Nurse explains why mom’s pink breast milk is perfectly normal

Arkansas mom Jo Johnson Overby went viral after posting a video about the unexpected color of her breast milk.

“Nobody told me that whenever I had a baby that if I chose to breastfeed, my milk would come in an array of colors,” Johnson Overby said in the October 25 TikTok video.

She held up different bags of breast milk. One was white, which she said was “the color you’d expect.”

The other was pink because of “an aggressive clog,” she wrote in the caption.

“It’s blood,” she said. “Baby can drink it, though.”

It’s true, according to Rachel Leibson, a nurse coordinator for Lactation Services at NYU Langone Health.

“Pink or light red milk is safe to feed your baby. Bright red milk caused by an active bleed is also safe, but it’s difficult to digest and might cause your baby to throw up,” Leibson told Today Parents.

According to Verywell Family, breast milk is usually yellow, white, cream, clear, tan or tinted blue. Different foods can give it different hues.

“Just like supplements high in riboflavin or B2 can tinge our urine green, it can also cause our breast milk to have a green tint,” Charity LaRae, a certified breastfeeding educator, told Romper. “Carotene (found in carrots, yams, and squash) can tint it yellow. Spinach, herbs, and seaweed can tint it (green).”

There are cases, however, when the color of breast milk indicates the need to see a doctor.

Continuing to see pink or red milk could mean an infection or breast cancer, according to Healthline. If your breast milk is black or brown, check with your doctor to ensure it’s safe to take medications and supplements while nursing.

For more content like this, sign up for the Pulse newsletter here.