Breastmilk color: What’s normal, what’s not and how an Indiana mom made strawberry milk
It was just shy of 2 a.m. on a Tuesday… I was half asleep applying my makeup for Daybreak, which is WISH-TV’s morning show in Indianapolis that starts at 4 a.m… Yes, 4 a.m.
Like most mothers, I am a multi-tasker, so in order to get my first pump of the day in at home and make it worth while, I would apply my TV makeup at the same time with a hands-free bra holding my pump onto my chest. (***Quick note, if you do not have a hands-free pump and you haven’t bought a bra to hold it on… you must do so immediately. Being able to eat, play on your phone, do your makeup while pumping is a game changer. Here’s the one I used <— click the link.)
Anyway… every once an a while my supply would require what I call a ‘tire change’ during my morning pump. A quick swap of the bottle to a new one before it overflows. I glanced down at the bottles hanging off my tired boobs to see this…
Pink breastmilk pumped on October 30, 2018.
If your jaw just dropped… yeah, so did mine. I freaked out to be honest. This isn’t a slightly tinged batch of breastmilk or the typical blueish, greenish, orangish, variety many pumping mothers probably notice from time to time. It’s PINK.
It’s not uncommon to have a small wound on your nipple during a breastfeeding journey. Honestly, I don’t even remember this one hurting. However, that morning pump with the machine probably pulling out the milk on a slightly too-high setting… pulled just enough blood from my boob owie to create this. And perhaps more shocking that the color, is the fact that this milk was perfectly safe for my son to drink.
Today.com recently featured my strawberry milk in an article about color variety in breastmilk.
“Seeing changes in breast milk color is completely normal, Rachel Leibson, nurse coordinator for Lactation Services at NYU Langone Health, told TODAY Parents. She’s seen shades of pink, red, brown, green and blue. The latter two hues are almost always caused by the mother’s diet. You might also see a tinge of orange if you’re eating a diet rich in beta-carotene.
“Pink or light red milk is safe to feed your baby. Bright red milk caused by an active bleed is also safe, but it’s difficult to digest and might cause your baby to throw up,” Leibson explained.”
