The incidence of this syndrome is unknown because it is underdiagnosed, according to experts
The breastmilk It is usually white, but this is not always the case. Although rare, it can be Brown or even orange due to rusty pipe syndromealso known as brown colostrum or ‘rusty-pipe’ syndrome.
This clinical picture can be considered normal during the last trimester of pregnancy or the first days after childbirth, but it is an alarm sign if it occurs outside these periods. “Expelling blood through the nipple can be a serious problem related to a tumor or trauma,” Pedro Juan Carpena, a pediatrician at the Virgen del Castillo Hospital in Yecla (Murcia), explains to ABC.
In the seven years that the professional has been in the center, he has only come across two cases. It is a syndrome benign and harmless for both mother and baby and extremely rare, he says. For this reason Carpena decided, together with her colleagues M.ª Isabel Jiménez, Celia Casado and Piedad Gallardo, to publish an article in the Primary Care Pediatrics Magazine.
The case that is reflected in the PAP magazine is that of a 34-year-old first-time mother whose milk came out brown from both breasts after childbirth. The color change was due to mixture of milk with blood that leaked from blood vessels. Of course, Carpena makes it clear that “it is not about fresh blood.” “The blood in this case has nothing to do with what can come out of a crack in the areola or the nipple, but rather it comes from the ducts,” he explains.
By not posing a problem for the baby or the mother breastfeeding is not usually interrupted, but it is recommended to monitor the newborn because they may occasionally present “clinical irritation or vomiting”. This color change is not permanent and usually disappears around the fourth or sixth day of lactation.
The coloration disappears over time as can be seen in the images: on the left the milk on day 3 and on the right on day 6
“It can give a little shock to give it to the child, but they tolerate it perfectly well. Sometimes it can cause nausea or the feces maintain traces of blood, “says Carpena.
The incidence of this syndrome is unknown, since, according to the pediatrician, it is underdiagnosed. “The vast majority of mothers who breastfeed do not see the milk because the babies take it directly from the mother and the color goes unnoticed.”
In any case, if some parents detect a strange color in their breast milk, it is recommended that they contact their doctor for follow-up, but they should not worry because “it is benign and does not require treatment.”
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