Chapter foaming, this is the 4 causes that can occur, including in babies

Causes of foamy bowel movements

In fact, foamy bowel movements can be a sign of another disease that you are experiencing. The following are various health conditions that can cause foamy stools.

1. Infection

Bacterial, parasitic, and viral infections that attack the digestive system can cause gas bubbles to form. These gas bubbles are what make the stool foamy.

Usually, the most common source of infection that causes foamy stools is the parasite Giardia. This parasite can infect the body through consumption of contaminated drinks and food. In addition, this parasite can also enter the body when you accidentally drink or swim in water that has been contaminated by the parasite Giardia.

Not only foamy bowel movements, infection is usually accompanied by other symptoms such as:

fatigue,
bloating,
nausea,
stomach cramps, and
weight loss suddenly.

This condition usually lasts for two to six weeks until the symptoms subside.

2. Celiac disease

Celiac disease is an immune system disorder that occurs in response to the body when a person consumes gluten. Gluten is a type of protein found in wheat.

When exposed to celiac disease, the immune system reacts negatively to gluten and damages the lining of the small intestine, which can cause fat absorption to cause foamy bowel movements.

If you have celiac disease, not only the stool changes. However, you will feel a variety of other symptoms including:

anemia,
constipation,
diarrhea,
fatigue,
sprue,
loss of appetite, and
joint pain.

3.Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

IBS is the inability of the colon to function properly. In people with IBS, the intestines experience irregular contractions which can cause digestive problems such as diarrhea or constipation.

In addition, people with IBS also usually have slimy stools that make their appearance appear foamy. Other symptoms that can also be felt are cramps and abdominal pain, bloating, frequent belching, and fatigue.

4. Pancreatitis

The disease that can also underlie your foamy bowel symptoms is pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreatic gland which is divided into acute and chronic conditions. This one health problem hinders a person's ability to digest fat.

This condition can cause pain in the upper abdomen that spreads to the back of the stomach. Heavy drinking, gallstones, pancreatic cancer, and genetic disorders can all cause pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis can cause foamy stools accompanied by other symptoms such as:

fever,
nausea and vomiting,
heart rate faster than normal, as well
swollen stomach.

5. Operation

Apart from health problems, abdominal surgery procedures can also cause foamy stools. Usually this operation will cause short bowel syndrome which can cause a person to experience chronic diarrhea and foam in the stool. However, this condition is temporary and will disappear by itself once the body's condition has recovered.

Causes of foamy stool in babies

Not only adults who can experience problems with stool, babies also often experience foamy bowel movements. Usually, babies who have foam in their stools are a sign of excess lactose, which is the sugar in breast milk.

Breast milk consists of two parts, namely foremilk and hindmilk. Foremilk is the milk that comes out when your little one starts sucking on the mother's breast. Meanwhile hindmilk is the milk that comes out after the foremilk. Hindmilk tends to be thicker and contains more calories as well as fat.

Foremilk has less nutrition than hindmilk. Now, if the baby gets too much foremilk while breastfeeding, the body is unable to digest lactose so that the waste that it excretes contains foam.

If your little one has frequent foamy stools, then try to feed him for 20 minutes on one side before moving on to the other breast. This is done to ensure that the baby is receiving enough hindmilk to reduce the presence of foam in the stool.

Moving the baby from one breast to the other too quickly will make your little one suck too much foremilk.

How to deal with foamy bowel movements?

As already explained, foam in the stool can be based on various digestive diseases. For that, you must know in advance if there is a disease that you are suffering from. Especially if your stool continues to foam more than twice, this is a warning sign that your body is giving you to be aware of. In addition, these conditions are accompanied by:

fever that exceeds 38.6 degrees Celsius,
the presence of blood in the stool, and
quite severe and unbearable stomach pain.

After experiencing the various symptoms above, this is a sign that you no longer need to delay going to the doctor. From there, the doctor will determine what treatment is appropriate for your condition.

If the cause is intolerance to certain types of food, it is important to know in advance what foods can cause the symptoms of foamy bowel movements that you are experiencing. Then, as much as possible avoid consumption.

Likewise, if the cause is IBS disease, you may need to consult with doctors and nutritionists about the right diet. This is because some foods, such as fried foods, can cause gas which will worsen the symptoms you feel.

It is different if the mastermind is an infection, the doctor will give you medicines in the form of antibiotics that must be taken regularly for a certain period of time.

If you still have other questions and complaints, do not hesitate to consult a doctor.