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The child is 3 weeks old has green stools. The baby has green stools. Influence of Mom's Diet

With the development of medicine, including its sections related to bearing and giving birth to children, it has become increasingly common to hear the opinion that children are born earlier than they should. According to doctors, the organs and systems of newborns are still very much in need of intrauterine development, with the help of the mother's body.

However, nature was arranged in such a way that children have to grow and develop on their own. In the first days after the birth of a child, it is very important to monitor how his body is adapting to new living conditions.

One of the main indicators signaling the baby's health, along with behavior, mobility, and response to the environment, is his feces. In order to timely identify and cure possible health problems in infants, you need to carefully monitor how and what the child pooped. Diagnosis of the baby's condition is based on color, smell and density.

Normal baby stools are dark green in color.

Immediately, in order to exclude the possible anxiety of young mothers, it should be noted that there is no stool sample, looking at which, one could say that the child has problems with.

A newly born baby may have feces of an absolutely unpredictable color and consistency. Although, some general rules do exist.

When a baby poops for the first time, his stool should normally be dark green. The first feces are called meconium.

It consists of everything, a digested child that got there during intrauterine development. Later, the color of the stool changes depending on the type of feeding.

For example, in those children who eat artificial foods for newborns, feces are thicker and more homogeneous, in contrast to the feces of babies fed with breast milk. Sometimes it is troubling to change the color of the stool to green.

Most often, there are no deviations. It may be the body's response to changes in or depending on the food you eat. To better understand what caused the feces to turn green, consider this issue in relation to bottle feeding and breastfeeding.

Green feces in infants

The color of the stool depends on the type of feeding the baby is feeding.

If an infant is breastfed alone, without any supplements or formula, the stool will usually be light brown in color.

Usually, the baby's feces are liquid with a sour smell. White blotches will be visible in it.

Quite often, a vessel may burst in the intestines of a newborn, due to which traces may appear in the discharge.

Also, do not worry too much about mucus particles in the diaper. The main reasons for the appearance of green stools in breastfed babies can be:

  • Oxidation of food products released after digestion by the body, when they come into contact with the air;
  • Staining feces with foods that the mother of the newborn ate, for example, zucchini or cucumbers;
  • The green color of feces can appear after taking or dietary supplements. Turning green stools may indicate that the preparation contains iron compounds or antibiotics. In the case of antibiotics, the green color is due to a violation of the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract;
  • When the balance of the intestinal flora is disturbed, a condition called. It occurs against the background of an incompletely formed infant's digestive system. Even with a slight change in the diet, or making changes to it, the composition and concentration of bacteria in the intestinal flora can change. The infant's body immediately reacts to this by changing the color of the feces to green. There is also nothing to worry about, because even drinking boiled water, in small quantities, for supplementing is already a factor in the appearance of dysbiosis;
  • When a frothy green stool appears in an infant, the thought immediately arises that the cause was lactose deficiency. In practice, in the overwhelming majority of cases, everything is much simpler. In order for the baby's nutrition to be balanced and not disturb the intestinal flora, it is necessary that he receives both front and rear breast milk. Failure to comply with this rule leads to the fact that the feces become foamy green. A young mother needs to make sure that the baby completely sucks out the breast, receiving not only the front, watery, but also the back, thicker and more nutritious milk. In addition to changing the color of the stool, the use of only front milk by the baby can lead to the fact that the child will grow poorly and lag behind in weight gain;

Another reason for the appearance of green stools may be the release of bilirubin.

What the color of the chair speaks about, the video will tell:

Green stool in newborns with artificial feeding

In the case of feeding with artificial mixtures, it is easier to understand why the child's feces have turned green than with. Indeed, in this case, there is no need to analyze the composition and quality of the mother's nutrition. You just need to look at the composition of the adapted formula that is used to feed the baby. If the mixture contains an excess of iron, then the whole point is in it.

By changing the food to a mixture of a different composition, you can get rid of the green color.

Is there cause for alarm?

If you have a rash on the skin, you should consult a pediatrician.

It is by no means impossible to say that a green stool in a newborn indicates problems with it.

Although this may be a signal of a possible illness, more often than not, everything is in order. In order to understand whether a child is sick, you need to monitor his condition in the complex.

The state of health is indicated by how the baby sleeps, whether he eats with appetite, whether he is in a vigorous state, is not capricious.

If, besides the green marks in the diaper, there are no symptoms of discomfort, there is no reason to worry either. You need to contact a pediatrician if a child has the following symptoms of the disease:

  1. rashes on the skin;
  2. frequent, unreasonable crying;
  3. intermittent restless sleep;
  4. constant regurgitation of food;
  5. increase in the number

The newly minted mother plunges headlong into caring for the child, in the care and custody of him. She worries so that the baby is full, calm, healthy, so that he is comfortable and good. Mom examines his tiny body, admiring his blood, listens to breathing during sleep, learns to recognize crying. And, of course, she is also worried about the baby's bowel movements - aren't you?

It should be said that children's stool depends on many factors, the main among which are the way of feeding (artificial or breastfeeding), and for older children the food they eat. Also, the quality of the stool directly depends on the health of the baby and the work of his digestive system. Children's feces can change in color, consistency and smell, and every time a loving attentive mother is alarmed and even frightened: why are baby poop black or mixed with blood and mucus? Today we will talk about why they are green and whether it is worth worrying about it.

Newborn's first feces

First of all, it should be said that it is possible to assess the state of a child's feces only after the 5th day of life, since before that time he secretes meconium, and then transitional stool.

Meconium is called the contents of the intestines of a newborn, and it just has a dark olive color - this is the norm. During the first two days, the baby poops with original feces - a thick, odorless, viscous mass of dark green color, close to black. Don't worry, transitional stools appear on the third day. It also has a green tint, but is closer to brown in color. Lumps of curdled milk are often visible.

And only after the 5th day of a newborn's life, the chair begins to take shape into a permanent one. In general, a greenish-brown feces in a newborn is observed up to 5-10 days.

Green feces in a breastfed baby

A child's stool largely depends on what he eats. And in the case of breastfeeding, the greenish color of baby feces is an absolute norm. This shade is given to him by bilirubin, which is invariably excreted along with feces.

Hormones in breast milk can also change the color and consistency of a newborn's feces - they fluctuate independently of you, and even more so of the baby.

Moreover, when the stool of a breastfed baby is oxidized, it also turns green. Note also that the liver of a newborn does not yet produce all the necessary enzymes, and the intestines are not yet inhabited by the necessary bacteria.

Even if the child has liquid foamy stools with a shade of green and mucous inclusions (but without a pungent odor and disturbing pain), this may be the norm, but to say that the child only sucks out the front more liquid milk, and does not get to the fatty one. It is fatty breast milk that gives baby feces a light brown color (like mustard).

Therefore, if you observe a similar picture, and at the same time nothing bothers the baby, he sleeps and eats well, poops regularly (but not often), puts on weight and is not capricious - there is no reason for worry. The baby's feces can be of any color - from yellow to dark brown with green. Of course, at the same time, the mother must control her nutrition - after all, everything she eats directly goes through the milk to the child.

Green feces in a bottle-fed baby

The same applies to artificial trees. Remember when the baby had green stools. Do you associate it with the change in the milk formula? This is often the reason for the greening of the poop. The characteristic green tint to the feces is given by iron, which is in large quantities in the mixture. Mothers, sharing their experience, say that they observed similar transformations when feeding children with NAS, Nutrilon and other mixtures.

Try changing the infant formula and see how it reacts. Parental worries often disappear at this stage.

But it happens that green feces in a child is one of the symptoms of some kind of disorder or disease. And then the baby needs to be shown to the doctor.

Green chair - cause for excitement

Once again, we draw your attention to the fact that the child's well-being plays a decisive role, and not the color of his chair. If the baby is cheerful and calm, sleep and appetite are not disturbed, and apart from the color in the feces, nothing else bothers you, sleep well. However, keep in mind that a small amount of mucus and undigested milk can absolutely be in the baby's stool.

It's another matter when the amount of mucus has increased and blood fragments have also joined this. Foamy liquid stool with a pungent sour putrid odor also indicates a disorder, mainly the development of dysbiosis. As an accompanying symptom on the skin, a rash may appear, the child becomes restless, cries for no reason, does not sleep well, he is worried about colic, he often spits up.

Green stools can also be one of the symptoms of lactase deficiency - the necessary tests should be taken. But if there are no other signs besides color, then there is no problem.

Against the background of a cold or a viral disease, stool can also change color, including greenish.

Lack of stool

A baby on full GV may not have stool for up to 7-10 days, which is normal if the baby has no temperature, good appetite, he is calm, cheerful, playful, sleeps well ... - this means that mother's milk is well absorbed by the child's body - treatment not required, continue to feed as usual, but observe its behavior.

If a baby on HB has no stool and at the same time he shows anxiety, screams pulling his legs to his tummy, he has a temperature ... - a reason to call an ambulance!

Babies on IV should have regular bowel movements, without interruptions and obvious concerns and alarming symptoms.

Green stools in older children

All this applies to older children. With digestive disorders, their feces may well change, including turning green. But since they are already eating "adult" food, this fact cannot be ignored. Keep in mind that green food can also turn your feces green. This effect, for example, is created by leafy vegetables and garden herbs: lettuce, spinach, nettle, parsley, dill.

Some mothers note the greening of feces with the introduction of complementary foods, in particular after the baby's acquaintance with an apple, pear or broccoli.

Unevenly colored feces with green spots may indicate too much sugar in the diet of children.

In general, before raising a panic over green poop, carefully analyze the situation: maybe everything is not so scary as it seemed to you at first.

You can read more about the chair here:

Changing the shade of the stool in an infant is an informative phenomenon. It signals gastrointestinal problems, body diseases or poor nutrition. If a newborn has green feces, it is important to analyze the situation and observe the behavior of the baby. Babies who eat mother's milk often poop greens due to women's non-compliance with the diet.

Green feces as a normal condition

A chair with greenery is not always dangerous for a newborn, because in the first days of being in a new environment, his body adjusts to unfamiliar living conditions. The digestive system also adapts, as a result of which the remnants of the masses trapped in the insides of the baby during intrauterine development and when passing through the birth canal are removed from the tract. This is how meconium is formed - a dark green feces, close to a black resinous mass. After a few days, the bowel movements take on a normal shade.

In some cases, green stool in a tiny newborn appears in response to excess bilirubin, which leaves the body along with intestinal contents. The reason for the increase in the level of bilirubin may be physiological jaundice or rejection of breast milk due to excess hormones.

When defecation carries greenish feces with white impurities, this indicates the immaturity of the enzymatic system of the baby. Third-party inclusions are the remnants of undigested milk, which is typical for babies sucking out the front nutrient fluid. Green stools when breastfeeding are called "hungry" because the baby does not make it to higher milk fat. Front milk is absorbed too quickly and produces strange feces.

Greenish poop in formula-fed children appears when switching to a new formula or as a result of eating food with a high iron content. Feces can be either pure green or yellow-green. With frequent exposure, it irritates the delicate skin of the baby, and excess iron causes allergies.

Feces with green leaves as a sign of pathology

When a newborn baby has green feces for several days in a row, stool output becomes more frequent, the consistency of the masses liquefies, or the baby is worried, this is not the norm. Parents should contact a pediatrician and find out why the nature of feces has changed. Doctors name several factors that provoke emptying with greens:

  1. Intestinal infection, excited by microbes, viruses, bacteria. Symptoms of acute infection include colic, vomiting and fever, lethargy or restless behavior, and refusal to eat.
  2. V irish infection body or a cold. The immature immunity of a newborn easily seizes on pathogenic strains, which makes the state of the intestinal microflora worse. As a result, green diarrhea opens.
  3. Dysbacteriosis. Striking signs of the disease are abdominal cramps, skin rashes, green lumps in the stool, irritation of the anal area. Violation of the composition of the intestinal microflora fails in the entire digestive system. The balance is corrected with probiotics - specific preparations with bacteria.
  4. Allergy. With green stools, the newborn's body is able to respond not only to the food eaten by the mother or a new mixture. Also, the color of feces is affected by taking medications. When a toddler receives antibiotic therapy, intestinal upset cannot be avoided. For the prevention of diarrhea and dysbiosis, probiotics are prescribed to the crumbs.

Pediatrician Komarovsky explains the slight greening and change in the consistency of feces by the postpartum adaptation of the child's body to new food and living conditions. During the neonatal period, the digestive system remains imperfect, and everything is forgiven to it. In the future, feces with herbs should be taken as an alarming symptom.

When to see a doctor?

If the newborn's well-being remains normal, but the mother is frightened by green poop, you should consult a pediatrician and donate feces for analysis to eliminate suspicions. If there are viruses or bacteria in the body, the sample will definitely show pathological changes. What drugs to give the child, the doctor decides.

Most often, probiotics are prescribed for treatment:

  • Linex;
  • Bifiform;
  • Acipol;
  • Simbiter;
  • Hilak Forte;
  • Lactobacterin;
  • Bifidumbacterin.

To make it easier for the doctor to diagnose, parents should pay attention not only to the color of the stool, but also to the presence of accompanying symptoms. The warning signs are:

  1. rejection of the breast;
  2. underweight;
  3. rash on the body;
  4. diarrhea or constipation;
  5. temperature increase;
  6. bad breath;
  7. lethargy and indifference;
  8. capricious behavior;
  9. manifestations of flatulence and colic.

In an infant, it is quite common. The fact is that in the first months of a baby's life, normal feces are just beginning to form, therefore they often change color. However, this is a concern for parents, and in some cases it is quite justified.

Green stools from malnutrition

In fact, the greenish color of feces is not always a reason for a visit to the doctor. Malnutrition is often associated with malnutrition, especially among breastfed babies. If the child does not eat long enough, then he gets only the so-called "front" milk, which contains fewer nutrients. Therefore, many mothers are advised to keep their baby close to the breast long enough so that he can receive "hind", richer milk. In addition, do not forget about hormones and other substances that enter breast milk - they can also affect the color of feces.

Child's stool and nutrition

Quite often, the change is associated with nutritional habits. For example, a baby quite often has yellow-green stools immediately after switching to artificial feeding - in such cases, doctors usually recommend changing the formula. In some cases, a greenish tint indicates an increased iron content in the porridge. Often, green stools in an infant appear after the introduction of other foods into the diet. For example, broccoli soup or herbs can affect the color of your stools. And do not forget about food coloring - try to give your child only homemade products without preservatives and other potentially dangerous substances.

Green stools in an infant against a background of diseases

Unfortunately, sometimes the reasons for the appearance of green feces are far from so harmless. For example, a change in stool color can signal an allergic reaction. In this case, you should pay attention to the accompanying symptoms - the presence of a rash, vomiting, diarrhea and other signs of allergies. One of the most common causes is considered to be such a well-known disease as dysbiosis, which is associated with a violation of the normal composition of the intestinal microflora. At the same time, other symptoms are observed in the baby - nausea, loss of appetite, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. In some cases, the dark green color of the stool can signal the presence of bleeding in the digestive tract.

Green stools in an infant: what to do?

Of course, such a sharp change in the color of the stool worries any parent. And if it has nothing to do with the nutrition of the mother or child, then you should consult a doctor. Immediate medical attention is required if there are indigestion (diarrhea, vomiting), bloating and severe abdominal pain, fever. In such cases, it is necessary to take samples of the child's feces for laboratory analysis - this is the only way to determine the presence of the disease. As for the treatment, it depends on the cause and nature of the disease itself.

So, it happened! You became the mother of the most wonderful baby in the world! You hold him in your arms and cannot stop looking: he has your eyes, a button nose and chubby cheeks. But then the moment comes when your baby needs to change a diaper for the first time, and - oh, horror! - you find there some strange discharge: odorless, viscous, almost black in color, with a consistency reminiscent of resin.

Poop of a child is an indicator of the state of his body.

Do not be alarmed: this is the original feces, or meconium.

Meconium is formed in the body of a child ready for birth and consists of food debris (received in utero from the mother's body), amniotic fluid (swallowed at birth), contains epithelial particles and even fragments of marigolds that entered the intestines after the baby sucked his fists.

By the third day of life, if you often apply your baby to your chest, meconium will be completely eliminated from the body, and the child's stool will acquire a dark green color.

Meconium is completely normal. Don't be intimidated by dark mucus.

This is a transitional feces, it is more liquid than meconium. It will remain so for a couple of days until real milk replaces the colostrum that you will feed the baby until about the fifth day of his life. During this period, the child poops green poop.

Remember: green stools in babies are normal!

Why do babies have green stools?

This is explained by the following reasons (most of them relate to the situation when the baby is breastfed):

  • the presence of hormones in breast milk;
  • the presence of bilirubin, which is excreted from the baby's body along with feces;
  • insufficient intestinal maturity (it simply lacks beneficial bacteria);

My body is still too weak for the harsh reality.

  • the baby's liver is not yet capable of producing all the enzymes necessary for digestion;
  • the day before, the mother ate foods high in iron or colored green (for example, greens or broccoli);

A young mother should be careful in her food choices.

  • the baby has an allergy to foods that his mother ate the day before;
  • oxidative processes occur in feces.

On the fifth day of his life, the baby's stool acquires a more pleasant (yellow) color and may resemble pea soup or mustard in consistency. If you look closely, you can see cheesy or grainy blotches in it.

This is what a normal baby's stool should look like.

Stages of stool formation in infants

  • Original feces (meconium). It is excreted 48 hours after birth;
  • Transitional feces (green). Typical for 3 and 4 days of a child's life;
  • Persistent stool. It is formed by the first week of a baby's life.

How often should a baby recover?

Many young mothers are concerned about this issue.

Remember: in the first three days of life, the child poops as many times as he has lived in this world: in the first day - once, in the second - two, in the third - three.

After real milk replaces colostrum, your baby must empty the intestines at least 3-4 times a day, in rather large portions. Most often, babies at the age of 3-6 weeks poop after each feeding (up to 10-12 times), and this is also normal.

In the first days of life, you will have to change the diaper very often.

When your baby grows up a little and reaches the age of 6 weeks (sometimes a little earlier), he will poop less often: once every 5-7 days. Some children may not have a bowel movement for more than a week and feel great at the same time. The stool of infants does not become dry and hard, as in the case, but still has a puree-like consistency.

Let us emphasize again: a rare stool in a baby should not disturb the mother if the child does not show signs of anxiety, eats well and is in a cheerful mood.

A rare stool in this case only indicates that mother's milk is good for him: it is well absorbed and digested without problems.

Some children continue to poop after each feeding, others - once a day: this is also the norm.

It is important for the child to constantly feel the warmth and care of the parents.

Normal baby bowel movements can look different. It happens:

  • puree;
  • liquid;
  • its color variations: different shades of yellow, yellow-green, green, brown;
  • there may be mucus in it (in moderation);
  • in the feces, yellow and white lumps are acceptable.

Pay attention to the smell of feces: if it is weak, milky-sour, then everything is in order.

The nature of the stool in babies is a very often discussed topic in numerous forums on the Internet. Here, for example, is such a statement:

“When we lived abroad, the doctor said: if a child's stool is not white, not black and without blood, everything else can be considered the norm. And when my baby's stool color resembled greenery in May, I was not particularly worried: everything went away by itself after about two weeks. Although I heard that a baby's green stool is called "hungry." Is it so?"

Most likely, here we are talking about a phenomenon that pediatricians call.

What is "lactase deficiency"?

Green frothy stools with mucus can be observed if the baby regularly feeds on the so-called "front" milk. This happens in those mothers who shift the baby from one breast to another, without waiting for him to completely empty one breast.

Green stools are the result of acute lactase deficiency.

As a result, the child does not receive the fattest and most nutritious ("rear") milk. But it is it that contains a large amount of lactase - an enzyme that breaks down milk sugar - lactose, which is rich in "front" milk.

"Front" milk quickly passes through the gastrointestinal tract (since it is low in fat), almost not being absorbed by the baby's body. Back milk, on the other hand, is well absorbed: it is this milk that creates the puree-like consistency of the stool and gives it a pleasant yellow color.

The difference is obvious!

Lactase in the baby's body is still not produced enough, therefore, if he regularly feeds only on "front" milk, the small body cannot cope with its digestion. Gas begins to torment the child, his stool becomes liquid and frothy, he almost stops gaining weight.

To prevent this from happening to your baby make sure he sucks the chest all the way and only then apply it to the other breast.

The nature of the stool in artificial infants

The stool of babies who are fed with dry formula is strikingly different from the feces of infants. It is denser, yellowish in color and smells much like adult feces. Its appearance and composition are constant, since the child receives the same formula from day to day, the components of which do not change (in contrast to the composition of breast milk).

If the stool of the artificial baby has changed, urgently change the mixture.

But artificial people also have green poop. Usually, the iron, which is a component of the mixture, affects the color of the stool. If you are worried about the color of the stool in the child, try changing the mixture and see if this affects the nature of the stool. Normalizing the coloration would mean that the fears were in vain.

Watch carefully for the reaction of the baby to the introduced complementary foods!

Complementary feeding can also significantly affect the character and color of the stool.

Alarming symptoms

You don't have time to change diapers, does your baby stain up to 16 pieces a day, is his poop watery and smells really bad? Your child has acute diarrhea.

If your child has diarrhea and colic, call the pediatrician.

Possible causes of diarrhea:

  • an infection has entered the baby's body;
  • antibiotic treatment;
  • the child's reaction to complementary foods;
  • the baby is given a lot of fruit juices.

Breast milk restores the intestinal microflora of the baby.

Most often, diarrhea in infants goes away quickly and has no consequences. Never stop breastfeeding your baby: breast milk will protect you from dehydration, restore your intestinal microflora and help fight infection.

Pediatricians recommend starting fruit complementary foods from 6 months. First of all, kids should be introduced to. This dish is eaten with pleasure by crumbs, it does not cause allergic reactions and is very easy to prepare.

Many mothers notice that their babies have head sweats during feeding. Normal or pathological? Let's figure it out together in.

In order for the baby to grow up physically healthy and strong, he must regularly do exercises. The best assistant in this matter is. This sports equipment will be in demand from the first days of a child's life.

When to see a doctor

When should mom worry? If:

  • blood appeared in the stool of the baby and;
  • the child has liquid, frothy stools with a pungent putrid odor;
  • the baby behaves restlessly: he twists his legs, often cries, eats poorly, sleeps little, spits up often and a lot.

Mucus, blood, an unpleasant odor are alarming signals, you cannot do without a doctor.

All these symptoms are the reason for immediate medical attention. Consultation with a pediatric gastroenterologist, stool coprogram will help to diagnose and find out the cause of the baby's discomfort.

Now let's summarize some of the results. The nature of the stool in infants is very important for assessing the state of his digestive tract.

Be attentive to your child!

Doctor Komarovsky, well-known in our country, claims that the stool of an infant can be: thick, slimy, watery - whatever. If the baby is feeling well, gaining in height and weight, he has a healthy sleep and appetite - the mother has no cause for concern, even if his bowel movements do not look very attractive.