Witches milk
What is witch's milk?
Ok, so you was changing your little angel and you found little lump on the baby's body. Did you find small enlargement on your baby's breast? Worried! No need to worry. It's harmless and normal for newborn babies. It's called witch's milk.
Explanation in plain English:
You might notice that your newborn has a small lump in the right breast under the nipple. It is typically the size of a small marble or less. Doctors say it's not painful. This is a normal newborn breast enlargement. Parents are usually more startled by this when it occurs in a boy baby. If you try to press on the lump, the small amount of white, milky fluid might exude from the nipple. This is termed as a "witch's milk." It is a harmless discharge from the rudimentary milk glands present in both boy and girl babies at birth. It rapidly disappears and that is the end of it. The breast swelling, which is due to stimulation of the breast tissue by high levels of mothers; female hormones. These remain in the baby's system for a few weeks.
Taken from DrHull.com
Why it's called witches milk?
In folklore, witch's milk was believed to be a source of nourishment for witches' familiar spirits. It was thought to be stolen from unwatched, sleeping infants. In other cultures milking the infant's breasts is supposed to contribute to shapely breasts in adulthood.
Yes or No? - Picture from Adam
My baby had witch's milk
Invest in a good book - about baby care
How to treat it?
It is highly advisable that parents not massage or unnecessarily manipulate this breast lump
More info on witch's milk
- Witch's milk: Definition from Answers.com
Witches' milk secretion of the mammary gland of the newborn of both sexes; due to the presence of the hormone prolactin that travels from the blood of... - Witch's milk definition - Medical Dictionary definitions of popular medical terms easily defined on
Online Medical Dictionary and glossary with medical definitions