There are milk curds in the newborn's poop

I don’t know if you know what it means to have milk curds in poop. In fact, having milk curds in poop mainly refers to babies who are breastfeeding. Because when babies are drinking breast milk, they mainly absorb milk protein and other substances in the breast milk. If the milk protein cannot be absorbed, it will directly appear in the stool and produce milk curds in the stool. Next, I will explain to parents in detail why there are milk curds in newborn babies’ poop.

What is the cause of milk curds in baby's stool?

1. Breastfed babies have milk curds in their stools

Reason: The condition of breast-fed babies may be related to the mother’s diet and the imperfect development of the baby’s digestive tract.

Recommendation: It is recommended that breastfeeding mothers should not eat too greasy food or too much protein, and should not take excessive calcium supplements. When drinking fish, pork ribs, or pig's trotter soup, they should remove the floating oil on the top before eating to reduce fat intake.

Pay attention to keeping the baby's abdomen warm, massage the baby's abdomen after feeding, and develop the habit of regular bowel movements.

2. There are curds in the baby's stool when drinking milk powder

Reason: The fat particles in ordinary milk powder and fresh milk are larger and relatively difficult to digest, so children who are fed with milk are more likely to have milk curds in their stool; because part of the fat is saponified and combined with excess calcium, some of it is not absorbed and forms "milk lumps" called protein lumps or fat globules, which is normal.

Because babies have weak digestive abilities, milk powder must be prepared according to proportion and the concentration should not be too high.

It is recommended that mothers give their babies appropriate amounts of water between feedings and give their babies abdominal massage half an hour after feeding.

It is easy for babies to have milk curds when they supplement calcium because calcium cannot be completely digested and absorbed. If necessary, give your baby some probiotics under the guidance of a doctor.

How to judge whether the stool is normal

1. The normal stool color of the baby

The baby's first bowel movement after birth is similar to meconium, which is a little green and a little black. After about 24-48 hours, the meconium begins to change and becomes a little brown. This is a normal transition period from meconium to stool caused by diet after birth. Around the third or fourth day after the baby is born, the stool of a typical breastfed baby should be loose and dark yellow (sometimes there will be curds, which are incompletely digested breast milk, which is normal). Sometimes, it may appear green or orange. These changes are normal in a healthy, developing baby and are not serious.

2. The normal frequency of bowel movements for babies

Generally speaking, frequent and loose stools in a breastfed baby does not mean that the baby has diarrhea or lactose intolerance. This just proves that the baby is getting enough milk (yes, it's that simple).

If your baby poops frequently, take care of his or her bottom, wipe it clean gently, or wash it with warm water. You can also apply some baby lotion.

The frequency of bowel movements in breastfed babies usually decreases slowly between 6 weeks and 3 months. Later on, you may not have a bowel movement for several days or longer, which is common and normal. If your baby is exclusively breastfed and not given any other liquids or foods, there is nothing to worry about. But mothers should pay attention to possible changes in their baby's stool during weaning. When replacing breast milk, the baby may experience some discomfort. You need to consider whether the baby is intolerant to the new milk source, or is allergic or intolerant to the new food.

When a baby has diarrhea, it's usually because he or she has received liquids or food other than breast milk. If your baby has frequent watery stools, he or she may be dehydrated. If your baby has diarrhea symptoms, you should continue breastfeeding and supplement with electrolyte solutions appropriate for your baby's age.