There actually is a perfect amount of the absolute perfect food for a newborn baby! This special milk has been sitting in your breasts since approximately the 16th week of pregnancy. Colostrum is simply amazing for a number of reasons- it’s available in the perfect amount (a newborns stomach is not large and isn’t quite ready for larger volumes right away), it coats the newborns open gut junctions and is far easier to digest than any other food, it has immunoglobulins and is like a natural immunization, it’s high in beta-carotene giving it that warm golden colour and it’s a laxative to help clear out all of that sticky meconium!

Also, because there are smaller amounts of it this actually stimulates a baby to wake and want to nurse frequently (we’re talking about 10-12x/day at first)….this again is NO mistake! Frequent breast stimulation in the early days and weeks helps to encourage proliferation of prolactin receptor sites in the breast that can help us make a great supply of milk long-term.

Tip: Plan to limit visitors especially in the first couple of weeks. Moms need this time to recover and breastfeed on demand.

New to breastfeeding? Read our breastfeeding tips article to set you up for success for a successful breastfeeding experience.