Colostrum stimulation can be performed during pregnancy and the first 72 hours after birth. Mastering this, your baby will enjoy the wonderful benefits of the most miraculous source of nutrients from breast milk.
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1-3 days after the baby is born, the mother's body will produce a pale yellow milk called colostrum. This type of milk is only formed in a very short time period. Colostrum not only contains many nutrients but also contains antibodies such as IgG, IgF, IgA, ... They work to increase the amount of white blood cells in the baby's blood. Thus contributes to building a healthy immune system for children .
Can pregnant moms store colostrum at the end of pregnancy?
Colostrum stores in the last weeks of pregnancy
In fact, colostrum has been around since the 4th month of pregnancy and continues to grow more and more. From 35-36 weeks onwards, the mother's body begins to process colostrum to prepare for the time of birth.
Therefore, at the time of the aforementioned last weeks of pregnancy (35 weeks onwards), if the mother is completely healthy and does not have any risk of pregnancy complications, colostrum can be performed using steps :
- Cleanse the body to clear the milk glands.
- Massage nipples and breasts for 5-10 minutes.
- Use your hand to express milk daily (can be done many times a day) and then store in the freezer until the time your baby is born.
How to best stimulate colostrum after giving birth to breastfeed?
Colostrum and old milk can be expressed in the days of giving birth
After birth, babies need to be exposed to breast milk as soon as possible so that they can have their first suckling reflex. With normal birth mothers, just 30 minutes - 1 hour from the time the baby is born, the mother can start breastfeeding.
As for the caesarean mother, wait for the anesthetic or anesthetic medicine to end (2-6 hours). Thus, mothers need to breastfeed their babies right after birth to stimulate the mammary glands to function without waiting for 1-2 days for a lot of milk before letting them suck.
So, a recipe that mothers should memorize if they want to get colostrum as well as stimulate as much as possible is 1-6-3-6-6.
1- The baby needs to breastfeed continuously right in the first hour of birth (applies to normal mothers).
The first 6 to 6 hours your baby should be breastfed as much as possible (suitable for mothers who have a caesarean section).
3- In the first 3 days, babies need to be breastfed as much as possible.
6- As the first 6 days, children must practice feeding properly and according to their needs.
6 - The 6 week period will decide whether or not a mother will successfully breastfeed her baby.
In addition, the most important factor for your baby to be breastfed best as well as helping the mother to have more milk is that the baby must be RIGHTLY CLOSED . Thanks to that, the baby can suck hard, suck completely and stimulate the mother's milk gland to function according to the baby's needs.
Massage to express colostrum
If in the first time, only a few drops of milk are shown, will my baby have enough to eat?
During the first 3 days, your baby's need to eat is usually every 1 hour. However, the baby's stomach is still small (only equivalent to 1 grape) and can hold about 5ml at most. Therefore, if the baby eats only a few drops each time, the mother does not need to worry too much but she should quickly feed the baby formula.
If the baby is still crying, the mother should check if the baby pee, poop, upset, flatulence or simply want her to hold.
Mothers giving birth to a baby for the first time will find it harder to induce fullness compared to mothers who give birth many times
For those who give birth for the first time, mothers need to be prepared that colostrum can be more difficult than mothers who have had many births.
However, for the first 72 hours, just notice:
Let your baby suck as hard and as much as possible.
Use a bucket towel dipped in warm water to apply compresses to the breasts for 3-4 minutes.
Breast massage.
Follow appropriate nutrition for new mothers .
Before breastfeeding for 20-30 minutes, mothers should drink very hot drinks to help the production of more milk.