No, Green Breast Milk is NOT an Indication that You Have COVID-19

 

There has been a viral picture going around the Internet of a mother saying that her breast milk turned green when she and her baby tested positive for COVID. So is green breast milk really an indication of COVID?

First, a mother’s breast milk has nutrients that are specifically made for her infant. That is especially true when a mother is sick—Studies have shown that women that have had COVID will pass those antibodies on to their baby through pregnancy and breastfeeding, meaning by breastfeeding the baby will get COVID antibodies if the mother has the virus or gets vaccinated.

Does breastmilk change color?

Then about the color. Normally, if a mother just started breastfeeding, she will likely be secreting fluid that is thick and yellow in color, called colostrum. When her milk has transitioned from colostrum and becomes mature—or reached the final stage of milk production—it will, in most cases, take on a whitish hue. As a mom’s milk matures, it can even have a slight bluish tint to it as well, because foremilk is thinner and contains less fat than its stark white counterpart. So the breast milk color change is just something normal of what we would expect.

Though breast milk can take on a vast color palette, experts said that they haven’t seen any of the COVID positive moms have had green breast milk. The color of breastmilk can be different for each mother at each stage, so we can’t necessarily pinpoint that the color change from the mom’s milk was from COVID. 

What does the research say?

There’s no study out there to support the claim of breastmilk turning green after mother got COVID. There are, though, studies showing that food and diet changes breast milk color, so does medication, and green breast milk is more likely from that.

For example, eating bright leafy greens juice or smoothies can all create that green color in breast milk. So, no, green breastmilk is not an indication that you have COVID. While it can be alarming to see your breast milk change color,  most of the changes are not cause for concern. 

**The post was originally published on San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition's Newsletter on Feb 15, 2022. Photo credit to Mu-huan Chiang.