Everything You Need to Know About Breast Milk Color
- kale or spinach, and green food dyes in the breastfeeding parent's diet.
What Causes Breast Milk to Be Pink, Red, or Orange?
There are a few reasons why you may be producing pink, red, or orange milk. Demi Lucas, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and patient care coordinator with The Lactation Network, says pink milk—often referred to as strawberry milk—occurs when blood is present. This is usually the result of cracks in and/or around the nipple, as well as damage within the ducts. "Bright neon pink breast milk can be a sign of a bacterial infection," Lucas adds. "Red milk can be from food dyes, or can be blood from damage to the breast from breastfeeding or pumping.
Rusty Pipe Syndrome, which is harmless, is also a condition that can cause red-tinted breast milk."4 This condition occurs when old blood—left inside of the milk ducts from vascular breast engorgement—is released. But keep in mind, this is a rare occurrence; studies suggest that it affects 0.1% of breastfeeding people.5
When to Call a Health Care Provider
While it can be alarming to see your breast milk change color, most of the aforementioned changes are not cause for concern, and many color variations are benign. However, if your breast milk remains blood-tinged for a few days or more, you should probably contact a health care provider, as pink or red breast milk can be indicative of other issues. Similarly, always be sure to reach out to a health care provider anytime you have questions or challenges surrounding breastfeeding.
You should also contact your healthcare provider if your breast milk is black. Black and/or brownish breast milk is usually caused by herbs or medications and it's important you make sure said medications are safe to take while breastfeeding.
