Can A Mother’s Milk Be Too Heavy And Can The Baby Get Diarrhoea Or Vomiting With It?
No, a mother’s milk is just right for her baby. At the beginning of the feed, the milk is thin (foremilk). Towards the end of the feed, it becomes thick (hind milk). The foremilk is rich in lactose and the hind milk is rich in fat. The baby needs both. The fat-rich milk is also easily digested by the baby because of a substance present in the mother’s milk that helps in the digestion of fat. The stools of a breastfed child are normally loose. Some exclusively breastfed babies pass frequent watery motions. Sometimes, they are soapy, green, frothy, or mucousy and may even contain reducing substances. Some such babies may vomit curds or milk off and on. But, as long as they are getting only mother’s milk, are active, suckle normally and pass urine frequently, this is normal and no medicine or any other treatment is required. Breastfeeding should be continued. I like to call this condition the ‘Physiological diarrhoea of an exclusively breastfed baby’. Drugs given to such babies can be har
