Breast Milk is Pink from one side and creamy from the other

I have been pumping since I gave birth one week ago and am getting about 1-2 oz. each time from each side. Last night we noticed for the first time my daughter was throwing up everything I pumped for her. I always give her the milk from my right side as she is smaller and it seems to produce a little less. This morning I gave him right side milk and he was a little spitty as well.

Just now I pumped in the daylight and I noticed the milk from my right breast is VERY pink.

What is woring? Am I somehow bleeding into my breast milk? Is this what is making her throw up? Both babies seem to be lactose intolerant but I have not had any lactose since I came home Saturday morning and when I was in the hospital pumping for them I was drinking whole milk and they had no issues.

The Pediatrician said that some babies are ok with lactose in the breast milk and some are not. This should not be an issue though as I have cut it out just in case.


I really want my babies to have breast milk and not just formula but not if it is going to make them sick. I almost want to cry. Pumping is very time consuming and it seems my milk is not good for them. :-(

 

I have heard of bleeding into the milk from your breast. Could it be blood? Not to scare you because I really dont know. I would call the pedi to make sure. Good luck... I think most things can be fixed so you can keep giving those babies good ole breast milk!! Dont panic yet!

 

If you let the pink milk sit in the refrigerator for a while does a little layer of red settle out at the bottom? I had a blister on my nipple and it would sometimes bleed a little when I pumped. Usually I could tell but one night I was too tired and just put the milk in the fridge. The next morning the blood had clearly separted out and was at the bottom of the container (sorry if that is kind of gross).

I'm sorry you are having trouble. I'm not familiar with the lactose intolerance thing so can't help you there. But trust me it is so hard at the beginning but gets so much easier and is so worthwhile to breastfeed. Good luck.

 

Pink means there is a trace of blood. I had pink after a milk blister broke and I was pumping the backed up milk out. It can also be from minor nipple injuries. There is no reason to not feed them the milk, though. Babies who take their milk straight from the breast ingest some blood when the mother has tiny cracks in her nipples that are common during the early days of nursing. It doesn't hurt them in the least. It certainly doesn't cause vomiting.

So, was the baby actually vomiting or was the baby spitting up? Reflux is very common in young infants and can cause spitting up that might look like they've lost their entire meal but really it isn't as much as it seems because it's mixed with saliva. The first thing I'd try for spitting up is burping and then keeping them semi-upright for 30 minutes after feeds.

Also, when you stop your intake of dairy, it takes some time for it to be completely out of your system.

HTH!

 

I had this problem with my first child. The doctor said not to worry at all!

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Joanna Georgie
LASIK Surgery Information

 

I have had cracks every so often that bleed when I pump. The pumping seems to aggravate it. Keep your nipples well moisturized with lanolin. If its really bad or really bothering you, you can try hand expressing. This will make you more comfortable (reduce fullness) and ensure your supply is not disturbed while allowing you to get out milk without blood in it. It is time consuming and you might not be able to get out as much as usual, so you may want to just skip one pump session and hand express instead and then try pumping again at the next session - usually you can heal pretty quickly - especially if you finish each feed / pump session with some lanolin.

A lot of young babies spit up whether they are given breast milk or formula. One of my DD goes through periods where she spits up and one does not. I have found that burping her well and then sitting her up in a bouncy chair for 5 to 10 minutes afterwards helps a lot.

 

I had this happen to me also. I would look down while pumping and notice the milk was pink. I used lanolin and pumped from the other side. Also, maybe try turning down the intensity of the pump.

 

I had this when I first started bfing. The lactician specialist told me it was "rusty pipes", and would go away soon. So, if it is not bleeding from the outside, it could be "rusty pipes" inside. She said it was ok to feed that pumped breastmilk to the babies...(it was only one side too...like yours), it went away after a few days.
HTH
Bridget