cultures where they don't feed colostrum

[vermilion]

I read about some cultures not feeding a newborn colostrum as it's 'dirty', so they wait for the milk to come in.

What do they do with the colostrum? Is it all reabsorbed? When does breastfeeding begin? Does it matter that the supply hasn't been got going from the very beginning?

hmm, I suspected something like that, but never discussed it. I was staying with my pakistani sil when she brought her baby home from hospital, the baby screamed all night, no one got any sleep and she said that there was nothing she could do -her milk wasn't in yet. I didn't quite understand why she wasn't just feeding her baby.

My Pakistani mil told me to give my baby honey as soon as it was born (I didn't) but she also told me off later because I wasn't still bfeeding my 1 year old. And my sil has been a dedicated and extended breastfeeder of her children.

I'm in NI where people are squeamish and prudish about breastfeeding especially after 6 months. And I have always felt self conscious about bfeeding in public in case anyone notices

But when I go to Pakistan I feel comfortable breastfeeding because no one bats an eye, it is totally normal. It is done discreetly and 'modestly' of course. By wearing a light shawl that the baby goes under.

My baby took to lifting my shawl and trying to climb in underneath it when he was hungry