Why is Colostrum Referred to as Liquid Gold?

I am sure you have heard it before, “don’t lose a drop of that liquid gold!” Breastmilk in general is referred to as liquid gold, because it is merely priceless and so imperative to the development of you and your infant. However, is colostrum, the milk provided before mature milk, more gold-like than regular breastmilk? Let me start off by saying yes, but further prove why!

Well, let’s get the obvious out of the way. Not all women (me included) have gold-like colostrum, but the majority of women’s colostrum truly has a gold-like appearance. It quite literally looks more like gold, than the white in color mature milk most people are accustomed to. But okay, that does not prove a whole lot…so let’s dive a little further.

This is never to suggest that breastmilk is not perfectly made, but colostrum is perfectly designed for baby’s growth at that moment in time. Colostrum is usually present the first 2-3 days of life, when our infant’s stomachs are so small and their GI system is very immature. Because of this, colostrum contains about ~2% less fat and lactose than mature milk (1). This is because these contents can cause irritations to the infant’s stomach. Now, colostrum may have reduced fat and lactose, colostrum has increased amounts of chloride, protein, fat-soluble vitamins, and minerals than mature milk (1). Again, think of this as your babies first multi-vitamin giving him/her this great first boost of immunity.

With that said, many consider colostrum an infant’s first immunization. Colostrum contains about 60% more leukocytes than mature milk, which are white blood cells digested to defend the infant’s body from diseases (1). Because of the colostrum’s thick makeup, it assists in rapidly closing the infant’s gut and then assists in developing and establishing the optimal gut-health for your baby (1). Your mature milk has all of these characteristics too, however, colostrum has the ability to help your baby defend himself/herself from the outside world at much greater concentrations than your mature milk.

This is why many women find themselves preparing for their baby’s arrival through harvesting colostrum. Our colostrum is so beautifully made and a naturally occurring medicine. Many women want to ensure their baby can get as much colostrum as necessary in the early days, but some even collect colostrum so that they can have it for when their infant becomes ill has he/she grows.

I hope after reading this you too can agree that colostrum is more gold-like than one’s mature milk. Again, never discrediting how wonderful all of our milk is, but colostrum is even a little bit better. If you want to learn more about colostrum harvesting, colostrum in general, and/or preparing for lactation before delivery, please reach out to me! I would love to setup a consultation or point you to an appropriate training.

With love,

Antoinette C., CLC.
Owner, Breastfeeding Reborn

(1) Lauwers, J., & Swisher, A. (n.d.). Counseling the Nursing Mother: A Lactation Consultant’s Guide. Jones & Bartlett Learning.