Mum’s Breast Milk ‘Turned Neon Green Colour After She And Baby Caught COVID-19’
A new mum has told of her surprise after her breast milk turned neon green in colour after she and her baby girl caught coronavirus.
Anna Cortez said her milk gradually became a lighter shade as she fought off the disease, and when she tested negative for Covid-19 shortly after her milk went back to its normal colour.
A paediatrician, who is also a lactation consultant, assured the mum that her milk was safe, and said the colour change could have been triggered by her natural antibodies that fight infection and protect the baby.
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Experts suggested the green colour could have been caused by the mother’s diet, but Anna, 23, said there were no changes in her eating habits, and her milk is always white despite eating a lot of greens.
The mum, from Monterrey, Mexico, told the Mirror: “I talked to my daughter’s paediatrician, who is also a lactation consultant, and she said it is common when the mum gets sick, or when the baby gets sick with a cold or stomach virus, that the mum’s milk will change and adapt with antibodies.
“The reason it was so noticeable in this case is because the virus is so strong.
“She (the paediatrician) told me as soon as I tested positive to keep breastfeeding my daughter, that that’s the best thing for her because it will give her everything she needs and if she is sick the breast milk will fight that.
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“Your body knows what it is doing and if it is changing something in your milk it’s because that is what your body needs.”
Anna, an English teacher who is studying psychology, added: “A lot of mums have noticed (a colour change) and I’ve spoken to others in the same situation.
“It was the same experience as what I had – they got sick and their milk changed colour, and they continued to feed their babies.”
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British experts said nursing mothers who become infected with Covid-19 should continue to breastfeed because it will protect their babies. Studies show that the virus doesn’t enter the milk, they said.
In the UK, mums who are breastfeeding can receive any of the vaccines currently authorised for use if they meet the priority group conditions.
Anna, her daughter Mikayla, then four months, and other family members contracted coronavirus in January.