Premature baby Thalia is fed Colostrum, retrieved from her mother. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit, Hamilton, New Jersey. Colostrum is the first milk a mother produces in the early days of breastfeeding. This special milk is low in fat, high in carbohydrates and protein, and antibodies help keep the baby healthy. It is extremely easy to digest. It is low in volume but high in concentrated nutrition for the newborn. Colostrum has a laxative effect on the baby, helping him pass his early stools, which aids in the excretion of excess bilirubin and helps prevent jaundice.