Many newborn babies experience diarrhea after breastfeeding. Is this normal physiological diarrhea or pathological? This confuses many mothers. Today, let's take a look at what is breastfeeding-induced diarrhea, the symptoms of breastfeeding-induced diarrhea, the causes of breastfeeding-induced diarrhea, and how to deal with it. Parents, let's take a look!
Breastfeeding-induced diarrhea has obvious characteristics. Generally, babies with this type of diarrhea have 3-7 bowel movements a day. The stools are foamy and watery, with a specific sour smell. The stools are watery and slightly green, with foam and milk flakes, and sometimes even streaks of transparent mucus. There is no fever during diarrhea, and the baby does not show obvious pain or crying. The stool test shows no abnormalities in terms of infection. The severity of diarrhea is usually not accompanied by other symptoms. The baby is active and has a good appetite. Although the diarrhea lasts for a long time, the weight gain is around 300 grams every 10 days, but it does not improve. If the diarrhea lasts for a long time, it may lead to serious consequences such as growth stagnation and malnutrition, and timely treatment is required.
【Examples of breastfeeding-induced diarrhea】
【Symptoms of breastfeeding-induced diarrhea】
1. In mild cases, the baby has about 10 bowel movements a day, occasional vomiting, normal mental state and complexion, and normal frequency and amount of urine.
2. In severe cases, the baby has 10-20 bowel movements a day, and the stool is watery like "egg drop soup". The baby cries and shows signs of dehydration, with little or no urine. The baby's mental state shrinks, becomes drowsy or unconscious, and if the condition worsens, the blood pressure will drop and go into shock.
3. In cases of prolonged diarrhea for more than one month, the condition fluctuates between mild and severe. When severe, vomiting and diarrhea are frequent, similar to severe diarrhea. However, due to the prolonged course of the disease, the baby mainly shows chronic malnutrition and secondary infections in various parts of the body.
【Distinguishing breastfeeding-induced diarrhea】
1. Physiological diarrhea: The color of the stool for infants who are breastfed is golden yellow, with a small amount each time, but a high frequency throughout the day. Some babies who are breastfed have a high frequency of bowel movements and a high water content in the stool, which makes mothers worry that the baby has diarrhea. In this case, mothers should observe the baby's other conditions, such as good mental state, good appetite, and normal weight gain. If these conditions are met, there is no problem. This is a normal condition, namely physiological diarrhea, and there is no need to adjust the diet.
2. Hunger-induced diarrhea: As the name suggests, this is diarrhea caused by not eating enough. The baby's stool is green and watery, without a foul smell. When mothers see this kind of stool, they should increase the baby's food intake. Usually, as the baby's food intake increases, the stool will become normal.
3. Digestive disorders
Excessive fat: The stool is pale yellow or cement-colored and extremely greasy. It is initially in a bar shape but quickly disintegrates and has a fishy odor.
Excessive sugar: The stool is soft like porridge, initially yellow and gradually turning green. Excessive sugar can cause diarrhea.
【Causes of breastfeeding-induced diarrhea】
1. Breastfeeding-induced diarrhea may be caused by a higher content of prostaglandins in breast milk. This substance promotes the smooth muscle movement of the small intestine, increases the secretion of water and electrolytes, and produces watery stools.
2. Breastfeeding-induced diarrhea may be caused by lactose intolerance in infants, leading to a lack of lactose enzyme in the body. Lactose intolerance can be classified into primary and secondary types, which can be determined by the lead acetate method to measure the lactose content in the child's stool as a preliminary screening, and then confirmed by the rapid effect after a lactose-free diet. When so-called physiological breastfeeding-induced diarrhea occurs, do not switch to feeding cow's milk in order to form solid stools.
The baby's body will gradually adapt to the prostaglandins in breast milk, and lactase will gradually develop and mature, with increased enzyme activity, which can break down, digest and absorb lactose, and gradually improve with the addition of complementary foods. In addition, pay attention to not covering the nipple with the baby's mouth. After the breasts on both sides are basically empty, if the baby continues to suck, the fat content in the milk will increase, which is prone to fat indigestion. It is recommended to suck when needed and stop when not needed. Each time is around 10 minutes, and the breasts can be basically emptied when they are full.
If a "lactose-free diet" is needed according to a regular medical prescription, the diet includes:
1) Fresh soy milk 100 ml with 5 grams of glucose as a substitute for milk. Diarrhea will stop, but soy milk should not be used as the sole diet for a long time. Gradually add fish protein.
2) Mix 180 ml of rice soup with 5 grams of fish protein. Generally, feed the baby three times a day.
3) Fermented yogurt can also be used.
Secondary lactose intolerance mainly refers to individual children who are allergic to cow's milk or certain food components, and who are intolerant to certain monosaccharides, disaccharides, or carbohydrates after a secondary intestinal infection.
【What to do for breastfeeding-induced diarrhea】
1. Generally, mild physiological diarrhea does not require treatment and breastfeeding can continue. In this way, the baby's body will gradually adapt to the prostaglandins in breast milk, and lactase will gradually develop and mature, with increased enzyme activity, gradually allowing for the breakdown, digestion, and absorption of lactose, and improvement gradually with the addition of complementary foods.
2. In terms of diet, you can feed 100 ml of fresh soy milk with 5 grams of glucose as a substitute for milk to control physiological diarrhea. Soy milk should not be used as the sole diet for a long time, but fish protein should be gradually added. The specific method is to mix 180 ml of rice soup with 5 grams of fish protein. Generally, feed the baby three times a day.
For breastfeeding-induced diarrhea in babies, mothers should pay attention to hygiene in their diet. Fruits and vegetables should be fresh. Before eating, they should be washed with saltwater and peeled. It is also recommended to cook them thoroughly. There are no specific taboos. Nowadays, scientific parenting is advocated. When drinking meat soup, do not drink the top layer, which is too greasy and can easily cause diarrhea in children. If the child accidentally drinks it, temporarily feed the child with some milk powder.
You can eat some coarse grains, temporarily avoid milk, eggs, and seafood. The key is to maintain a balanced diet, not to eat too much or too little of anything. In fact, it is very common for newborns to have diarrhea from breastfeeding. Digestive disorders are not necessarily caused by breast milk or formula, but because the baby's digestive function is not yet mature, it will gradually improve after 3-4 months.
① Products: If the mother eats too many soy products and experiences obvious bloating and excessive gas, the baby will also have excessive gas and loose stools, which are yellow and watery. This indicates that the mother's gastrointestinal tract cannot tolerate so many soy products, and the baby cannot tolerate them either. The mother should eat soy products in moderation.
② Insufficient water: When the baby is not eating enough "food," the stool will be green, with a small amount and high frequency. In this case, mothers can use recipes to increase milk production. In addition, the baby's complementary food intake can be increased appropriately.
③ Fat: If the baby's stool is oily and contains a lot of soap-like particles (commonly known as "milk flakes"), it indicates that the mother has consumed too much fat, and the mother's diet should reduce the amount of fatty meats.
③ Sweet food: If the baby's stool has a lot of foam and a strong sour taste, it may be because the mother has eaten too much sweet food or sugar, which fermented and produced gas in the baby's intestines. At this time, the mother should control the amount of sweet food consumed.
I believe you now have a better understanding of breastfeeding-induced diarrhea. When your baby experiences these symptoms, there is no need to panic. Refer to the above solutions, and I believe that the symptoms of breastfeeding-induced diarrhea will be alleviated. I hope your baby becomes healthier and happier!
