What To Do About White Chunks In Baby Poop

Are you panicking and do not know what to do about white chunks in baby poop? 

Pooping is a natural process for babies, and you will probably see a lot of it as they are growing up.

The amount of poop and how frequently it happens can give you lots of insight into your baby’s health. 

It is also important to keep track of the color of poop so that you can know when something’s wrong.

After birth, the baby’s poop will change colors, but some of the changes could be alarming. 

So, if you are wondering what to do about white chunks in baby poop, keep reading to find out.

Related post: What To Do About Toddler White Poop From Too Much Milk

What to do about white chunks in baby poop

If you are not used to the pooping patterns of babies, it can be a bit of a shock at first. That’s because their poop changes color a lot.

It depends on different factors such as:

• A newborn baby’s poop is greenish-black in color and usually passes within the first 24 hours.
• It is known as meconium and is a combination of everything the baby ingested within the womb.
• This poop gets lighter in color within a few days as your baby’s body starts digesting breast milk or formula.
• If you are breastfeeding, your baby’s poop is likely to be runny and yellow or greenish.
• However, formula-fed babies will have poop that is dense and browner in color.
• Once your baby starts eating solid foods, you’ll notice that their poop changes again.
• Now it will be thicker and much darker, with occasional chunks mixed in.

Generally speaking, you should share any poop changes with your baby’s doctor.

It is mostly harmless, but you can never be too careful with your baby.

When you start seeing white chunks in baby poop, this is what could be causing them and what you can do about it:

1. Partially digested food

If your baby has just started eating solids, their body will take some time to get used to digesting the food.

It means that sometimes you may find whole chunks of food in poop.

Mostly, undigested food maintains its original color even in poop, but sometimes it shows up as white chunks after passing through the digestive tract. 

Even if they only drink breast milk or formula, their bodies might find it hard to digest milk fats.

This usually goes away on its own as the baby’s digestive system adjusts.

2. Illness

If your baby’s poop is more white than any other color, you should call the doctor immediately.

It is mostly a sign that their liver is not processing bile correctly.

The liver gives the poop its color and can be potentially fatal if not taken care of early enough. 

Sometimes, the bile ducts could be blocked by something, and a thorough medical examination can only determine this. 

Your baby may also have whitish poop for the first few days after they start recovering from a stomach infection.

This is completely normal, but you should still check in with your doctor to be sure.

3. Food allergy

There are times the problem lies in whatever you are feeding your baby.

It could be solid food, an ingredient in the formula, or something you transfer through breast milk.

If they are allergic to it, the white chunks in poop can be a clue. 

This also comes with diarrhea, loss of appetite, and stomach aches for your baby.

If you suspect this, keep track of when it happens so that you know what you fed your baby before that.

You can then choose to remove that from their diet and find a substitute that also works.

Who knew that being a parent also came with tracking the pooping patterns of your baby?

Knowing what to do about white chunks in baby poop is very important for you and your baby.

Keeping vigilant can help you to detect abnormalities early and be able to know how to fix it. 

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