P83: Other conditions of integument specific to fetus and newborn

P83.4: Breast engorgement of newborn

The breast is made up of fatty tissue, connective tissue and the mammary gland. Milk is produced in the mammary gland during and after pregnancy so that the child can be fed. Newborn babies usually have very small mammary glands. Male babies also have mammary glands. In girls, the mammary glands then grow during puberty.

During pregnancy the mother's hormones also get into the child. Hormones are important messengers. After the birth, the mother's hormones only break down slowly in the baby's body. The hormones may then also affect the baby. The mammary glands can swell up as a result. A whitish fluid may also come out of the baby's mammary glands. This fluid is similar to a mother's milk, and it is also known as witch's milk.