-- [ From: Phyllis Kombol * EMC.Ver #2.5.3 ] --

Yes, colostrum varies in color from milky to clear, from colorless,
yellow, white, to tan, gray-green, to pink or brown (appears as though
blood tinged/old blood).   I often discuss this as different versions of
rusty pipe syndrome or reflection of color transfer from foods mom eats.
 I tell moms and nurses that if the baby got it directly from the breast
we wouldn't see/know/care what color it is, so we feed it to baby unless
there is a known true contraindication.  When baby does get colostrum
directly from mom and then spits up colored mucous, I always wonder if
that wasn't color from the colostrum.  Recently, I think I've seen a
pattern in preterm moms with PIH/preeclamsia more commonly having pink
or brown.  Could this be due to the hypertension increasing capillary
pressures in the breast?  Anyone else see patterns?  My work setting is
almost all inpatient with 5-6000 births/year, about 800 NICN
admissions/year and overall 60-65% breastfeeding initiation.  Obviously,
I don't see everybody, as I've been the only IBCLC, but do see the NICN
moms each a couple times.