby to learn to stop breathing in order to 
swallow safely. It is in small amounts both for safety during the 
learning phase, and to get baby to breastfeed often, to tell mom to make 
a good milk factory during the early "market research phase" of 
breastfeeding. I tell her if lots of colostrum is "sold", the breast 
invests in building a big milk factory.

Of course, there are important immunological and trophic functions of 
colostrum as well, but the above seems to make sense to moms and 
encourages them to just breastfeed.
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  NYC

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