What color pops into your mind when you think of breast milk🍼? For me, it’s pure white! So I was very surprised when I found out the color of breast milk can change color with different hues😮!
What breast milk color is normal?
The color of breast milk varies for every woman👩. Typical breast milk is white with a yellowish tint, but the color changes depending on the breastfeeding period and the mom’s condition. Colostrum, which comes in right after a baby's birth, tends to be yellowish-white. Then the transitional milk, which comes in between colostrum and mature milk🍼, tends to have an orange tint. Mature milk tends to be white like skimmed milk, but again, every woman's milk is different, so there are individual differences.
Why does my breast milk change its color?
Breast milk can change color depending on what food or medication a mom takes. The color usually changes from yellow to orange-ish colors, but it can also turn into completely different tints of colors, such as black or green😮! Green breast milk happens when mom eats a lot of green foods or supplements like chlorella. Some medications like minocycline can turn breast milk into black. Even though your milk color changes, it is completely normal as long as your doctor has cleared that your medications are safe👌.
When to call the doctor
If you see blood in your breast milk, you must observe👀! It often happens when there’s bleeding on the nipples, or when blood flow to the breasts increases. Both cases are normal in the early days, so you don’t need to worry about it as well😌. But in rare cases, the blood could be a sign of breast cancer, mastitis, or papillomas. So if you notice blood you don’t know where it’s coming from, there is no reason to hesitate to call the doctor and discuss it.