The human body is a fascinating thing, a true miracle. Not only do we have the ability to heal ourselves, but the female human body also has the ability to help heal and ward off illness in her children.
Newtown, PA mom Ashlee Chase was able to visually capture just how powerful a woman’s body is.
She snapped a photo of two bags of her own breastmilk that were completely different in color: one was white while the other was yellow.
At first, Chase was alarmed by the difference in color. So, she phoned her pediatrician who told her this was completely normal.
“Breast milk does not always look the same because it changes constantly in its nutritional composition,” The Milk Bank explains on their website. “Breast milk is naturally designed to meet the changing needs of development in the baby.”
There are actually several reasons for a change in the color of one’s breast milk.
“Any unusual color of a mother’s breast milk is due mostly to her diet. For example, food dyes in foods or drinks can alter the color of breast milk,” The Milk Bank states.
“It may be thin and watery looking, and may have a blue or yellow tint to it. It can even take on a hint of green if large amounts of green colored foods are consumed. The color of the milk is usually not anything to be concerned about.”
Another reason that breast milk changes its color is that the mother’s body is responding to an illness or lack of nutrition in her baby.
A mother’s breast milk may even change when another family member is sick in order to protect the baby from illness.
“The baby’s saliva goes back into the breast and then the breast manufactures special milk to protect the baby,” board-certified lactation consultant and La Leche League leader Leigh Anne O’Connor told Yahoo Lifestyle. “This is one of nature’s beautiful tricks to protect the offspring and to keep the population healthy and growing.”
I mean, how amazing is that!
As it turns out, Chase’s older daughter came down with a high fever and strep throat and her breast milk was producing more fat and antibodies to help her baby fight off the infection.
“The illness knocked my 7-year-old out for a week, but the baby only got a runny nose and a slight fever the night before I noticed the yellow,” Chase told Yahoo Lifestyle.
Chase posted her photo on Facebook where it ended up going viral with more than 7,400 shares.
“‘Why do you still let your 7month old nurse’, ‘she’s too old,’ ‘she’s just using you as a pacifier,’ ‘you need to put her in her own bed,’ 100% why,” Chase wrote in her post. “Top milk is from 3 days ago when a healthy Elliot was nursing. Bottom is from today after sick Elliot with a fever comfort nursed all night. This.”
You can view the post below where lots of other mothers shared stories about how breast milk has kept their children healthy.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10209136088070770&set=a.2062543854658.2092247.1576562055&type=3
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