colostrum
colostrum — noun
1. the thick yellow fluid that a mother's breasts release for roughly two to four d
the thick yellow fluid that a mother's breasts release for roughly two to four days right after giving birth, before her regular milk comes in; it is packed with protein and natural substances that help shield a newborn baby from illness.
The midwife told Ayesha that colostrum would protect her newborn from infection.
typical context: midwife or nurse explaining benefits to a new mother
Dairy farmers near the Tunde family's village save colostrum to feed sick calves.
domain extension: colostrum used in animal husbandry as well as human nursing
Hospital staff encouraged Élise to nurse within an hour so the baby would get colostrum.
Colostrum looks thicker and more yellow than the milk that arrives a few days later.
Researchers at the clinic where Jiwoo works study how colostrum strengthens a baby's immune system.
- first milk
everyday equivalent; less technical, often used by parents and midwives
- beestings
informal British / dialect term, mainly for cow colostrum used on farms
- foremilk
loosely related but not the same; foremilk refers to the thinner milk at the start of any feed, not the fluid before mature milk
用法筆記
Uncountable; rarely pluralised. Often paired with verbs of consumption or delivery (produce, receive, feed, give) rather than countable measure phrases.