Maternity Nursing: Postpartum Q 27
What type of milk is present in the breasts 7 to 10 days PP?
A. Colostrum
B. Transitional milk
C. Mature milk
D. Hind milk
Correct Answer: B. Transitional milk
Transitional milk comes after colostrum and usually lasts until 2 weeks PP. When breastfeeding mothers talk about their milk coming in, they are referring to the onset of production of transitional milk, the creamy milk that immediately follows colostrum. Transitional milk is produced anywhere from about two to five days after birth until ten to fourteen days after birth.
Option A: Alveolar cells of the breast begin to secrete colostrum in the twelfth to sixteenth week of pregnancy. This is called lactogenesis I. Colostrum is a thick, yellowish-white fluid which can be expressed from the breast by the third trimester. Milk secretion is suppressed during pregnancy by estrogen and progesterone. Colostrum has more protein and fewer carbohydrates and fat than mature breast milk. Colostrum is rich in secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA), which helps to protect the infant from infection. Colostrum also helps to establish a normal gut microbiome in the infant. The bowel is considered sterile at birth.
Option C: The breast milk starts becoming mature after around two weeks, but it won’t be fully mature milk until the baby’s about four weeks old. From now on its composition will be broadly stable – it certainly won’t go through dramatic changes like in the first month. Soon after it reaches maturity, the milk starts to contain higher quantities of some components that protect the baby against bacterial and viral infections. It’s probably no coincidence that this stage of breast milk production coincides with the time she starts grabbing objects and putting them in her mouth.
Option D: Hindmilk is the high-fat, high-calorie breast milk that the baby gets toward the end of a feeding. It’s richer, thicker, and creamier than foremilk, the breast milk that the baby gets when they first start to breastfeed. The color of hindmilk is creamy white. Hindmilk satisfies the baby’s hunger and makes the baby feel full and sleepy. It also helps the baby feel fuller longer.