Blood-Stained Colostrum: A Rare Phenomenon at an Early Lactation Stage

Abstract

The phenomenon described in the literature as rusty pipe syndrome is a rare condition (the estimated incidence is 0.1% in the population of breastfeeding women) where the prenatal milk and the colostrum are rust- or blood-colored. Due to the rare occurrence of this phenomenon and the related nature of the baby’s regurgitated discharge—green, brown or blood-stained, there is a general fear of latching a newborn or continuing to breastfeed if the regurgitation persists. In this care report, a patient’s milk was tested to determine its microbiological and morphological content. No significant abnormalities were noted in these tests. The nutritional profile of the blood-stained colostrum was normal. Breast milk has an indisputably invaluable impact on the newborn’s further development and there is no connection between rusty pipe syndrome, as described in the literature, and any clinical complications. This is crucial to encourage mothers to keep breastfeeding even if they observe blood-stained colostrum.

Keywords

• blood
• colostrum
• nipple secretion
• breastfeeding
• lactation
• rusty pipe syndrome