Or
Buttered Popcorn Will Never Be the Same
On the nuances of bowel movement divination
“Ding!”
Popcorn’s done…
Except this popcorn happens to be in my baby’s diaper. Guess we should call it poopcorn.
Believe it or not, breastfed babies’ poo smells like buttered popcorn. Yum. It’s not like I’ll ever be able to go to a movie again with a baby, but if I ever do I may have an episode PTSD (Poop Traumatic Stress Disorder).
Some people report a sweet bakery shop smell—like cookies or cupcakes. Others say their baby’s poop smells like porridge or fresh cooked rice. Ryder’s always smells like straight up buttered poopcorn, without fail.
So, what is it in a breastfed baby’s poop that smells like popcorn?
It’s a compound called Butyric acid that is the culprit for the smell. Butyric acid is found in animal fat, some plant oils, butter, cheese and breast milk. It’s also a product of anaerobic fermentation (like what happens in our guts). It’s a short chain fatty acid (SCFA) that’s found naturally in your gut.
So, there’s your answer to the buttered popcorn smell. Breastfed babies just produce a lot of Butyric acid in their poop. But while we’re on the subject, might as well keep the poo dialogue moving. Baby poop (and adult poop) can tell you a lot about the health and wellbeing of the pooper.
Different smells could lead you to some detective work. Like if it smells like vinegar or sour milk, it could be too much dairy. Or if it smells like metal it could be dehydration or another type of infection.
Different colors give warning. Red, black and white are the colors to look out for. Red could mean blood. Black could mean internal bleeding. And white could mean liver issues.
But the baby poop that takes the cake definitely has to be meconium. If you have never had a chance to experience meconium, the baby’s first poops of life, that’s a very special type of feces. It comes out black and tarry like motor-oil-ooze-sludge and makes you think you birthed a pooping machine, not a baby. But then the baby starts pooping for real and you realize you did create a pooping machine.
If you’re a parent, you know how much life revolves around poop. If you’re not a parent and you find this blog disgusting and sad (do parents have nothing else to talk about besides poop?), I understand your perspective. I always hated hearing adults talk endlessly about their children’s bowel movements, but now I get it. Poop is life. Life is poop.
And on that note, I’m going to leave you with a haiku that applies to all of us.
It’s (of course) titled the Poo Haiku
Remember to chew
A good chew is a good poo
Poop starts in your mouth
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/butyric-acid#what-is-it
http://amyheatherose.blogspot.com/2010/02/dr-devin-j-rose.html
https://naturalbabylife.com/baby-diapers-smell-vinegar-metal-popcorn-yeast/