Causes of breast milk diarrhea
Release time : 01/18/2025 18:13:27
Infant diarrhea may not always be caused by illness, sometimes it is due to colic.
Most new mothers do not understand lactation diarrhea, and once this occurs, they become very anxious to get their baby's stool back on track by switching to formula milk. However, doing so is counterproductive and may hinder the child's growth.
So, what is the cause of colic in breastfed infants? What is colic? Symptoms of colic in breastfed infants? How should colic be treated? Let us find out the answers one by one. First and foremost, it's essential to understand that colic is a common digestive system issue in infants during the breastfeeding period, primarily due to certain components in the breast milk that the infants cannot completely digest. These components may include lactose and casein, which can lead to diarrhea when the infants are unable to fully assimilate them. Secondly, the symptoms of colic often include: frequent bowel movements (especially loose stools), abdominal distension, fecal residues with undigested food, and possible accompanying vomiting or fever. In terms of treatment for colic, the main approach involves adjusting the way of breastfeeding to reduce the intake of certain components by the infant. This may include increasing water consumption, changing the frequency and amount of feeding, or using specialized formula milk instead of breast milk. Additionally, doctors may prescribe some medications based on specific circumstances to help treat the condition. Overall, although colic is common, most cases do not require excessive concern. As long as timely detection and appropriate treatment measures are taken, most infants can quickly return to normal.
Causes of breastfeeding diarrhea: Breast milk-induced diarrhea may be due to a higher content of prostaglandins in human breast milk, which promote the contraction of the small intestine smooth muscles and increase the secretion of water and electrolytes to produce loose stools.
The cause of colic in breastfed infants may be due to the infant's intolerance to lactose, and lack of lactase.
Lactose intolerance is divided into primary and secondary types. The amount of lactose in the stools can be determined by the method of acetate lead, which is used to screen for the disease.
When a mother experiences physiological breastfeeding diarrhea, there is no need for excessive concern. It is not advisable to alter the feeding from breast milk to cow's milk in order to achieve more formed stools. Conversely, insisting on this practice can hinder proper digestion and absorption, leading to malnutrition and hunger-induced diarrhea.
What is colic? In real life, colic is not common and only occurs in a minority of babies under 6 months.
The cause of lactation diarrhea is mainly due to the presence of prostaglandin E2 in breast milk, which promotes intestinal smooth muscle contraction and increases the secretion of water and electrolytes, resulting in loose stools for the baby.
When diarrhea occurs, it is important to first rule out the possibility of an illness.
In fact, the milk-borne diarrhea has obvious characteristics. The diarrhea generally occurs 3 to 7 times a day, with stools that are foamy and watery, smelling like an unusual sour odor, being slightly green, containing foam and whey, sometimes even with stripped transparent mucus.
During diarrhea, there is no fever, the infant shows no obvious distress or crying, stool analysis does not reveal any abnormalities related to infection, the severity of diarrhea is generally without other symptoms, the infant's mentality and appetite are good. Although the diarrhea lasted for a long time, the weight of the infant is increasing.
If diarrhea lasts for a long time, it may lead to serious consequences such as growth arrest and malnutrition, requiring timely treatment.
Many children can have the symptoms of breast milk diarrhea. Breast milk diarrhea, regardless of the severity of the condition, requires timely treatment.
Parents should pay attention to observation to prevent serious diarrhea, delay treatment, and cause serious consequences.
The symptoms of breast milk diarrhea can generally be divided into the following three categories: 1. Mild breast-milk diarrhea, the number of stools is about 10 times a day, and occasionally vomiting. The sick child's spirit and complexion are abnormal, and the number and amount of urine are large.
2. Severe breast-milk diarrhea, with bowel movements 10-20 times a day. The bowel movements are very thin, mostly mixed with stool water. The sick child cries in bursts, has little or no urine, and symptoms of dehydration appear. The sick child's mental atrophy, lethargy or coma will not wake up. If the disease continues to develop, blood pressure will drop and shock will occur.
3. Prolonged breast milk diarrhea, the course of disease lasts for more than one month, the condition is sometimes mild and sometimes severe, and in severe cases, vomiting and diarrhea are frequent, resembling severe diarrhea.
However, due to the delay in the course of the disease, the sick children mainly show chronic malnutrition, accompanied by secondary infection in a certain area.
What to do with breast milk diarrhea? Breast-milk diarrhea is a common and frequently-occurring disease in infants and young children. Regardless of the severity of the condition, it requires timely treatment.
If mildly ill children are not treated for a long time, they will develop protracted diarrhea.
Severely ill children are accompanied by water and electrolyte disorders and must be sent to the hospital for treatment in time. Delays will endanger their lives.
So what should I do if my baby has breast-derived diarrhea? Mothers should observe the baby's other conditions other than bowel movements. If the baby is in good spirits, has a good appetite, and has normal weight gain, then there will be no problems. This is normal. In terms of diet, you can feed 100 ml of fresh soy milk and 5 grams of glucose as a milk substitute.
As the child grows, they gradually adapt to progesterone in breast milk and lactase enzymes become more mature, increasing their activity to break down, digest, and absorb lactose. This improves as they start consuming complementary foods.
This text covers medical aspects only for reference purposes.
Should you experience discomfort, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately. The diagnosis and treatment should be based on the clinical examinations conducted by a physician in person.