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What Goes in Must Come Out!
Breastfed Babies and Their Bottoms By Lisa A. Goldstein
The foods you eat can play a role in your child's stooling pattern, but not to any significant degree. "We recommend that mothers eat a well-varied diet, foods that she generally likes and tolerates," says Brown-Ginsberg. "The key is moderation, avoiding overindulgence in any one food. For the most part, baby's bowel movements [will] remain soft, mustard-yellow color despite variety in Mother's diet."
When it comes to food, it's easy to lose focus of the bigger picture. "Spicy foods have always gotten a bad reputation, but remember that in many parts of the world, very spicy foods are eaten by breastfeeding mothers, and the majority do fine!" says new parent Dr. Susan Dulkerian, a neonatologist at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Md.
If theinfant has a soft, non-tender abdomen without distension, apparent pain, lethargy, vomiting or fever, then no intervention is necessary, says Dr. Rudolph. Grunting, pushing or turning red in the face while passing a stool is normal in infants and should not be of concern if the stool doesn't contain blood or mucus. "If the infant has a hard distended tummy, fever or apparent pain that is not associated with passage of a bowel movement or vomiting of blood or greenish-colored vomitus, the infant should be evaluated by a physician," he says.
