Finding blood in your breast milk can be terrifying. You look down at your pump bottle and see pink liquid, or perhaps your baby spits up reddish milk. It is a heart-dropping moment for any parent.
Take a deep breath. While it looks alarming, blood in breast milk is surprisingly common and rarely indicates a serious medical emergency. Most of the time, it is safe to continue feeding your baby.
Here is everything you need to know about why this happens, how to treat it, and when you should call your doctor.
Key Takeaways
- Common Causes: Bloody milk usually stems from cracked nipples, Rusty Pipe Syndrome, mastitis, or broken capillaries.
- Safety First: It is almost always safe to continue breastfeeding or pumping, even if the milk looks pink or strawberry-colored.
- Taste Changes: Blood can make milk taste metallic or salty; some babies may refuse it, but it is not harmful.
- When to Call a Doctor: Seek medical advice if bleeding persists for more than a few days, or if you feel a lump or have a fever.
Signs of Blood in Breast Milk
You usually discover this issue visually. You might notice a change of color in your pumped milk, ranging from light pink and orange to brown or bright red.
Sometimes, the milk looks normal, but you see specks of blood in your baby’s stool or dark, tarry poop.
Before you panic, do a quick diet check. Certain foods and dyes transfer color to breast milk and urine. Have you eaten beets, red berries, or consumed drinks with red food dye recently? If so, the color should pass within 24 hours.
If you haven’t eaten red foods, the color is likely due to blood. While unsettling, it is often a temporary issue that resolves on its own.
Causes of Blood in Breast Milk
While “bloody milk” sounds scary, the causes are usually benign and treatable. Here are the primary reasons you might see red while pumping or breastfeeding.
1. Cracked or Damaged Nipples
This is the most common culprit. If you have cracked or blistering nipples, that blood can mix with your milk during let-down.
This damage often stems from a shallow latch, a tongue tie, or incorrect flange size on your breast pump. Dry skin and eczema can also cause the delicate skin to split (1).
Once the skin heals, the bleeding stops. This video offers great tips for treating sore nipples.
2. Rusty Pipe Syndrome
This condition typically affects first-time moms during the first week postpartum. It causes colostrum or early milk to look brown, orange, or rusty, hence the name.
It occurs due to vascular engorgement. As your body prepares for lactation, blood flow to the breasts increases rapidly, and the milk ducts expand. Sometimes, these blood vessels leak into the ducts. It is painless, harmless to the baby, and usually clears up within a few days.
3. Broken Capillaries (Intraductal Trauma)
Your breasts are full of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. These are fragile and can break easily if treated roughly.
Trauma from a direct bump to the breast or incorrect use of a breast pump (like using suction that is too high) can rupture these vessels. The blood then leaks into the milk supply (2).
4. Mastitis
Mastitis is a painful inflammation of the breast tissue, often involving an infection. It typically happens when milk becomes trapped in the breast (clogged duct) or from missed feedings.
Along with fever and red streaks on the skin, mastitis can cause blood to appear in your milk. You should continue to breastfeed or pump frequently to keep the milk moving, which aids healing (3).
5. Benign Intraductal Papilloma
An intraductal papilloma is a small, non-cancerous wart-like growth inside a milk duct. It is a common cause of bloody nipple discharge in women who are not breastfeeding, but it can happen during lactation too.
If you have spontaneous bleeding from one nipple without any pain or cracks, this could be the cause (4). A doctor can diagnose this with an ultrasound.
6. Breast Cancer
It is natural to fear the worst, but keep this in perspective: breast cancer is a rare cause of bloody discharge during lactation.
However, a form of breast cancer called Paget’s disease or intraductal carcinoma can present with bloody discharge (5). If the bleeding does not stop after a week, or if you feel a hard lump, consult your healthcare provider immediately.
FAQs
It is hard not to worry when bodily fluids look wrong. Here are answers to the most specific questions moms have about blood in breast milk.
Is It Safe to Breastfeed with Blood in Breast Milk?
Yes, it is safe. You can continue breastfeeding if your nipples are bleeding or if the milk is pink. The blood itself will not harm your baby.
However, if you have Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, or HIV, the rules change because these viruses transmit through blood.
Does Blood in Breast Milk Affect My Baby?
Generally, no. A little blood is nutritionally harmless. However, you might notice a few side effects:
- Taste Rejection: Blood is salty and metallic. If there is a large amount, your baby might dislike the taste and refuse the breast or bottle.
- Spit-up: Blood can be irritating to the stomach, potentially causing your baby to spit up more than usual.
- Dark Stool: Your baby’s poop may turn black or show red streaks. This is normal if you know you have bloody milk. Note: If you see blood in the diaper but your milk is clear and nipples are intact, call your pediatrician immediately.
What Can I Do About Blood in My Breast Milk?
If the bleeding is caused by damaged nipples, you need to heal the skin.
- Check the Latch: Ensure your baby has a deep latch. Consult a lactation consultant if breastfeeding hurts.
- Lubricate: Use a high-quality nipple cream or your own breast milk to soothe cracks.
- Rest: If nursing is excruciating, pump on a low setting for 24 hours to give your nipples a break while maintaining milk supply.
- Cool Compresses: If the cause is engorgement (Rusty Pipe Syndrome), use cold packs to reduce swelling (8).
Can I Store Bloody Breast Milk?
Yes, you can store it. However, the iron in the blood may cause the milk to taste stronger or more metallic the longer it sits.
Try to feed bloody milk to your baby as fresh as possible (refrigerated rather than frozen) to minimize taste changes. If your baby refuses it, don’t force it.
What Does Strawberry Breast Milk Mean?
“Strawberry milk” is simply a nickname for breast milk that has turned pink due to blood mixing with it. It often looks like strawberry nesquik.
While startling, it is usually caused by Rusty Pipe Syndrome or broken capillaries and is safe for consumption.
Is it Normal For Your Breast to Bleed While Breastfeeding?
While common, bleeding is not “normal” in the sense that breastfeeding should be pain-free. Bleeding usually signals tissue damage.
In the first few days, minor abrasion is common as nipples toughen up. However, persistent bleeding indicates a latch issue or pump fitting issue that needs correction.
How Do You Know If You Have Breast Tissue Damage From Pumping?
If your pump is causing damage, you will feel specific symptoms. Look for bruising on the areola (the dark skin around the nipple), a “bullseye” pattern of redness, or pain that persists after you finish pumping.
Check your flange size; if your nipple rubs against the tunnel or if too much areola is pulled in, you need a different size.
How Do You Treat Bleeding Nipples From Breastfeeding?
Treatment involves a mix of moisture and protection.
- Salt Water Soak: Dip nipples in a warm saline solution for a minute to clean them gently.
- Moist Healing: Apply lanolin or safe nipple butter.
- Hydrogel Pads: These cooling pads provide instant relief and prevent bras from sticking to the wound.
- Air Dry: Let your nipples air dry after feeds to prevent moisture buildup which breeds bacteria.
