I called my daughter's pediatrician today, and they say they have never been asked this question before...in the past couple of weeks, my (exclusively breast fed) daughter's BMs have smelled like vinegar. Over time, the smell has gotten stonger and stronger. The consistency is the same, the color is a little more greener than normal. My daughter is behaving normally. I just worry that this may be a sign of something. Has anyone ever had this issue before or know what is causing it? I may be taking a stool sample in soon, just to make sure there is nothing wrong that they can screen out. Thanks ahead of time!
Well, the strong-smelling BM has stopped, and seemed to stop right around the time that her first teeth started to pop out (at 20 weeks), so maybe it was a teething thing...
I hadn't heard of a vinegar smell, but last night my mother-in-law said that all of her kids diapers smelled like ammonia just before they started teething. Other than that, it probably is just something you are eating. Good luck!
J. W
Are you using the same diapers or changed them? One time with my daughter I noticed a different smell when she went to the bathroom...finally realized it was the diapers that we were using at the time. I changed back to our normal brand and all was fine. She is 9 now so I dont remember what brands we used.
Not saying this is definately your issue but if you aren't sure it's her stool it could be something to think about.
Take care.
This is actually my first response to anything on this site. But yours hit home. I have an 8 1/2 month old beautiful baby boy, that I also breastfeed, who off and on smells like vinegar! Funny story, we were somewhere and somebody was using balsamic vinegar. I wasn't paying attention to what they were doing, and I thought he pooped! It happens off and on and I have not figured out what causes it either. He is not fussy or showing any signs of being uncomfortable. I'd be interested in knowing if you find anything out though.
Not sure if this helps or not but...my baby had reflux & sort of took care of it on her own by nursing very shortly but close together. Since I was switching sides each time, she kept getting just foremilk & it started turning her poos green. Can't remember if it smelled stronger.
But...perhaps? I just fixed it by nursing just on one side during each 4 hr stretch. That corrected the green poos. See if that might be it. Maybe she is not getting the real fatty stuff & that is impacting the color as well as the smell.
Along the same lines of diet . . . I was just reading all the premie-info that we got when bringing our son home the other day, and one of the tidbits states that too much iron will cause breastmilk to change to a darker and greener color.
It doesn't mention odor tho - good luck!
A foul-smelling BM in an adult can be an indicator of a poor diet. Are you eating healthy? Make sure you're eating a balanced diet and drinking alot of water.
I totally agree with the previous post. I have an almost 4 month old girl who is also exclusivly breast fed. I've found it with her and also with my son when I breast fed him. That when I ate salad, zuchinni, brocolli, spicy food, any really gasy vegatables that the BM's were stinky and green. The two of them were always fine. For a while also when she had a cold and a lot of snotty mucus was making the BM's mucusy and green.
We are what we eat and breast fed babies are what there mamas eat:)
B.,
I'm not sure what could be causing that but could it possibly be something that you are eating or drinking or a vitamin or supplement that you've recently started? Anything that you have changed recently? Just a thought.
Could be a colicky tummy. Check what you ate. Some of my triggers where any gassy veggeis e.g. broccolli, lima beans, cabbage,onions, brussell sprouts, also chocolate, pepperoni and anything with red spices in it.
B.!! Really, RELAX. If her poo is smelling and she is breast feed you need to consider YOUR diet. What you eat, so does she. Have you changed vitmens or any medications? Have you tried new foods lately? Are YOU drinking enough water? Have you been sick? There are so many things to consider and most of them have to do with you and your habits first. As long as she is gaining and happy there is more than likely no problem at all. Babies poo changes like the wind once you start intoducing solids as well. Best wishes.
Hi B.! I'm wondering what you've been eating lately...perhaps there's something in your diet that leads to these smells. I wouldn't fret too much...especially if she is breast fed solely, and if you aren't noticing any changes in her behavior. In my experience (I breast fed two boys for about 14 months each until they self weened), their BMs were either non-existent for sometime, or yucky. But just in case, keep an eye on what she is around, exposed to, etc. (i.e., environmental ickies). Many blessings!!
C.
Mama to two boys (6, 4), licensed professional and nationally certified counselor, wife to my beloved soul mate
When my son hit about 4.5-5 months his BMs began to change... they were kind of greenish brown, with a tangy sort of odor and sticky... which i assumed indicated his intestinal flora were developing and preparing for solid food. Watch it for a few days... if it seems to get more solid and less like seedy peanut butter, it may be the same thing mine went through. We started introducing solid food a few weeks later. I think it's just a body change; my son has never seemed to have a problem.
If it seems to be something else, good luck! Let us know what happened.
Hi B. ~
The only times that my children's diapers smelled like vinegar were after they ate sand at the beach. Has she been outside, at the beach, campground or anything like that? Good luck!
