Please reassure this mother that it is all milk.  The appearance of the expressed fluid reflects a variety of things and does change over time and over a 24hour pumping/feeding period.  So many of the moms in the NSCU where I work have expressed this concern.  They spend time at the freezer door and note that some other mother pumps 6 oz and they pump 20 cc and that some other mom's milk looks like homogenized and theirs is blue- "Isn't nature amazing that your body knows exactly the perfect milk to make for your baby!"   I tell  her to feel confident theat there is nothing anywhere superior to what she is producing and that it is all real milk.  The appearance will change over time and she can watch this with interest, hopefully not worry.
This week  a baby was transferred to our NSCU for PDA ligation from a smaller level 3 nursery in another part of the state.  The baby is a twin and his brother is still at the other nursery 5 hours away.  The mom came into our office yesterday and wanted data about the benefits of breast milk for her preterm son to give to the neonatologist at the other nursery.  The baby who is here is now on mom's milk and doing well , but the other nursery told the mom "If we put your baby on your milk that will set him back 1 or 2 weeks and we don't want to do that".  Of course she was devastated to be told that she would harm her baby, but she had good evidence (the twin here) that maybe they didn't know all they should.  This really made me grateful for how far we have come, even though I wish for more.
In our nursery, when a baby is ready to be held the mom is encouraged to hold skin to skin, and when the baby is ready for oral feeds (usually 1-2 times a day at first, these are breast feeds).  Bottles (or some supplimental feedings) enter the picture when the baby is ready for more oral feeds (every other feeding)  than mom can be there for. 
Good Luck.  A healthy baby like this won't be in the hospital long, and that's when hands on help will be really important for them.. 
tracy throckmorton rn ibclc
portland oregon
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