Witch's milk or neonatal milk is milk secreted from the breasts of some newborn human infants of either sex. Production of neonatal milk by infants usually resolves itself and does not require treatment unless it is caused by an underlying condition or medications. It is thought to be caused by the exposure to an elevated level of estrogen to infants during pregnancy or decreased exposure of estrogen to infants after birth. Its production also may be caused by certain medications. The composition of neonatal milk is similar to maternal milk for most of their components except for fats and one type of antibody.
Neonatal milk production occurs in about 6% of newborns with age from 0 to 12 weeks. Within the age range, infants age 0 to 2 weeks were found to have the highest occurrence. Compared to those who did not have neonatal milk production, infants who did had larger breast nodules. Pre-term infants under the gestational age of 34 weeks did not secrete milk as observed in one study. Complications such as mastitis and abscesses are associated with breast massage of the neonate's breast. Squeezing of neonate's breast could also result in an infection. Blood from the nipples is nearly always benign and frequently associated with duct ectasia; it should only be investigated when it is unilateral.
