How does baby poop predict my child's health? Should I eat more Omega-3's?

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By Dr. Comilla Sasson

Baby poop can predict your child's health later in life.

FACT. Researchers have found that over time, a newborn's poop has become less acidic and more alkaline from a pH of 5.0 to 6.5. When the newborn ingests milk, the Bifidobacterium bacteria break down the milk and create an acid byproduct that the newborn will expel through their poop.

The acidity can tell a lot about whether the baby has enough "good bacteria" to help break down food and keep the infant from getting diseases.

Over the course of 90+ years, researchers have found that baby poop has become more alkaline and less acidic with less of this good bacteria. Baby poop is sterile and the newborn gets bacteria from the mother, their meals and the environment. Researchers have found the first bacteria in the gut can ultimately change the way in which the baby's digestive tract forms.

It can also lead to longer-term issues like asthma, chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Possible reasons for the change in the acidity of baby poop could be that more babies are getting formula rather than breast milk, having c-sections (so the bacteria the newborn usually gets during a normal delivery does not occur), or from antibiotics given to the pregnant mom during the delivery.

All in all, we are not sure exactly how this may affect children as they become adults, but it is a source of further research... Read more on 9NEWS