What is the reason for blood in breast milk during breastfeeding? Can I breastfeed if there is blood in breast milk during breastfeeding?

Mothers who insist on breastfeeding are great mothers. Mothers will encounter various problems in the process of breastfeeding. Sometimes, mothers will find that their breast milk has a little blood color. Can the breast milk with blood color be fed to the baby? The following is a detailed introduction.

Possible blood in breast milk

Take good care of your breasts

The blood in breast milk during breastfeeding is caused by nipple cracks. The mother should clean and care for the local breasts. She can apply lanolin after each feeding to keep the nipples soft. When feeding the baby, feed the side without nipple cracks first, and then feed the other side to relieve the symptoms.

Breast bruises

If a breastfeeding mother's breasts are hit and bruised, the damaged capillaries can cause bleeding. In addition, if a breastfeeding mother uses a breast pump with too much negative pressure, blood can seep into the milk and turn the milk red.

Causes of blood in breast milk during breastfeeding

1. Consider the possibility of blood vessel rupture or tumor. It is abnormal for breast milk to contain blood, and it may also be caused by trauma.

2. It is best to do a breast rake and breast color ultrasound examination, mainly to prevent the growth of tumors. If it is inflammation, anti-inflammatory treatment can be used.

The real reason why breast milk contains blood

“Rusty Pipe Syndrome”

What is "rusty pipe syndrome"? An example may be easier to understand. If you turn on the tap in an old house that has been uninhabited for many years, you will see orange-yellow tap water flowing out. This phenomenon is similar to "rusty pipe syndrome." Sometimes, this situation also occurs in the mammary ducts.

This is mainly due to the rapid growth of mammary ducts during pregnancy, which leads to blood seepage and blood dilation in breast milk, forming the legendary "bloody milk". But we must make it clear that this is harmless and will heal soon. Mothers can still choose to breastfeed.

The baby accidentally swallowed a small amount of the mother's blood during delivery.

The maternal blood swallowed by the baby during delivery cannot be digested in the baby's stomach at all. The baby may vomit amniotic fluid after delivery. The amniotic fluid, blood and milk will be mixed together, giving you the illusion that there is blood in the milk.

Blood from a broken nipple

A damaged nipple will also bleed when the baby is sucking breast milk, and the baby will also swallow the mother's blood, giving people the illusion that there is blood in the milk.