Baby's diarrhea caused by breastfeeding
Release time : 04/14/2025 09:30:02
Mild diarrhea in breastfed infants is relatively common and usually occurs in infants under 6 months old.
The baby's diarrhea situation is not certain, so what's wrong with diarrhea after eating breast milk? How to prevent your baby from having diarrhea after eating breast milk. First of all, we need to be clear: baby diarrhea is not necessarily caused by breast milk. Although breast milk is the best food for your baby, if the mother's diet is inappropriate or digestive system problems, it may also cause your baby to develop diarrhea. Secondly, to prevent your baby from eating breast milk, mothers can start from the following aspects: 1. Diet adjustment: Mothers should pay attention to food hygiene during lactation and avoid eating harsh foods such as raw, cold, greasy, spicy, etc., so as not to affect the quality of milk. At the same time, make sure you consume enough water to prevent milk from becoming too concentrated. 2. Maintain good living habits: Mothers should keep adequate sleep and avoid staying up late and overworking. In addition, you should also keep a happy mood and avoid excessive stress. 3. Pay attention to personal hygiene: Mothers should wash their hands before feeding and make sure their nipples are clean. In addition, if your baby has other diseases, such as colds, fever, etc., you should seek medical treatment promptly to avoid transmission to your baby. 4. Observe your baby's reaction: If your baby develops diarrhea, your symptoms should be observed promptly. If your baby's diarrhea is severe or persists, you should take your baby to the hospital for examination in time. In short, preventing babies from eating breast milk and diarrhea requires starting from multiple aspects. Mothers should pay attention to their own diet and living habits, maintain good personal hygiene, and closely observe their baby's physical condition. If you have any doubts, it is recommended to consult your doctor promptly.
What does it mean for a baby to have diarrhea after eating breast milk? Some babies, after consuming breast milk, may experience diarrhea. Although breastfeeding babies tend to have frequent bowel movements, if their stools are soft and shaped, this is normal and not cause for concern.
However, if the frequency of diaper changes exceeds ten times a day and the stool appears watery with a large volume, it indicates that there is dehydration in the baby. Symptoms include dry lips and eyelids, sunken eyeballs, reduced tear production, decreased urination, and diminished skin elasticity. Additionally, the baby may exhibit signs of lethargy.
The greasy stool indicates that the mother or baby's diet contains too much fat. The green stool suggests insufficient feeding. And black stool may indicate bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract or the use of medication to treat anemia.
Symptoms of diarrhea in a baby fed with breast milk include frequent and abnormally loose stools, with an average frequency of 3-7 bowel movements daily.
Moreover, the stool has a lot of water, foamy and thin, and is also accompanied by a special sour smell.
The stool is slightly green, with foam and curds, sometimes even accompanied by strips of transparent mucus.
2. The baby's behavior is normal, and there is no fever when diarrhea occurs. The baby shows no obvious signs of distress or crying, and the stool test does not show any abnormalities related to infection.
The severity of diarrhea is generally without other symptoms, and the baby is energetic and has a good appetite.
Although the diarrhea lasts for a long period, the baby's weight can still maintain 300g per 10 days.
If diarrhea persists for an extended period, it may lead to serious consequences such as growth arrest and malnutrition. Timely treatment is necessary.
The reason for colicky stools in infants fed with breast milk can generally be attributed to two causes: 1) The higher concentration of prostaglandins in breast milk may stimulate the small intestinal smooth muscle to contract, leading to increased secretion of water and electrolytes, which results in loose stools.
2. It might be that the baby has a lactose intolerance and lacks lactase in their body.
Lactose intolerance is divided into two types: primary and secondary. The amount of lactose in feces may be tested by adding lead acetate to the test sample for initial screening, and then confirmed by rapid response to a diet without lactose.
When the phenomenon of diarrhea in babies eating breast milk occurs, do not change from breast milk to cow's milk for the purpose of forming stool.
The baby's body will gradually adapt to the prostaglandins in breast milk, and the lactase will gradually develop and mature. When the enzyme activity increases, it can decompose, digest and absorb lactose, and will gradually improve with the addition of complementary foods.
In addition, pay attention to children not to cover their nipples. After each breast is basically empty, if you continue to suck, the amount of fat in the milk will increase, which may easily cause fatty indigestion. It is recommended that you suck if you want to, and stop if you don't.
After about 10 minutes each time, the full breasts can basically suck out air.
What should I do if my baby eats breast milk diarrhea? Generally speaking, babies with mild conditions do not need treatment after breastfeeding diarrhea, and mothers can continue to breastfeed.
In this way, the baby's body will gradually adapt to the prostaglandins in breast milk, and the lactase will gradually develop and mature. The activity of the enzyme will increase, and it will gradually decompose, digest and absorb lactose, and will gradually improve with the addition of complementary foods.
In terms of diet, you can feed 100ml of fresh soy milk and 5g of glucose milk substitute to control your baby's diarrhea.
Soymilk feeding should not be used alone for a long time, and fish protein should be added gradually.
The specific method is to use 180ml of rice soup to make 5g of fish protein. Generally speaking, the baby only needs to feed it three times a day.
If your baby has severe diarrhea, you should take your baby to the hospital for treatment in time.
Generally, traditional Chinese medicine can be used for treatment, and acupuncture can also be used for treatment, with good results.
What needs to be reminded is that after the baby's condition improves after treatment, he cannot return to his original diet in a short period of time. He should add it slowly to avoid causing diarrhea again. Mom should shorten the time for each lactation.
If diarrhea recurs, treatment becomes even more difficult.
How to prevent my baby from having diarrhea after eating breast milk? The prevention of diarrhea from breastfeeding should mainly start from the diet of nursing mothers.
1. Nursing mothers should eat a light diet, eat less greasy food, and skim off the oil slick when drinking soup. It is recommended to drink millet porridge for breakfast every day, eat light vegetarian fried vegetables, and eat more fruits at ordinary times to ensure balanced nutrition between meat and vegetables.
2. It is recommended to give your baby millet clear soup once a day, which can relieve your baby's diarrhea and nourish your spleen and stomach. 3. In addition, when nursing, be careful not to cover your nipples.
Because after each breast is basically empty, if you continue to suck, the amount of fat in the milk will increase, which may easily cause fatty indigestion.
Advocate smoking if you want to smoke, and stop if you don't smoke.
After about 10 minutes each time, the full breasts can basically suck out air.
The medical part covered in this article is for reading and reference only.
If you feel unwell, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately, and the medical diagnosis and treatment will be subject to offline diagnosis.