I saw blood in my pump

There are MANY components that make up breastmilk including; proteins, fats, vitamins, carbohydrates, living cells, enzymes and hormones. It is a constantly changing combination that is tailor-made for your baby(s). Since it is ever-changing, it’s color can be too. In the beginning we may see yellow, creamy white or even clear colostrum. During our breastfeeding journey we may even see colors including pink, brown or red/rust colored milk.

How do you think our breastmilk receives the fats, proteins, and other great components? It’s fueled from our bloodstream!

Most of the time, despite the alarming change in color, our milk is still totally okay and able to be offered to our infant without issue. We can see blood in our pumped milk because of; nipple trauma, mastitis or even severe engorgement. If these are the causes, they will subside with proper nipple treatments, antibiotics and/or engorgement management. If we see bloody discharge from our nipples with our without pumping, and lumps or hard spots in conjunction to bleeding, you’ll want to call your primary care or OB physician.

Now we know WHAT breastmilk is and WHY we may see blood, but what do we DO about it?

Keep breastfeeding and/or pumping as normal. Although the color change in our milk can be scary and alarming, most of the time this is short term and will subside on it’s own. There is no need to discontinue pumping or breastfeeding due to the color change. If you fell uncomfortable about using the milk you can always dump it ( yes I said it! ), combine it with “normal” milk, or use it for non-oral consumption i.e on cuts and abrasions, milk baths or diaper rash.

So in conclusion, is seeing blood in your milk normal? Yes. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t alarming. And it doesn’t mean that it’s always a benign issue. If you are concerned, reach out to an LC! Part of being a Mom is trusting your intuition or as I call it your “Mama gut". If it feels off, it probably is. I am happy to discuss this further with you! This can be a good reason to utilize our 24 hour text support. This would allow us to monitor your milk over a 24 hour period hopefully seeing it subside. Keep up the good work Mama!

| Photo Credit | https://exclusivepumping.com/breastmilk-colors/?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bm