What Color is Breast Milk and What it Means

Many parents agree that breast milk is safe and healthy for their children. But how many curious moms and dads ever considered how breast milk looks and feel?

 

Breast milk looks distinctively different from baby formula and cow’s milk. Many factors affect the appearance of human milk, from age to medication. But is there such a thing as a “normal” breast milk color? 

 

What Color is Breast Milk?

Breast milk contains nutrients vital for a baby’s growth, including protein, fat, and carbohydrates. The makeup of breast milk varies from mother to mother. And just like milk content, breast milk can have different colors.

 

You would not get too far when comparing your breast milk with other moms. But on average, you can expect breast milk to be an off-white color with a bit of yellow and bluish hue. But what are the factors behind breast milk’s changing color?

 

What Causes Breast Milk to Change Color?

Your breast milk’s color can change due to many factors. Your diet, medication, and breast milk stages can determine how your milk will look and feel.

 

Let’s first start with the stages of breast milk. Colostrum is the first milk mothers will produce after giving birth. This nutritious and antibody-rich drink will last almost a week postpartum and has a yellowish color. No wonder it is often dubbed “liquid gold.”

 

At 5 to 14 days postpartum, your colostrum will turn into transitional breast milk. Your milk will appear creamier and come in a yellowish or orange hue.

 

At 2 weeks postpartum, you can say goodbye to transitional breast milk and hello to mature milk. This is when you start lactating foremilk and hindmilk. Hindmilk is richer in fat and looks creamier, thicker, and more saturated. It will have a more yellowish color than foremilk. Whereas foremilk is similar to store-bought skim milk, which is more bluish to clear.

 

Besides the different stages of breast milk, the food and drinks you consume can also change the color of breast milk. Vegetables (such as carrots, squash, and leafy vegetables) and products with food coloring (such as sodas) can change the hue of your milk. Certain medications and vitamins can also have dye that can seep into your breast milk.

 

Blood can also find its way into your breast milk. An injury, infection, or breast cancer can cause blood to mix in with your milk supply.

 

Keep in mind that colored breast milk can also cause changes in your baby’s stool. So there is no need to panic if your baby is pooping red. (It might just be from the beets you ate last night.)

 

Breast Milk Color and What They Mean:

We established that breast milk is usually yellowish or orange in color. It can sometimes be clear or bluish, especially if it is more watery. But what do other colors mean?

 

Here are some possible colors and what they can mean:

 

White

Although breast milk is commonly more yellow, it can also look as white as cow’s milk. White milk can come a few days after postpartum, usually when your milk supply has transitioned from colostrum to mature milk. But while some moms have completely white breast milk, others can have different shades of yellow.

 

Yellow or Orange

Breast milk is usually off-white to yellowish in color. But in some cases, breast milk might appear more saturated because of beta-carotene, which is found in carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes. Freezing your breast milk can also alter its color and turn it yellow.

 

Pink or Reddish

Pinkish or reddish breast milk can have many causes. Some of the more harmless reasons can come from the food you eat. Some food with natural or artificial dye, such as orange juice, beets, and red Jell-O.

 

However, pinkish breast milk can also mean blood in your breast milk. Blood can come from a ruptured blood capillary or cracked nipple. This is nothing to be alarmed about, and a small drop of blood should not affect your baby.

 

However, rust-colored milk that does not go away in a few days can also mean an infection or breast cancer. Seek help from your health provider if the bleeding does not stop.

 

Green

Green breast milk can look odd, but it is nothing to be alarmed about, especially if you have consumed a lot of leafy green vegetables. Vegetables like spinach, seaweed, and kale can cause a greenish discoloration on your breast. And not to mention: artificial food dye can also be blamed.

 

Black

Black or chocolate-brown breast milk looks very concerning. But this darkish hue can come from certain medications or vitamins (such as the antibiotic minocycline (Minocin). Blackish breast milk can also come from residual blood left in your supply.

 

When Do I Need To See a Doctor?

Discoloration of breast milk is nothing to immediately fret about. It is usually caused by something you have eaten before breastfeeding.

 

However, there are cases where it is best to call your health provider if discoloration has not gone away. Mothers who experience pinkish or reddish breast milk should contact their doctors if the color does not change to something more yellow or off-white. As mentioned above, this can be a sign of an infection or cancer.

 

Mothers should also first consult their doctors before starting antibiotics or other medication. Ask your doctor if your medicine or supplements is safe to consume while nursing.

 

FAQ:

Does breast milk changes in color when I freeze it?

Freezing your breast milk can cause it to change from white to yellow. This is nothing to be alarmed about, and you can still safely thaw and feed this milk to your baby.

 

My breast milk is dark in color because of my medicines. Will it change color if I stop taking them?

Your breast milk can change to a different color if you stop taking certain medicines with color-changing side effects. However, always consult your doctor first before stopping any medications.

 

What is the difference between foremilk and hindmilk when it comes to color?

Foremilk has a more watery texture and can appear clear or blueish. Whereas hindmilk is thicker, creamier, and more yellowish in color.