Colostrum Under the Microscope: The First Milk, The First Miracle

Before breast milk flows in abundance, before letdown, before the steady rhythm of feeding finds its way - there is colostrum.

Thick. Golden. Viscous as honey.

Your body makes it in teaspoons, not cups and yet it holds multitudes.

This isn’t just a “pre-milk” or a placeholder. This is your baby’s first immunisation. It’s concentrated, purposeful, and biologically brilliant.

Under the microscope, colostrum glows with activity. It is alive - teeming with white blood cells, antibodies, and growth factors that serve one singular purpose: to protect and prepare your baby for life outside the womb.

What’s in Colostrum?

Colostrum contains:

• High levels of Immunoglobulin A (IgA): Forms a protective lining in your baby’s nose, throat, and digestive tract - the first barrier of defence against viruses and bacteria.

  
  

• Leukocytes: White blood cells that actively fight infection, passed from you directly to your baby.

  
  

• Lactoferrin: Binds to iron, making it unavailable to harmful bacteria, and supports iron absorption for baby.

  
  

• Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF): Stimulates cell growth and helps mature your baby’s intestines.

  
  

• Prebiotics & Oligosaccharides: Nourish good bacteria in the gut and crowd out pathogens.

  
  

• Vitamin A: Vital for vision, skin, and immune development — it gives colostrum its golden hue.

  
  

• Proteins & Enzymes: Designed for easy digestion and high absorption.

It’s lower in fat and sugar than mature milk but higher in everything protective. Think of it as a super-concentrated serum — like a few drops of the most potent elixir your body could ever produce.

And your body makes it perfectly and precisely in the days before and after birth.

Why Is Colostrum So Important?

In the womb, your baby’s gut is permeable - open to the world. Colostrum comes in to seal it, coating the lining of the intestines to prevent large proteins and pathogens from passing through. This sealing action helps prevent allergies, leaky gut and autoimmune responses down the line.

It also introduces your baby to your maternal microbiome, offering personalised immunity based on the pathogens you’ve encountered in your lifetime.

This is epigenetics in action. This is ancestral intelligence, passed on through milk.

How Much Is “Enough”?

Many mothers worry: “Am I making enough?”

But nature is elegant. Your baby’s stomach on Day 1 is the size of a marble a around 5–7ml. That’s a teaspoon.

And what you make is exactly that. Small. Precious. Just right.

You don’t need to top up with formula “until your milk comes in.”

Colostrum is milk. It’s just the first phase - transitional and rich beyond measure.

Even if your baby only latches briefly, even if you’re hand-expressing into a syringe - every drop counts. Every drop works. Every drop protects.

You Are the Medicine

Colostrum isn’t manufactured. It can’t be bottled or recreated in a lab with the same bioactivity. It is something only your body can make - tailored specifically for your child, at that exact moment in time.

You’re not “just breastfeeding.” You are:

• Laying the foundation for your baby’s immune system

• Teaching your baby’s body what to fight and what to welcome

• Nurturing gut flora, sealing the gut wall, and preventing disease

• Passing on a legacy of protection and connection

Your body knew what to do before you even gave birth.

It’s not weak. It’s not small.

It is colostrum.

It is everything.

So if you’ve ever doubted your body…

If you’ve ever been told you weren’t “making enough” -

If you’ve been urged to supplement, just in case -

If you’ve ever felt like those early feeds weren’t important - know this:

You were making the most potent, powerful milk your baby could possibly receive.

You were already enough.

Let’s stop calling colostrum “just a little bit.”

It’s the very beginning of the story - and it’s sacred.

This post was adapted from 'The Breastfeeding Survival Guide,' which is available to order here.

With love,

Danielle

❤️