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Breast milk is naturally produced by women during the pregnancy state, and it provides the basic nutrition for a baby during the first several months of his/her life. Breast milk has three distinct stages: colostrum, transitional milk, and mature milk.
Colostrum is the first stage of breast milk that occurs during pregnancy and lasts for several days after birthing. It is either yellowish or creamy in color. It is also much thicker than the milk that is produced later in breastfeeding. Colostrum is high in protein, fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, and immunoglobulins, which are antibodies that pass from the mother to the baby to provide passive immunity for the baby. Passive immunity protects the baby from a wide variety of bacterial and viral illnesses, and it is very important for the newborn development. After two to four days after birth, colostrum will be replaced by transitional milk.
Transitional milk occurs after colostrum and lasts for approximately two weeks. The content of transitional milk includes high levels of fat, lactose, water-soluble vitamins, and contains more calories than colostrum. It is also very important to the newborn development.
Mature milk is the final milk that is produced. 90% of it is water which is necessary to maintain hydration of the infant. The other 10% is comprised of carbohydrates, proteins and fats which are necessary for both growth and energy. There are two types of mature milk: foremilk and hind-milk.
Foremilk: This type of milk is found during the beginning of the feeding and contains water, vitamins and protein.
Hind-milk: This type of milk occurs after the initial release of milk and contains higher levels of fat, and is necessary for weight gain.
Both foremilk and hind-milk is necessary when breast feeding to ensure the baby is receiving adequate nutrition and will grow and develop properly.
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