If you were asked to take a picture of your breastmilk, what would it be? A bottle of white or yellowish liquid? Milky white goodness spilling out the corner of your baby’s mouth? Shooting white liquid flying across the room as your baby abruptly detached just as it let down? My guess it probably all of it. But in any case, breastmilk color can sometimes take us by surprise as what we’ve eaten or the pathogens that we are exposed to changes it. And it’s important to know what each color means.
Yellow
This is the first literal depiction of liquid gold. The milk that you produce toward the end of pregnancy and in the first few days of birth that is full of colostrum. Showing the color of yellow or goldish for it‘s richness in vitamins, protein and immune abilities.
Outside if this time, milk can still present as yellow in different cases. Such as what you have eaten - often changing in response to carrots and sweet potatoes. Or in frozen milk as the colostrum separates and floats to the top during the process. Or even while your baby is sick, it’s saliva sending a signal to your breast to produce colostrum to ward off the illness.
Watery/Blue
This usually comes in the foremilk- the milk that comes out when first beginning a feeding. It is often thinner, more watered down, and even sometimes a little bluish in color. Which may occur until your hindmilk comes in - the milk that trails in the Feeding process that slowly turns thicker, whiter, and a little more golden. Which is all totally normal.
Green
I know what youre thinking, green milk? and the answer is yes, although some women do not ever experience it, it is perfectly normal. Even though we usually associate green with infection or sign of spoiling. But more often than not it is caused by something that you ate such as green veggies, seaweed, or herbs.
Pink/Red
This is the one that scared me the most when I saw it in my baby’s bottles. But again, it is usually normal coming from food or blood. Foods with pink dye, soda, gelatin, and fruits can cause some pinkish color. Another thing that can turn it pink/red is blood. Which can come from a bleeding nipple, mastitis, or the milk ducts being stretched and growing during the whole feeding process.
When to Seek Professional Help
Generally, milk color doesn’t actually dictate anything further to be examined, and most often than not is even undetected unless we pump - which some moms don’t at all. And it’s usually perfectly safe for your baby to drink depending on their taste buds. However there is a point where it could cause an amount of concern.
This takes form when the bacterium serratia marsescens is presented. That also causes the milk to turn pink/redish in color. Which also mostly harmless unless presented in large amounts. So if you see that color in your milk and do not see any obvious causes such as a bleeding nipple, you may want to take a visit to the doctor for testing of this bacterium In order to rid it properly with antibiotics and a little bit of pumping and dumping.