Does your lovely baby’s eye discharge make you worry? It is simple to be upset as a parent because your baby is your world. So you can’t tolerate any wrong with them and want to keep them healthy and comfortable.
However, there can be many reasons for your infant’s eye discharge, such as allergies, clogged tear ducts, or a viral infection. Eye discharge can cause your newborn’s eyes to be shut or have a rest around the outer edges. Yet they can usually be treated at home. But how is that possible?
Breast milk is a natural substance that can work like a wonder to treat your baby at home as an eye drop. The power of breast milk is undeniable. It contains vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, and other protective components.
Even some surveys showed the effectiveness and safety of breast milk to cure a baby’s eye infection. However, if you want to use breast milk as a medicine, read on to learn how to put breastmilk in a baby’s eye to treat any discharge.
What causes eye discharge in newborns and toddlers?
There are various reasons for baby or toddlers eye discharge. Your baby’s eye discharge may occur due to allergies, clogged tear ducts, stye, eye injury, or a simple seasonal cold. It may even be a common sign of eye infections like bacterial or viral conjunctivitis.
Blocked tear ducts in newborns
Many babies are born with obstructed tear ducts, which can induce tears to drain improperly. It leads to mild discharge or watery eyes.
If you see your baby is experiencing goopy eyes or eye discharge, keep the eye area clean and wipe it with a clean, wet washcloth. A gentle massage of the affected area can help unblock the tear duct of your infant.
Allergies
When a baby is affected by seasonal eye allergies or is sensitive to environmental factors such as pollen, smoke, pet dander, or dust, they may face the watery discharge of their eyes. The reason is these things can cause inflammation of allergies conjunctivitis.
Conjunctivitis
Eye discharge is a common sign of eye infection, such as bacterial and viral conjunctivitis. Both of them are contagious. Viral conjunctivitis or pink eye is getting well on its own, or you can try breast milk for its treatment.
If your baby is affected by bacterial conjunctivitis, they face eye discharge. In that case, it needs some medical help for its treatment.
Can I use breast milk to cure a baby eye discharge?
Squirting a small amount of breast milk into a baby’s eye can treat their eye discharge. Even, helps clear the tear duct and cure an ear infection. But is it work, or is there any scientific evidence?
Yes, it seems possible as breast milk contains nutrients and essential natural substances that can keep your little one healthy. It also helps them to fight against infection and disease.
Yet the treatment of eye discharge varies depending on its causes. In some cases, eye discharge goes away on its own without any treatment. If eye discharge is a cold symptom or blocked tear ducts, there is no need to use breast milk But you may use breastmilk to treat your baby’s eye infection. Many parents do not access their necessary health care. So the medicinal use of breast milk is honestly better than nothing for them.
However, you can use breast milk for your baby’s eye discharge as well as teething, bag bites, minor wounds, dry skin, and diaper rash too.
Anyway, we mention some medical research on breast milk and eye infection. These may help assure whether you will use breast milk as a medicine or not.
What is the Medical research on breast milk and eye infection?
From the research PubMed, caring for a baby’s eye infection with breast milk is the most common medicinal use of breast milk under 6 months. It suggests that routinely using breast milk is probably safe. We know that eye discharge from blocked tear ducts gets well on its own. Yet if you want to do something, instilling mother breast milk seems safe.
In 2012, Baynham and coworkers published a letter in the British Journal of Ophthalmology,
“Human breast milk is unlikely to be effective against the most familiar causes of pediatric conjunctivitis.” There was an impressive finding among all the bacteria tested. Mother milk was most useful against the bacteria that causes gonorrhea. That may be the exact bacteria that induce most neonatal eye diseases worldwide.
The small study in Spain resembled breast milk and antibiotic drops as treatments for newborns in blocked tear ducts. The blocked tear ducts cleared up quicker with breast milk than with antibiotics. Breast milk seems to be completely safe.
Complete guide on how do you put breast milk in an infant’s eye to treat discharge?
I think from above now you gather some information about using breast milk for a baby’s eye discharge. In some cases, it works like a miracle to cure your baby’s eye discharge.
But the exciting and panicking question you may want to know is how to put breast milk in your baby’s eyes. Because, before treatment, the right approach and process are most important that you should take. Otherwise, it may be harmful to your baby.
In that case, it will be better to take any natural approach such as human milk instead of medication.
Anyway, to treat your baby’s eye infection, you can try directly squirting a drop or two of breast milk into the internal portion of your child’s eyes. You can try it while their eyes are closed, and then once they open their eyes, the breast milk will drop into the eyes. Then it works to clear up any discharge.
However, you can treat your baby’s pink eye or eye discharge by using a warm compress. You can help clear up the gunk by applying a wet and warm compress.
For this process, use a warm, wet, and clean washcloth and place it over the inner portion of your infant’s eyes for about 10 seconds. Then wipe gently to remove the produced gunk.
When to see a doctor for eye discharge in babies and toddlers
If eye discharge occurs due to blocked tear ducts, allergies, or viral infection, you can treat them at home by applying some home remedies. But in other severe cases, you need to seek a doctor. Otherwise, your baby may face long-term eye diseases.
Here we include some signs. If you notice the following symptom with your baby’s eye discharge, you should fast go to an eye specialist.
- Constant rubbing or touching on the eye
- If your baby’s discharge is thick in texture.
- If their eye discharge lasts longer than a few days
- Pain, redness, and swelling with discharge
- Yellow or green eye discharge
- Troubling closing and opening their eyes
How often do you put breast milk in a baby’s eyes?
Placing a drop or two into your little one’s eyes may cure their normal eye discharge. You can drop it into the inner portion of your baby’s eyes. Some studies claim the safety of using breast milk as a medicine.
However, you can apply the breast milk as an eye drop a few times a day for a week or two. Even use it until their eye discharge goes well.
Is it safe to use breast milk for baby’s eye discharge?
Some studies show that it is safe to use breast milk for babies’ eye discharge. It is effective against blocked tear ducts and bacterial infections. Blocked tear ducts may clear up quicker with mother’s milk than with any antibodies, and it is safe.
Colostrums on breast milk seem more valuable than mature breast milk. It has probably more elevated attention on antibodies (especially IgA).
When should I worry about the baby’s eye discharge?
When your newborn or toddler has red or pink eyes that seems painful or itchy, along with any discharge, fast call their pediatrician. Almost 10 percent of all babies are born with at least a tear duct that’s entirely or partially blocked, which leads to conjunctivitis.
So in those cases, if you let it untreated, neonatal conjunctivitis can cause long-lasting damage to your baby’s eyes, including blindness.
How to use breast milk for eye infections or goopy eyes?
If your newborn has an eye infection, you may directly place a drop or two of breast milk a few times a day or as needed into their eyes. Breast milk can help clear up their ducts if they have an eye infection or goopy eyes. Says Esther Willms, a registered midwife at The Midwives Clinic of East York.
Can you use breast milk as eye drops?
From some studies, you can use mother’s milk as eye drops, as it is completely safe for a baby’s tear ducts and eye infection. You can try squirting a drop or two of breast milk into the baby’s eyes. It can help your baby to clear up their eye ducts.
Does breast milk help for baby skin whitening and acne?
You may look at the presence of acne in newborns right after birth or develop after a few weeks. Generally, these escapes will get well and clear on their own with time, but human milk can help ease the acne and even help your child’s sensitive skin.
For these, drown a cotton ball into the human milk and wipe it gently on the affected area or your baby’s whole face. The natural component of your breast milk clears your baby’s skin, treats acne, and helps their skin whiten.
Can breast milk burn a baby’s face?
Breast milk is a natural substance that helps cure babies’ eye discharge, ear infections, diaper rash, and even bug bites. Yet some babies have a food allergy.
The most primary sign of breast milk intolerance or food allergy in a breastfed child is eczema( a red and scaly skin rash). And bloody stool( with no other symptoms of their illness). They cause the burning of your baby’s face. You might also notice wheezing, hives, vomiting, diarrhea, or nasal congestion.
Does breast milk help with eye infections in adults?
Breast milk has enough health benefits for a baby. The presence of complex sugar in breast milk helps improve the immune system. Some studies agree that it is effective for adults too. Dr. Sara Moukazel says they trust that if human milk is safe for infants, it should be safe for adults and toddlers.
So it helps treat the adult’s eye infection. Yet if you see the vital symptoms, you should go to a doctor.
In the conclusion
Any disease of your little one makes you worried and stressed out, whether it is eye disease or something else. Your baby’s eye discharge may occur for some causes.
But from some studies, you can treat their discharge at home by using breast milk in babies’ eyes to clear up any ducts. It is effective and safe against blocked tear ducts or any bacterial infection.
Though common eye discharge may get well on its own, the medicinal use of breast milk may be something better than nothing for some parents.
In some cases, it leads to an infection or a symptom of an underlying condition.
However, if your child or toddler experiences constant eye discharge and gets it worse or another sign occurs, you should contact your eye doctor to prevent further problems.
Anyway, by using the tips listed above, you can help your baby feel more comfortable and see well.
