Breast Milk Comes in a Variety of Colors—and That’s Totally Normal!
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5 min
If you’ve ever pumped milk and paused to notice the color, you might have done a double take. “Wait... is my breast milk supposed to be blue?” Or yellow? Or even green? The answer: probably, yes!
Breast milk is a living fluid that adapts to your baby’s needs—nutritionally, immunologically, and yes, even visually. The color of your milk can vary throughout the day, across stages of lactation, and depending on your health, hydration, and even what you ate for lunch.
Let’s break it all down so you can feel confident, supported, and empowered on your breastfeeding journey.
What Determines the Color of Breast Milk?
Breast milk color is influenced by several factors, including:
The stage of lactation (colostrum, transitional, mature)
Your hydration and diet
Medications and supplements
Possible presence of blood or infection
Milk storage practices and how milk is expressed
Color changes are usually harmless—but knowing what to expect can help ease worry and allow you to better track your own health, too.
Common Breast Milk Colors & What They Mean
1. Yellow or Orange Milk
When you’ll see it:
Right after birth (colostrum) (1)
After eating foods rich in beta-carotene (like carrots or sweet potatoes)
Why it happens:
Colostrum—the "first milk" your body produces in the early postpartum period—is loaded with immunoglobulins and beta-carotene, giving it a golden-yellow color. As milk transitions into mature milk, it often lightens in color. (7)
Also common: Eating foods high in beta-carotene, like squash, pumpkin, or leafy greens, can deepen the yellow-orange hue of your milk (1) .
2. White or Cream-Colored Milk
When you’ll see it:
Mature milk, typically toward the end of a nursing or pumping session. Learn how to increase the fat content of your breastmilk here .
Why it happens:
This milk is mature breast milk that is high in fat, giving it a creamy appearance. Some people describe it as looking like watered-down cow's milk or light almond milk—totally normal!
3. Bluish or Translucent Milk
When you’ll see it:
At the beginning of a pumping session (2)
When you’re well-hydrated or pumping frequently
Why it happens:
Foremilk is thinner and lower in fat than hindmilk, which can give it a slightly blue or grey tone. This milk is still packed with essential nutrients, just not as much fat content as the milk that follows (2) .
4. Green Milk
When you’ll see it:
After eating a lot of leafy greens, seaweed, spirulina, or food dyes
Why it happens:
Green milk is typically caused by chlorophyll in plant-based foods or green food coloring in processed snacks. It might look surprising, but it’s not harmful (3) .
5. Pink, Red, or Brown Milk
When you’ll see it:
If there’s a small amount of blood in your milk
After eating deeply pigmented foods like beets or cherries
Why it happens:
Sore, cracked nipples, or broken capillaries (often from a poor latch or strong suction from a pump) can cause a small amount of blood to mix with milk. “Rusty Pipe Syndrome” is another common cause—it happens when capillaries in the milk ducts leak blood, often in first-time breastfeeding parents. The milk may appear rust-colored or pink, but it usually resolves within a few days (4) .
When to talk to someone: If you have persistent nipple bleeding, pain, or your baby refuses to drink the milk, check in with a lactation consultant or healthcare provider. If milk turns red or brown AFTER being left out, this milk is not safe to feed baby.
6. Brown or Rust-Colored Milk
When you’ll see it:
In the first few days postpartum, especially with “Rusty Pipe Syndrome”
If blood is older and oxidized
Why it happens:
Blood from inside the ducts or breast tissue may oxidize, turning milk a brownish shade. Again, if this happens occasionally and without pain, it’s usually not a cause for concern, however evaluation of flange sizing, latch, and pump settings can provide more insight into why there is blood in your milk (5) .
Can Medication or Supplements Affect Milk Color?
Yes! Certain vitamins, medications, or herbal supplements may alter the color of your milk.
For example:
Multivitamins or B12 supplements may give milk a slightly fluorescent yellow tinge.
Spirulina or chlorophyll drops can cause green milk.
Minocycline , an antibiotic not typically recommended during lactation, has been known to darken milk (6) .
If you're ever unsure about how a supplement or prescription may impact your milk, it's a good idea to check with your healthcare provider or a lactation-safe medication database like InfantRisk or LactMed .
Does Storage Change Breast Milk Color?
Yes—how you store your milk can influence how it looks.
Frozen milk may appear more yellow or separated into layers.
Thawed milk can look more opaque or take on a slightly metallic or soapy smell due to high lipase activity.
This doesn’t mean the milk is bad—most babies tolerate it well—but if your baby refuses stored milk, keep reading for tips on what to do!
High Lipase: What to Know
Some lactating parents have naturally higher levels of the enzyme lipase, which breaks down fat in breast milk. While it's not harmful, it can change the milk’s taste and smell—making it soapy, metallic, or sour after storage.
To troubleshoot high lipase milk:
Try feeding freshly pumped milk.
Add alcohol free vanilla extract
Try our UV protectant barrier bags
Mix with freshly expressed milk to dilute the taste.
When to Call a Lactation Consultant
Milk color changes are usually no big deal. But reach out to a lactation consultant if you notice:
Bright red or consistently bloody milk
Signs of mastitis (pain, swelling, fever, flu-like symptoms)
Baby refusing milk
Unusual taste or odor that doesn’t improve with storage adjustments
Lactation professionals are there to support you and your baby. Your questions are valid, and your milk is likely more amazing than you give yourself credit for.
Breast Milk is Beautifully Dynamic
Your milk might look different from day to day, or even from pump session to pump session. That’s one of the many things that makes it so powerful. Your body is constantly adjusting to what your baby needs—hydration, nutrients, immune protection—and sometimes that shows up in a little color magic.
So if you see blue, gold, green, or cream in your pump bottle, know this: you’re doing great. Your milk is enough, and your body is extraordinary. Let us know the wildest color you’ve seen in your breastmilk below!
