Liquid Gold

Breast milk is often referred to as liquid gold because it has long been considered the “gold standard” for infant nutrition.  Being considered the “gold standard” of anything simply means it is the best. 

One thing that makes human milk so great it that it is constantly changing to meet your baby’s needs. Your milk changes throughout a feeding and the type of milk you make changes as your baby grows.  So, the milk your body makes for your newborn is different from the milk you make when your baby is older because his needs are changing as he is growing. 

Human milk goes through 3 stages: colostrum, transitional milk, and mature milk.

Colostrum (first few days)

 This is the first milk that is produced.  It is thick, high in protein, and has a yellowish tint because of the high levels of Vitamin A.  This milk also carries an abundance of antibodies to boost your baby’s immune system early. You may notice that you don’t make very much of this milk in the beginning which is okay because your baby’s belly is only about the size of a marble at birth and grows to about ping pong ball size in the first few days.  Your body knows to make enough to keep up with your baby.

Transitional Milk (the next milk)

You will often hear about women waiting for their milk to “come in”.  Transitional milk is what your body makes during that time. It is thinner and lighter in color.  Transitional milk has more fat to keep your baby satisfied as she grows.

Mature Milk

Mature milk provides everything your baby needs.  It is rich in vitamins and nutrients and provides plenty of water.  The carbohydrate, fat, and protein content of this milk continues to change over time.  This milk also continues to provide antibodies and white blood cells that protect against infection.

It's the gold standard for many reasons, and these were just a few!

-Valerie Marcellus, Nutritionist