Colostrum in Combat: Barricade against disease

Why Breastfeeding 3 Days is Better than Nothing

Who wants to start something they can’t finish? I have heard many reasons for moms to not start breastfeeding:

“I have to find a job ASAP.”
“I don’t want to start something I can’t continue.”
“I have to go back to school in a few weeks.”
“I have 3 kids at home, and I am too busy.”

There are many pressures on a woman’s life. I don’t think these women fully understand the vulnerability of a newborn to disease, and the importance of breastfeeding, even for a few days. When a delicate newborn enters the world, innumerable threats await him! Babies are born with 3 main weaknesses that make them susceptible to disease. Colostrum “makes war” against disease by addressing these 3 weaknesses with different strategies. For the next 3 days I will describe the way a newborn is vulnerable and how colostrum boosts a baby’s ability to battle with illness. Breastfeeding even for 3 days is worth it for the health of a baby.

Strategy #1 Great Wall of China
Weakness: Babies are born with a leaky lining in their guts
Goal: Plug the hole

Why don’t babies get cake on their First True Birthday? When a baby is born, his digestive system is not fully mature. There are tiny gaps in the lining of his belly that leaves him exposed to whichever microorganism gets there first. Imagine having a house with all the windows and doors broken down, wide open for “first-come-first-serve!” A newborn is a sitting duck for whatever germ comes around.

The sticky, golden milk called colostrum first available for baby has hormones and proteins that seal the gaps. Virtually, colostrum creates a wall of protection against bacteria and viruses making the lining impermeable to unwanted substances. The defensive strategy employed is to build a stone wall against the enemy, like the Great Wall of China.  This Wall keeps the unwanted attacker out.

Most women are in the hospital 2 nights after delivery. Breastfeeding while a women is in the hospital will help her baby seal the holes in their digestive system. Without receiving colostrum, a baby is unguarded, a sitting duck for infection. Colostrum is perfectly designed by an Ingenious Creator to protect the vulnerable newborn.

What reasons have you heard that moms decide to not start breastfeeding?

For more on Colostrum see this post, here and this one, here.

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