What to do if the newborn's stool has a sour smell

For a newborn baby, if there is experienced caregiver, the problem of the baby's stool having a sour and smelly smell will not be considered a big problem. However, for an inexperienced person, they will panic when they see a baby's stool having a sour and smelly smell. I don’t know what to do. So, what should we do if our newborn’s stool has a sour and smelly smell? The following are some relevant details.

1. The stools of breastfed babies are yellow or golden yellow, uniform like ointment, but without odor. They have frequent bowel movements, usually 2 to 4 times a day, and some as many as 7 to 8 times a day. This is called physiological diarrhea. Parents don't need to worry, this is a normal phenomenon, and the diarrhea will disappear automatically when the child grows to a certain age. Babies fed with milk have less bowel movements, 1 to 2 times a day, with a slightly smelly stool.

2. Even if a newborn baby has not eaten anything, he or she will usually have dark green meconium 10 to 12 hours after birth. After 3 to 4 days of breastfeeding, the stool becomes yellow-green, which is called transitional stool. After that, the stool gradually turns yellow. If the baby does not excrete meconium within 24 hours after birth, or still has no normal bowel movement after about 4 to 5 days, you should consult a doctor in time.

3. Some infants and young children have frequent bowel movements but small amounts of stool, and the stool is mostly green and mucous. If there are fewer curds, it means the child eats too much and the amount of milk should be gradually reduced. Some children still have diarrhea after reducing the amount of milk. This may be hunger diarrhea, and the amount of milk should be increased appropriately.

4. If a child fed with milk has hard and smelly stools, it means that the baby is fed too much milk and too little sugar, and some sugar should be added to the milk. If there is too much sugar, the baby's stool will be foamy, thin and yellow, and have a strong sour taste, and the amount of sugar should be appropriately reduced and the amount of milk should be increased.

5. If an infant has been excreting grayish white stools since birth and has never had yellow stools, and his urine is yellow, it is likely caused by congenital biliary obstruction. When infants and young children have intestinal infections, they have frequent bowel movements, loose or watery stools, smelly stools with mucus, and often experience vomiting, anorexia, fever, and even dehydration. The children should be taken to the hospital for examination in time.

6. The frequency and texture of infants' stools often reflect the state of their digestive function. If parents can pay attention to the texture, color and frequency of infants' stools, and correctly identify normal and abnormal stools, it will help to detect abnormalities in the baby's digestive tract early and provide valuable clues for diagnosing diseases.

The above is the content about the sour and smelly stool of newborns. If you still experience this condition after a few days, you should take your child for a check-up in time to avoid more serious illness. However, it is normal for newborn babies to have such symptoms, so there is no need to worry too much.