I have permission to post from a mother of a one day old baby who breastfed for 40 minutes after an uncomplicated
vaginal birth. After recovery, the mother was sent to ICU for observation/evaluation of an abnormal heart rhythm
while baby was kept in the nursery. She began pumping & her dark brown colostrum was stored in the refrigerator &
not given to baby until it was determined what caused this coloration. She had noted some leaking of this brown
fluid over the last month of her pregnancy. My thought was "rusty pipe syndrome" as described in The Breastfeeding
Atlas by Wilson-Clay & Hoover. It was noted that one author had seen one instance of a dark brown colostrum. I looked
for further information in Breastfeeding: A Guide for the Medical Professional by Ruth Lawrence, MD. She mentioned numerous
breast problems with nipple discharge. I did leave a copy for the OB. Have you seen this? Should she be seen by a breast
specialist? Are there tests that should be run on the pumped milk? The mother & baby are back together & baby did go back to
breast. Any other thoughts.
Thank you in advance,
Laura Hart, RN, BSN, IBCLC
Winter Park Hospital, A Florida Hospital
Winter Park, Florida




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