03/05/2026
I love this post by .dietitian. It’s so informative and really captures what you need to know about breastmilk colors. 🌈
.dietitian
・・・
Solving the mystery behind the pot of (liquid) gold at the end of the rainbow🌈⤵️
Because is coming up!🍀
Thank you to the mamas in my stories for all the amazing photos of the REAL colours of your pumped milk!🤱
So why does your milk change colour? Well colours are just specific wavelengths of light that are reflecting off things.
This means EVERYTHING in your milk contributes to the colour you see, not just one thing...
🌈Phytonutrients (things that give colour and flavour to foods, and other super things)
🌈Fats
🌈Proteins
🌈Carbs
🌈Immune factors
🌈Vitamins
🌈Even things that aren’t usually there, like blood (pink for fresh, brown for old)
🌈And so. Much. More!
It’s the specific COMBINATION of what is reflecting off ALL things in your milk that makes the colour you see. Your milk is changing within a feed, from feed to feed, from day to day, and even as your milk sits in storage. So you can expect the colour to change too!
So yeah, foods that you eat (or if your baby is sick!) can change the colour of your milk (and therefore their 💩), but sometimes it won’t. This does NOT mean the “things” did not make it into your milk.
They are there, but with the specific combination of everything in your milk that is tailored just for YOUR baby, you just see white. White light is actually just a combination of all colours reflecting (Pink Floyd logo anyone?👩🎤)
So whatever colour your breastmilk, it all still leads to the pot of (liquid) gold perfectly made for your baby! 🙌🏻
On that note - the colours not pictured that are a red flag to see your healthcare provider are “pepto bismol hot pink” and black. In addition, if you notice blood in your milk consistently, it is worth getting in touch with your healthcare provider🙂
Have you ever changed the colour of your breastmilk by eating certain foods? Share in the comments!
