White Baby Poop: What Does it Tell You?
Normal baby poop usually contains some combination of yellow, green, and brown. However, sometimes parents find more unusual colors in their baby’s diapers. A baby’s bowel system may be causing white poop. Learn more if your baby is producing white poop.
What causes babies to poop white?
White poop may be a sign of a blockage in the baby’s liver. Sometimes, white baby poop is a sign that there’s a blockage in the baby’s liver. This is known as biliary atresia and requires prompt treatment. White poop does not always indicate a serious condition.
A liver blockage can cause white baby poop as well as grey and pale-yellow poop. The liver cells of your baby produce bile which is a liquid that aids in the body’s breakdown of fat. Babies with biliary atresia have bile that can’t drain from the liver and stays inside. Bile buildup in the liver can cause liver damage and scarring, leading to cirrhosis. Biliary atresia eventually can lead to liver failure. This is very serious.
Babies between 2-8 weeks old usually develop biliary atresia. Other symptoms than the white poop may be noticed by parents. Jaundice is a condition that causes the skin and eyes of a newborn baby to turn yellow. You may notice a decrease in weight or a greater crying volume. A liver blockage may cause babies to have puffy stomachs.
Consult your doctor immediately if your baby is experiencing white poop or acting sick. The doctor will perform tests to determine if there is a blockage. This could include blood tests and ultrasound scanning. X-rays can also be used to diagnose a blockage. Although there is no cure for a blocked liver, doctors can perform surgery to restore bile flow. This procedure has a high success rate and is more effective if performed at an early age.
What’s the deal with a white substance in stool?
Sometimes, a baby’s normal brown, yellow, or green poop may be flecked by a white substance. Don’t be alarmed if you find these white flecks in your baby’s poop. It’s normal, even though it may look strange. It could happen to babies who have never had solid food.
The white substance found in stool can look like cottage cheese flecks or little white seeds if your baby is breastfed. These are just milk fats that have not been broken down by your baby’s digestive tract.
The white stool is dangerous for children?
It’s not normal for babies to have a white stool, nor is it for older children. A doctor should evaluate your children if they have white poop. There are many reasons white stool can occur in children, such as tumors and gallstones. There are some benign causes for white stool in children such as antacids.
The white stool can be a problem for children of all ages. According to the Mayo Clinic, bile is what gives poop its brown color so if it’s pale, it could be a problem. This could indicate that the liver isn’t producing any bile, or that bile cannot get out of the liver.
Tumors can block bile from reaching the small intestine. Gallstones are hardened deposits in the gallbladder that can also block the flow. These conditions can cause fever in children. These children may also feel nauseated or experience abdominal pain.
Read More WHAT IS FIBROBLAST TREATMENT?