10 Cool Uses for Breastmilk You Probably Didn't Know About

It’s quite common for newborns to get blocked tear ducts and they usually resolve on their own, but they can also lead to infections and unsightly eye discharge on your beautiful baby’s face. Some doctors will recommend gently massaging the tear ducts to help open the nasal passages that are clogged and cause excess tears to well up in the corners of the eye. Most important, it’s recommended to regularly wash the area using a clean, soft washcloth or cotton pad, and clear, warm water.

But a little-known midwifery secret is to directly treat the affected eye with breastmilk a few times a day, as needed. “If the baby has a bit of an eye infection or a goopy eye, it can help to clear that up,” says Esther Willms, a registered midwife at The Midwives' Clinic of East York. “Usually, I just tell people to squirt it in, but if that seems weird, you can take a little eye dropper and have some expressed milk and draw it up in the eye dropper.”