Colostrum ingested during the first day of life by exclusively breastfed healthy newborn infants.

OBJECTIVE To determine the mass of colostrum ingested by exclusively breastfed newborn infants during the first 24 hours of extrauterine life. STUDY DESIGN Milk ingested during the first 24 hours of life by 90 healthy newborn infants was evaluated by use of a scale with high sensitivity. The masses were measured during 8-hour periods. Associations of the mass measured with prenatal and postnatal variables were tested. RESULTS The mass of colostrum ingested was evaluated in 307 feedings, with 3.4+/-1 feedings recorded per 8-hour period of observation. Mean gain per feeding was 1.5+/-1.1 g. The daily mass of milk ingested by newborn infants was estimated at 15+/-11 g. This volume did not show a tendency to increase during the first 24 postnatal hours, nor was it related to perinatal or postnatal factors or to breastfeeding time. CONCLUSIONS During the first 24 hours of life newborns ingested 15+/-11 g of milk.