Child 10 months of frequent bowel movements. What should be the stool in a child: norm and pathology. Plain decorated chair

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Angela Vasilievna asks:

What should normal feces look like in a newborn baby?

The characteristics of normal feces in children under one year old depend on several parameters. The greatest influence is exerted by the age and type of nutrition of the child. The main types of normal stool newborn and their characteristics are presented in the table.

Characteristics of normal stool in children under one year of age.

Age Chair type Fecal characteristics
1 - 3 daysMeconium
  • color is dark green, dark olive;
  • thick in consistency, homogeneous;
  • without smell.
45 daysTransition
  • loose, slightly watery stools, mucus impurities, whitish lumps are possible;
  • the color is different, there may be a mixture of several colors, from yellow-white to green;
  • the smell is not pungent, slightly sour.
6 days - 6 monthsNormalWith natural breastfeeding:
  • yellow-golden color;
  • creamy consistency;
  • sour smell.
With artificial feeding:
  • the color is light yellow, or with a brownish tint;
  • the stool is thicker than during breastfeeding, mushy;
  • the smell is pungent, sometimes putrid.
When prescribing iron supplements to a child:
  • black impurities appear.
After 6 monthsRegular (decorated)
  • the chair is decorated, sausage-like;
  • color brown, dark brown;
  • thick, soft in consistency;
  • gets a natural, natural smell.

Meconium.

Meconium is a dark green stool that is sterile. Consists of the contents of the intestines of the newborn, accumulated during intrauterine development, before the first attachment to the breast. These are intestinal epithelial cells, cells contained in the amniotic fluid and part of the amniotic fluid itself, bile, intestinal and pancreatic secretions. Usually, this type of stool leaves on the first day, it can rarely last up to three days. Its volume is about 50-200 grams. Since this chair is usually odorless, it is recommended that the baby's diaper be checked frequently.

Transitional stool.

A transitional stool is formed from the remnants of meconium, ordinary stool and partially curdled and undigested milk. It occurs as a result of breastfeeding and the ingestion of milk or mixtures that are not yet fully digested into the gastrointestinal tract. This feces carries away and finally cleanses the intestines from meconium. Impurities of various colors appear in the stool, from yellow-white to green, sometimes with particles of curdled milk or mucus. The feces are often of a liquid consistency, sometimes even watery. There is a smell, not sharp, slightly sour. Usually on the 5th - 6th day it is replaced by a regular chair.

Plain stool.

Regular stools are stools that are formed from the food the baby is eating. Therefore, it is directly dependent on the type of feeding.
  • Breastfeeding natural feeding. The stool has a yellow color, the consistency of liquid sour cream and a sour, pungent odor. The frequency of bowel movements in the newborn corresponds to the number of feedings, and in infant during the first 6 months is 4 - 6 per day.
  • Artificial feeding. Stool color depends on the formula used for feeding and the amount of formula eaten by the baby, and can vary from light yellow to brown. The consistency is thicker, mushy. The smell is usually harsher than when breastfeeding, it can be putrid, unpleasant. The child defecates less often than with natural feeding, usually 3-4 times a day.
  • Taking iron supplements. If the child takes iron supplements, black impurities may appear in the stool. However, if the baby's feces have turned black, and at the same time he is not receiving any medication, then you should immediately consult a doctor, as this may be a sign of gastrointestinal bleeding.

The usual decorated chair.

This type of feces occurs when the child begins to receive complementary foods, that is, other, additional food products in addition to milk begin to be introduced into his diet. According to current recommendations, this occurs after the age of 6 months. This changes the shape of the chair, which takes the form of a sausage. The color changes to a darker brown. Sometimes it is possible to stain feces with food, for example, beets - red,

The child does not walk at 10 months

Many parents are faced with such a problem that their child cannot walk at 10 months. Is this the norm or is there something wrong with the baby's development?? First of all, you need to understand that there are no specific time standards in which your baby must begin to walk. It is not necessary that all children can walk at the age of 10 months, some of them at this age can stand, holding on to a support, or move around, leaning on the arms of adults.

To teach your child to walk as quickly as possible, try to often place him near a surface to which he can hold onto. Such an opportunity will allow him to take the first independent steps, and in a short time he will be able to independently briskly run around the apartment. You should not force the baby to walk if he himself does not want to, perhaps he is simply not ready for this yet, and he needs a little more time than his peers. In any case, while your child is still 10 months old, you should not worry about the fact that he still does not know how to walk, because at his age it is quite normal.

Loose stools at 10 months

In children at 10 months of age, loose stools may be completely normal and do not require any treatment. Below we will provide a description of how you can distinguish diarrhea from normal, normal loose stools. In different cases, prolonged or severe diarrhea in a baby at 10 months old may indicate a serious illness. Below are the symptoms, in the event of which the baby should be shown to the doctor without delay.

In the event that a child develops diarrhea against the background of an illness, there is a high probability that dangerous dehydration may begin, therefore, treatment should be carried out as soon as possible and carried out according to a special scheme. When should a child be shown to a doctor? Nausea, loose stools and vomiting in a baby can indicate the onset of serious illnesses that can become life-threatening. The child should be shown to the doctor immediately if:

  • the baby, against the background of diarrhea, has a temperature above 38 degrees;
  • the child has profuse and very frequent diarrhea (more than 3-5 times a day);
  • you saw that the child cries without tears, he has sunken eyes, dry lips, he has become lethargic and sleepy;
  • the stool is very liquid, you can see a lot of mucus in it, it comes out with a lot of gas or foam, the child looks sick;
  • against the background of constant loose stools, the child is not gaining weight well, and perhaps even lost weight;
  • bloody impurities appeared in the baby's stool;
  • at the age of 10 months, during diarrhea, a rash appeared on the skin (on the abdomen, on the legs, on the elbows, on the cheeks) in the form of peeling rough spots of various sizes;
  • diarrhea happened in a baby who was given aspirin a few weeks or days ago due to a cold or flu;
  • loose stools appeared after antibiotic treatment.

Temperature in a child at 10 months

If a child has a temperature at 10 months, then, first of all, do not panic. When the child becomes lethargic and weak, the mother forgets about providing first aid and begins to rush around the apartment, frantically calling friends. Therefore, if a child's temperature rises at 10 months, then you need to adhere to the rules that allow you to cope with the problem:

  • if the temperature is not higher than 38 degrees and the crumb tolerates it well, then you can not give antipyretic drugs. The thing is that as a result of an increase in temperature, the body begins to intensively fight infections, so it is better not to knock it down unnecessarily. An exception can be called those cases when the baby has neurological diseases or simply does not tolerate the temperature well - in this case, antipyretic is given, starting from 37.5 degrees;
  • if the temperature is more than 38 degrees, an antipyretic prescribed by a doctor is given. In no case should a child be given aspirin at 10 months, since with a viral infection it can cause dangerous complications - Reye's syndrome;
  • be sure to call a doctor to find out why the temperature has risen. Notice those symptoms that accompany fever - vomiting, cough, runny nose, diarrhea, rash, abdominal pain;
  • if the temperature has risen above 40 degrees or the child has seizures, then urgently call an ambulance, and give an antipyretic agent before she arrives;
  • try to put the baby in bed, read an interesting book to him, play a quiet game, show the cartoon. Although it is better if the child just sleeps, gains strength and rest.

A baby is gaining weight poorly at 10 months

Most parents are faced with such a problem that their child is gaining weight poorly by 10 months. Is it really that scary, and what could be the reason for this phenomenon? Let's try to figure it out together. In the event that you notice that your child is gaining weight poorly, first of all you should not worry, it is better to try to reasonably assess the general condition of the baby, how actively he behaves, whether his skin is elastic and healthy, whether he is sick, does not look thin and pale? If none of the above symptoms apply to your baby, then there is probably no reason to worry. But if your child at 10 months gains less than 300 grams of weight, then this is a serious reason to start looking for the cause of such a problem. Here are some reasons why a baby may not gain weight well at 10 months:

  • if you are still breastfeeding your baby, while alternately applying the baby to one or the other breast, in this case he simply does not have time to eat more fatty "back" milk;
  • as a result of the presence of anemia, there is a possibility of a decrease in hemoglobin;
  • diarrhea, frequent constipation and other diseases associated with the gastrointestinal tract;
  • the presence of worms;
  • neurological diseases or just a recent stress.

Another reason for poor weight gain at this age can be the introduction of complementary foods, especially if you do it in large portions. If, after complementary feeding, you do not latch the baby to the breast, then the food can be very poorly digested. Since even a small amount of breast milk can significantly improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, helping to assimilate and digest food, getting the greatest amount of nutrients from it. It is extremely important that if you notice that your baby is not gaining weight well at 10 months, show it to the doctor in time so that he can determine the exact diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

If the child does not sleep well

If a child has trouble sleeping at 10 months, then in some cases the reason may be an allergic reaction to salicylates found in food supplements, aspirin, some fruits and vegetables (citrus fruits, tomatoes). A diet with the exclusion of such foods can significantly increase the child's sleep after a couple of days. In any case, before you want to change anything in the diet of the crumbs, you need to consult a pediatrician. Also, the cause of restless sleep at 10 months can be teeth, which are now just beginning to erupt. In this case, the pain can be relieved by massaging the gums with ice and using a soothing gel. Also the cause of poor sleep there may be mistakes in raising crumbs, which lead to violations... In order to establish sleep in a baby at 10 months, the following is recommended:

  • you should never wake up a child if he is asleep, even if it is time to eat. The baby should establish its own rhythm of wakefulness and sleep. If you constantly begin to disrupt the course of the biological clock, then the child will become less used to the daily regular regimen;
  • if the child is asleep, you should not talk in a whisper, walk on tiptoe, be afraid to turn on the TV or radio. The sooner the baby gets used to falling asleep to various everyday sounds, the better it will be for you;
  • putting the baby to bed, make sure he is not hungry;
  • feeding during the day should be invigorating, preferably laughing, talking sharply, singing songs to him. It is better to feed the baby near a window or in bright light;
  • at the age of 10 months, night feeding should be excluded from the regimen. The child may be a little capricious, but usually falls asleep after 20 minutes. After 4-5 such nights, his sleep will be uninterrupted throughout the night.

Regurgitation

If a child spits up at 10 months, then this is a reason to be wary. Usually, by this age, regurgitation should pass, and you should be especially alerted if:

  • regurgitation "fountain" - most often it is a consequence of neurological disorders (intracranial hypertension, perinatal encephalopathy). If this happens, the baby should be shown urgently to a neurologist, less often the cause of this phenomenon is a spasm of the digestive tract (the gastroenterologist treats);
  • late regurgitation - an hour or more after feeding, until the next. This indicates that the baby has a "lazy stomach", against the background of which frequent constipation occurs. In this case, you need to visit a gastroenterologist;
  • frequent regurgitation. If a child regurgitates every 5-10 minutes at 10 months, then this also cannot be called the norm. With this problem, it is also recommended to visit a gastroenterologist;
  • regurgitation, accompanied by crying and anxiety. This can be a symptom of spastic colic. A gastroenterologist or pediatrician can advise an effective remedy for their treatment;
  • regurgitation after eating a small amount of food, drinking, accompanied by a decrease in weight gain, anxiety, the child begins to behave strangely and looks sick. Such regurgitation may indicate an anatomical defect called pyloric stenosis (narrowing of the digestive tube sharply, as a result of a short intestine, where food almost does not get). Often, such defects appear in the first days of a baby's life, and are determined almost immediately, but sometimes this happens in later months. If it is this disease that caused regurgitation, then by all means consult with a pediatric surgeon.

Rash and irritation

What to do if a baby has a strange unknown spot on the skin at 10 months old? In this case, it is recommended that you visit a pediatrician who will determine its origin and advise on the optimal treatment. As a rule, rashes on the skin of a child can be attributed to certain groups.

Pigment spot the color of coffee with milk, irregular or round. They are usually not very noticeable, although they can be the size of a five-ruble coin. It is likely that the crumbs will have them for life, if the child has more than 5 such spots, then you need to show him to the doctor.

Birthmarks dark in color of various shapes, covered with hairs - can occur on any part of the body. They also last a lifetime and are often not a hassle. A doctor should be consulted only when they begin to grow or change shape.

Mongoloid spot- a blue-purple mark on the lower back or bottom - usually found in children with dark skin. It does not need treatment and goes away by the age of 12-15.

Fungal infection... Fungi and harmful microorganisms can form on the damaged areas - in this case, reddish round spots with fringed edges, sores or pustules will appear on the skin. The doctor will prescribe a complex treatment for the child: an antifungal drug, ointment, means to strengthen the immune system, vitamins.

Allergic diathesis... It is not a real allergy, but only a possible predisposition to it. Most often, diathesis first appears in overweight children at the age of 3 months, but it also happens at a later age. Crimson cheeks, a scaly red rash on the neck, behind the ears, on the legs are its main signs. In this case, if the mother is breastfeeding the baby, she it is necessary to remove citrus fruits, honey, fish, eggs and cow's milk from the diet.

The whims of a child at 10 months

If a child at 10 months starts to be capricious, then congratulations - your baby has grown. Approaching his first birthday, he positions himself as an independent, albeit still a little man, who depends on his mother. He already knows how to separate his and his mother's body, understanding what he himself feels and what his mother feels. At this age, the child begins to be capricious for literally any reason, if he is not allowed to play with his father's instruments or is forbidden to do something. Also at this age, the child is very afraid of being left without a mother.

At 10 months, the child begins to react very sharply to all sorts of prohibitions, in some cases regression can even be noticeable in his behavior: he refuses to walk, throws himself on the floor, asks for a pacifier, or begins to crawl. In general, he tries to protest in every possible way. And what is most interesting, it is during this period that the child does not let his mother go a step. To cope with such a problem is actually very simple, because adults are much stronger, and you should not punish the child in a rude manner, it is enough to calmly explain how he can act, and how he cannot. If your child has a first year crisis, then it may manifest itself in the following:

  • difficulties in education - persistence, stubbornness, demands for increased attention and disobedience;
  • an attempt at independent actions, a sharp increase in new forms of behavior, decision-making to refuse to perform a number of actions;
  • increased moodiness;
  • hypersensitivity to the comments of adults - in response, there is aggression, discontent and resentment;
  • controversial behavior - the child may ask for help and immediately refuse it.

In practice, I often come across unreasonable worries of mothers about problems with stool in children. Problems that supposedly arise most often are two: constipation or diarrhea. But more often than not, mothers look for a problem where it does not exist, without knowing it. What kind of chair should their children really be? Let's take a look at this.

So, let's start with those happy children who are fed yu. The composition of breast milk is ideal for your baby and, accordingly, milk can be absorbed almost completely. Breast milk has a unique composition, it is, by definition, the only source of all the vitality of a child in the first months of life, and, in principle, cannot harm the baby. Fully breastfed babies rarely have real problems! A breastfed child can have from 10-12 times a day, but little by little, about a teaspoon, up to 1 time a week with a large volume. At the same time, it is considered quite normal if, like water, it is thin when tapped or mushy. Stool with mucus, lumps, pieces, sometimes with "green", is also a variant of the norm. Just pay attention to how he behaves, whether he looks outwardly quite healthy, whether he is gaining weight well. If this is the case, then your baby has no problems with it!

Here I am very surprised by many mothers who, with a short absence, look for a mythical child in their child and begin to treat it with such brutal methods that I want to say, “before you apply anything to your child (soap in the ass, picking with cotton swabs, or even worse, glass thermometers), try these methods for yourself. " I explain in a popular way. When soap is introduced, and it is known to be alkali, irritation (at best) or chemical mucous membrane is caused, this is quite painful for the baby, he will not be able to tell you about it. As a result of irritation, you will get an inflammation of the rectum along with it. Regarding the sticks and the thermometer - in my opinion, and so it is clear, by your actions you can cause mechanical injury to the intestine. Plus to all of the above. Such stimulants suppress natural bowel movements, and, accordingly, the situation is aggravated from time to time. In order to cause the baby to have a bowel movement, a certain pressure must be created in the rectum, and when there is little feces, then, accordingly, there is no, therefore, it may take several hours or even days in order for a sufficient volume to accumulate and the baby does his business, to the delight of mom and dad.

But if you add water to the baby, "Espumizan", "Smecta", etc., then a violation of the character is inevitable, since we interfere with the physiological process of colonizing the intestine with microflora and interfere with the formation of the normal functioning of enzymes.

This is in general. And now I will dwell on all the "big diaper joys" in more detail.

After the baby is born, during the first two to three days it is represented by meconium. This is a dark olive mass that has accumulated in the baby's intestines during nine months of intrauterine development. Here and desquamated cells of the intestinal mucosa, and swallowed amniotic fluid, so the baby trained his intestines to work outside of mom. Meconium has a tarry consistency and is practically odorless. Normally, it begins to stand out from the intestine to the outside after the birth of the baby. Within the first two to three days, it should stand out completely. Further, the character of a changes. It becomes more frequent, heterogeneous in consistency (lumps, mucus, liquid part) and in color (dark green areas alternate with greenish-yellow and even whitish), more watery. Frequency a can go up to six or more times a day. This is called transitional, and the state is called transient intestinal catarrh. It is associated with the process of colonization of the intestine by microflora. During the normal course of pregnancy, a sterile intestine is born, while extrauterine life takes place in the world of microorganisms, where a person's own flora is of great importance. Already at the moment of birth, the skin and mucous membranes of the child are inhabited by the flora of the mother's birth canal. In the future, the microflora is formed due to microorganisms in the air, in mother's milk, on the hands of medical personnel and on care items. Microorganisms, getting on the intestinal mucosa, cause a response inflammatory process in it, which manifests itself in the form of transient intestinal catarrh. This inflammatory process is a normal manifestation of the child's adaptation to conditions outside of uterine life and usually goes away on its own. After two to seven to ten days, it becomes homogeneous in consistency (mushy) and in color (yellow), ceases to contain an admixture of mucus and occurs somewhat less frequently. Such a rapid extinction of inflammation in the intestines is facilitated by the joint stay of the mother and the child, the refusal of bottles and nipples in the hospital. It is very important that the infant's first and only food is breast milk. The first drops of colostrum received by a child immediately after birth and during the first days of life are invaluable for the formation of normal intestinal microflora.

After the mother has established active lactation, the baby appears "mature", which will remain until the introduction of a or supplementary feeding. It is a homogeneous yellow gruel with the consistency of thin sour cream with the smell of sour milk. This indicates a good digestion of breast milk. As for the normal frequency a, most newborns empty their intestines almost after each feeding, that is, the number of bowel movements per day can reach 5-8, and sometimes even 10.

However, there is a rare variant of the norm, when mother's milk is so completely digested that practically nothing remains in the intestines, and bowel movements can occur once every few days, sometimes even once a week. But such a condition can be considered the norm only against the background of fully breastfeeding and subject to the baby's well-being (normal behavior, no abdominal pain and significant straining during bowel movements). As a rule, this feature develops in some infants no earlier than 3 months of life. The feces are dominated by bifidobacteria, lactic acid sticks, in a smaller amount - E. coli.

The amount of feces in the first month of life is 15 g, and then gradually increases to 40-50 g for 1-3 bowel movements per day. The number of bowel movements during the first six months of life can reach 5 times a day, and after 6 months - usually 2-3 times a day.

With artificial feeding, it can be the same as with natural feeding, or it can have a thicker consistency and a darker, brownish color. Defecation must necessarily occur at least once a day, everything else is considered om. The number of bowel movements during the first half of the year is usually 3-4 times a day, and in the second half of the year - 1-2 times a day. The amount of feces is 30-40 g per day. With artificial and mixed feeding, due to the predominance of decay processes in the feces, there is a lot of E. coli, fermentative flora (bifidoflora, lactic acid sticks) is present in smaller quantities. A small amount of mucus should not be given importance, as well as small whitish crumbs, which only show that the milk contains excess fat that cannot be digested in time.

The stool of older children is always decorated (in the form of a sausage), dark brown in color and does not contain pathological impurities (mucus, blood). Frequency is 1-2 times a day.

The above is an ideal, but, unfortunately, there are some deviations from this "correct" state.

Which of them should cause concern for the mother, and which should not?

Sometimes in the child's feces there is an admixture of white lumps, reminiscent of cottage cheese or sour milk. If at the same time the baby is gaining weight normally, this condition means some overeating. This usually happens if the baby is often offered to calm him down, regardless of the reason that caused the anxiety, and from when the baby ate the last time. There is nothing wrong with this, just a certain amount of proteins and fats of milk in this case is indigestible and forms a similar "sediment" in the feces. If this feature of feces is accompanied by poor weight gain, it is most likely due to an insufficient amount or reduced activity of enzymes secreted by the digestive glands. If the lag in weight is significant and does not tend to decrease, therapy with enzyme preparations is performed.

In some cases, the stool has a thinner than usual, watery consistency, foams, and has a more sour odor. If the baby happens to empty the bowels on a cotton diaper, you will be able to notice the watering zone around the fecal stain. Often, in this condition, feces can be excreted in small portions even when gases are passed. The color of the stool is usually yellow or mustard. Similar symptoms can be observed with insufficient digestion of carbohydrates. Undigested carbohydrates, remaining in the intestine in an unchanged state, "attract" a large amount of water into its lumen, so the feces become more liquid. At the same time, the lack of the lactase enzyme cannot digest all the amount of milk sugar - lactose - that has been received, then this sugar begins to ferment by intestinal bacteria with the formation of gas, as a result, it begins to foam and more gasses are released than usual. A more acidic reaction of feces with inadequate hygiene of the child can cause the development of diaper rash.

Many pediatricians tend to recklessly quickly diagnose "lactase deficiency", which in fact is not so common. And what happens very often? What do modern doctors constantly face? With lactose intolerance resulting from improperly organized breastfeeding. This usually develops with the wrong organization of breastfeeding. When he receives a lot of front milk, rich in lactose (milk sugar), in feeding and loses back milk, which is more fatty and rich in just this enzyme, lactase. If the mother feeds the baby on a schedule, and not on demand, about 6-7 times a day, "saves" milk for feeding, decant after feedings, transfers the baby to one or the other breast during feeding, the likelihood of developing lactose is very high. intolerance. Between feedings, the breast also collects mainly "front" milk, "back" milk, thick, more fatty, is formed mainly during the sucking of the baby. If the mother transfers the baby 5-10 minutes after the start of feeding to the other breast, he will suck the fore milk out of it too. Mom will express the back milk. The baby will not gain weight very well, sometimes just a little. It can be runny with greens and foam. Mom will think that she has bad milk, although there is a lot of it.

The same situation can be if the mother restricts the child in sucking, for example, strictly for 15-20 minutes. The baby often does not have time to get to the rear milk. And, besides, it does not stimulate enough for milk production, if it sucks for 15-20 minutes 6-7 times a day.

Much less often than described above, there is a true indigestion of lactose - milk sugar. This is due to the discrepancy between the amount of lactose supplied with milk and the lactase enzyme required for its digestion, and is called lactase deficiency. This does not always mean insufficient production of the corresponding enzyme in the baby's gastrointestinal tract. Perhaps the mother has a genetically high amount of lactose, or it is increased due to an overload of her diet with dairy products, especially fresh milk. In some cases, severe lactase deficiency goes hand in hand with intestinal dysbiosis: a more acidic reaction of intestinal contents can hinder the growth of normal intestinal flora, and an insufficient number of friendly microorganisms, in turn, makes it difficult to digest carbohydrates.

To confirm the diagnosis, it is necessary to analyze the feces for carbohydrates. To resolve the issue of the correct tactics in this case, it is necessary to take into account, again, the state of health of the crumbs. Do not worry if, despite the "wrong" appearance of feces, your little man does not suffer from colic and is gaining weight normally. Intervention is necessary if lactase deficiency is the cause of significant weight loss or severe colic. First of all, the mother's diet should be adjusted: the first step should be the exclusion of fresh milk from the diet, with insufficient effectiveness of this, a significant decrease in the amount of fermented milk products (with the exception of cheese, which has practically no milk sugar). If these measures are not enough, it is carried out using the enzyme lactase, which is added to mother's milk during feeding. At the same time, at the present stage, it makes no sense to transfer the child to a lactose-free mixture, and this has already been scientifically proven.

The predominance of fruits and vegetables in the mother's diet in comparison with other foods;

Inflammation of the intestinal mucosa.

The latter condition is often observed after hypoxia suffered during childbirth or during pregnancy, since the intestinal mucosa suffers from a lack of oxygen and is difficult to recover later. Also, inflammation can be caused by the influence of synthetic substances - flavors, preservatives, dyes present in the mother's diet.

What to do in cases when a child cannot get normal for a long time?

First of all, one should focus on the well-being of the baby himself. Even healthy people who are exclusively breastfed can have a protracted period of transition. The fact is that the human body is a complex system where everything happens according to its own rules and at an individual speed. The colonization of the intestines with microbes friendly to the human body is not a quick and difficult task. Therefore, it is considered quite acceptable if, during the first month of life, a nursing baby will have a transitional one - subject to good health and a sufficient increase in height and weight. What does it mean? According to the WHO recommendations, the minimum permissible weight gain is 500 g per month or, respectively, 250 g in 2 weeks. Estimating weight gain over a shorter period of time is considered incorrect. And even if a similar tendency (greens in e) continues later, this condition does not always require active treatment. If the baby is healthy and cheerful, does not suffer from abdominal pain, normally gains height and weight, it would be more correct to leave everything as it is. There is no need to treat the contents of the diaper, you only need to treat the child if something bothers him. They have not yet come up with a better means than breast milk to create conditions for the correct colonization of the intestinal mucosa with beneficial microorganisms.

To deal with a medicinal solution to this problem (again, not on your own, but on the recommendation of a doctor) should be done only if the baby's health suffers; for example, he is tormented by severe intestinal problems, he has allergic skin reactions such as rash, itching, or he is not gaining enough weight and growing.

The sequence of actions in such a situation should be as follows: if necessary, first determine the weight gain over the past two weeks, then carefully verify and establish the maternal diet. Excluded: excess of vegetables and fruits; products containing artificial additives (yoghurts with fruit fillings, sausages and sausages, any canned food, industrial juices, confectionery, as well as synthetic vitamin preparations, including special complexes for nursing). Only after that are examinations carried out - scatological examination (microscopic and chemical examination of feces) and analysis of feces for flora. The first analysis will show how the digestion processes are going, and will also allow to exclude or confirm the presence of an inflammatory process in the intestine (an increased number of leukocytes, a sharply acidic reaction of feces, and the detection of latent blood in it may indicate it). In the analysis of feces for flora, one should focus primarily on the presence of pathogenic microbes, which normally should not be present in the intestine at all, or their number should not exceed certain limits.

Finally, your baby has grown up and it's time to enter. You need to know that the appearance of greenery in it can occur when new dishes are introduced into the baby's diet.

How should we relate to this?

First of all, it should be remembered that one of the common causes of disturbances in the intestinal biocenosis is the unjustifiably early prescription of food or vitamin supplements. With pure breastfeeding, it is unreasonably early to offer any other food, except breast milk, before 6 months of life. With artificial feeding, these terms can be shifted to an earlier appointment, but by no more than 1-1.5 months. In addition, nutritionists are increasingly opposed to the appointment of fruit juices as the first additional course (in contrast to earlier views, according to which the appointment of juices was considered correct almost from the second month of life!). Juices are rich in fruit acids, which can have an unnecessarily aggressive effect on the intestinal mucosa, even provoking its inflammation. If, after prescribing a new dish, especially a vegetable one that has a green color, you observe the appearance of a green color and without other symptoms (bloating and abdominal pain, skin rash, changes in behavior), you do not need to worry. If the appearance of greenery in it accompanies the named symptoms, further use of the dish should be discontinued. This reaction to a new dish can mean an allergic reaction or difficulty digesting and absorbing it.

It happens that when cereals containing gluten are introduced into the diet (everything except rice, buckwheat and corn), a change is observed. The stool becomes very light, grayish-yellowish, frothy, and the crumb, contrary to expectations, begins not to gain, but, on the contrary, to lose weight. This may indicate a gluten intolerance - celiac disease. In this case, you should definitely contact your pediatrician and spend up to.

Sometimes a baby may have a so-called fatty. Fatty means feces that leave greasy stains on the diaper, "lathering up" when washed. This is a violation of the absorption of fats, which can occur with both diarrhea and ohm. Fats (lipids) are digested by the enzyme lipase, which is produced in adults mainly by the pancreas. Sometimes there is a congenital lipase deficiency, but in newborns we are more often faced with the fact that the function of the pancreas is simply not mature enough and lipase synthesis is reduced. This is especially typical for premature babies, children with intrauterine growth retardation. For them, nature has created a reliable "safety rope": breast milk contains lipase, which facilitates the digestion of fats. But if it gets artificial, then the immaturity of pancreatic lipase can manifest itself clinically. In addition to the enzyme, a certain composition of bile is required for the digestion of fats. Therefore, violations of fat metabolism can be observed in children with diseases of the liver and biliary tract. Such children are characterized by the appearance of not just fat, but also lighter than usual, as well. If your child is fatty, accompanied by amy or diarrhea, then first of all, the violation of the digestion of fats is excluded. For this, a scatological study is carried out (i.e., a study of feces - it is done in any clinic), the condition of the liver and pancreas is checked (ultrasound, biochemical and immunological examinations). In difficult cases, this is usually done in a hospital, since travel for examinations is a serious burden for a weakened child, and it is better to monitor the effectiveness of treatment in a hospital. For children, a diet and enzyme preparations containing pancreatic enzymes and bile acids are selected (a specific drug is recommended by a doctor, since their composition and effectiveness are different and there is no universal drug that would be suitable in all cases).

When do you need to worry and take urgent action?

Dear parents, remember one unapplicable rule, if your child has watery or slimy, vomiting and high fever, and at the same time he does not gain weight - these are signs of infection. Don't delay calling your doctor. Your child needs professional help. Itself in such conditions is dangerous, dehydration, convulsions can develop very quickly, and this will end very badly.

Diarrhea caused by an intestinal infection. Intestinal infections are common in infants. Even the most neat and tidy parents cannot always avoid the development of an intestinal infection in their baby. The fact is that the protective functions of the intestines (acidity of gastric juice, local immune factors) in infants have not yet been fully formed, and some of the pathogens that are not dangerous for adults can cause serious disturbances in an infant. you can not pull your hands into your mouth and everything that comes across on the way. It usually begins suddenly - with abdominal pain (crying, twisting legs) and diarrhea (sometimes with inclusions of mucus, greenery, blood and other impurities). Intestinal infections can be accompanied by a rise in temperature, but this does not always happen. If any of the described symptoms appear, be sure to call a doctor, and before he arrives, try to alleviate the child's condition with the following measures. With liquid he loses a lot of water and salts, and he may develop dehydration. To prevent this from happening, the baby must be watered with one of the saline solutions available in every pharmacy, for example, oralit, rehydron. The drug enterodesis, in addition to salts, also contains activated carbon, which adsorbs toxins from the intestines. Try to keep one of these drugs in your home medicine cabinet at all times. Usually during this period he drinks not very willingly, but it is nevertheless necessary to completely reimburse him the volume of fluid that he loses with ohm and vomiting (it is advisable to measure this volume). If he does not drink from a bottle, liquid can be given from a spoon or even from a pipette - small portions of liquid do not provoke vomiting as much as large ones. The rule here is that for each liquid 50 ml is given, and for each vomiting up to 100 ml of liquid. better fractionally, 3-5 ml each (teaspoonful every 5 minutes), since a large volume of liquid drunk at once can provoke vomiting itself.

Why can't you just drink water? Because a lot of salts are lost with the intestinal contents, and their deficiency will be aggravated if you give a liquid without salts. In addition to solutions to replenish fluid, the child can be given adsorbents (smecta, polyphepan, enterosgel) - drugs that absorb, like a sponge, toxins contained in the intestines. But keep in mind that by absorbing toxins, these drugs do not kill pathogenic bacteria. In large quantities, they can lead to y.

Should I feed my baby in the midst of an intestinal infection? Yes, feed. But the amount of food per day should be reduced by 1 / 3-2 / 3 compared to normal (depending on what maximum amount of food does not lead to vomiting). If you are breastfed, then continue to feed him with breast milk, but it is better for artificial people in such situations to give fermented milk mixtures. Feed often, but in small portions. You can add 1/4 tablet of the enzyme preparation mezim-forte to each feeding. Here are, perhaps, all the measures that can be taken before the arrival of the doctor. Never give antibiotics to an infant without a doctor's prescription: some of the antibiotics often used for intestinal infections in adults are contraindicated in newborns (for example, chloramphenicol). Great care should be taken when using drugs such as imodium and other symptomatic agents in infancy - be sure to consult your doctor!

What should be the main focus of infection prevention? First of all - on the dishes that are used for food. It must be dry. Some mothers boil bottles for a long time, but then leave some of the moisture in them. Moisture promotes the growth of bacteria. Secondly, you should not often pour from one dish to another - the less often you do it, the better. That is why a feeding bottle is immediately attached to modern breast pumps. Finally, avoid licking pacifiers, spoons, or other baby dishes. The germs in your mouth are not always safe for your baby (for example, Helicobacter bacteria, which causes peptic ulcer disease). Pathogenic bacteria are transmitted mainly from person to person, so it is better to simply rinse a pacifier that has fallen on the floor (at the worst, not even wash it at all) than to lick it.

So, I will summarize the above.

If your child has problems with Om - first of all, consult your doctor. Your fears are not always real, and unfounded sometimes leads to opposite results.

Project Manager Children's Doctor

A change in the nature of feces in young children is often the first sign of an incipient disease of the gastrointestinal tract, which is especially difficult at this age.

The feces of a child fed with cow's milk are thicker, dark brown in color (Fig. 11) with an unpleasant odor, alkaline reaction. The faeces flora is diverse and consists of 50% Bact. coli.

There are the following types of feces in pathological conditions in young children (12-20).
1. "Hungry feces" - dark brown, dark green or black, unpleasant odor. Occurs in infants with fasting or malnutrition.

2. Aholic feces - discolored, whitish-gray, oily, clayey. It occurs with atresia of the biliary tract and epidemic hepatitis.

3. Putrid feces - dirty gray, mushy with the smell of spoiled cheese. Occurs with unilateral protein feeding.

4. Soapy feces - silvery, glossy, soft with small lumps of mucus on the surface. Occurs when feeding with insufficiently diluted cow's milk.

5. Fatty feces - whitish, with a sour odor and a little mucus. It occurs when consuming excessive amounts of fatty foods and impaired fat resorption.

6. Feces for constipation - hard, gray with a putrid odor.

7. Yellow watery feces - odorless, occurs in newborns when breastfeeding is high in water and low in nutrients.

8. Thick mushy feces - yellow, observed in infants who receive a lot of porridge (for example, semolina).

9. Curdled feces - with lumps of soap and an admixture of mucus, indicates increased peristalsis and insufficient absorption of fat.
10. Feces for dyspepsia in infants - coagulated, with mucus, green or yellow-green in color. Watery stools of green or light yellow color, similar to rice water, are observed in acute eating disorders.
11. Feces for dysentery - a liquid consistency, with mucus and blood, sometimes even without fecal impurities.
12. Feces during melena of newborns - liquid, dark, almost black.
13. Feces in colienteritis - watery, ocher-yellow, less often greenish, usually without blood.
14. Feces with intestinal infantilism - extremely plentiful, normal color, may exceed the amount of food eaten per day.

Rice. 9 - 20. Feces of a young child. Rice. 9. Meconium. Rice. 10. Oily homogeneous feces of a breastfed baby. Rice. 11. Feces of a child fed with cow's milk. Rice. 12. "Hungry" chair. Rice. 13. Aholic feces with atresia of the biliary tract. Rice. 14. Feces with melena of newborns (melaena neonatorum). Rice. 15. Putrid feces with unilateral protein feeding. Rice. 16 and 17. Feces with alimentary dyspepsia. Rice. 18. Feces with colienteritis. Rice. 19. Feces with dysentery. Rice. 20. Feces with intestinal infantilism.

Even in the maternity hospital, nurses and pediatricians ask mothers during the round about how the newborn has a bowel movement. The fact is that a baby's stool is one of the most important indicators of a child's health - both for those who are breastfed and those who are artificially fed.

Table of contents:

Why is it important to control the stool in babies?

Why is it so important to control the baby's stool:

  • he will indicate problems in the work of the gastrointestinal tract;
  • you can assess the level of nutritional value of the child;
  • by some changes in the stool, it is possible to determine the development of pathologies of organs and systems that are not related to the digestive tract.

A child in infancy poops every day, and even several times a day - this allows even parents without medical education to quickly respond to changes in the stool, to pay attention to this moment of a pediatrician or a visiting nurse. Of course, for this you will need to master at least minimal knowledge about what normal stool should be in a baby, what can be considered as deviations from the norm and in what cases it is worth calling a doctor. All this information is laid out in the presented material.

Remember right away - the norm for a chair in infants is a relative concept. Someone has a child pooping 3-4 times a day, and the stool is a yellowish gruel, and some children defecate once every 1-2 days and this is the norm for them. How to determine how much the baby's stool fits into normal indicators?

Stool frequency

On the 2-3rd day of life, the newborn begins to lose transitional feces - it has a yellow-green color, maybe a dark green semi-liquid consistency, which is absolutely normal.

On the 4-5th day of a child's life, a bowel movement schedule is already established, and the frequency of stool in children fluctuates and in a sufficiently large amplitude - from 10-12 times a day to 1 time in 2 days. It is noted that most newborns poop either during feeding or after eating.

Note:if a child poops once every 2 days, but at the same time behaves calmly, the act of defecation takes place without screaming and strong straining, then such a rhythm of bowel movements can be considered an absolute norm.

As the child grows, the number of bowel movements also changes - for example, if in the first 1-2 months of life the baby cocoa 8-10 times a day, then by 4-5 months the number of bowel movements decreases to 5-6 times a day, and by 12 months - 1-2 times a day. It is noteworthy that if a child is still in infancy cocoa 1 time in 2 days, then this frequency of stool remains in the future.

The amount of stool during bowel movements

This indicator depends only on the child's diet. For example, in the first 2-3 months, a baby of feces will leave very little - no more than 5 grams per bowel movement, but by 12 months this amount will be increased to 100-200 grams per day (about 60 grams per one act of defecation) ...

In general, it is considered normal to have stool in babies when it is a mass of soft, mushy consistency. But even this indicator can be variable - for example, feces in the form of gruel with a small amount of lumps will be considered the norm.

As the child grows up, the consistency of feces will certainly change - it will become more and more dense. But keep in mind - by 6 months of the child's life, the feces will already be completely formed, but it will still remain soft.

Yellow with white lumps, dark yellow, yellow-brown, golden-yellow, and in general all variations of yellow for baby feces will be the norm. But just keep in mind that as soon as the child is transferred to artificial nutrition or vegetable / fruit purees begin to be present in the diet, the color of the feces becomes darker, and by 12 months of the baby's life it becomes dark brown.

Do not worry, and in the case of green feces in infants - this is also the norm, and the feces become green due to the presence of biliverdin or in it. You need to know that bilirubin with feces in infants can be released up to 6-9 months of age, so the green tint of the stool in this age period can be considered an absolute norm. There is no reason to worry, and in the case of the release of yellow feces, which then turns green, this means that bilirubin is released in the stool in minimal amounts, in the air it simply acquires a characteristic shade.

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If the baby is on artificial or mixed feeding, then its stool will have a dark yellow or brown tint, the frequency of bowel movements will be less than during breastfeeding, constipation or diarrhea may periodically occur, flatulence with difficulty passing gas.

Note:if the baby is fed with formulas containing iron (this is usually practiced for anemia in newborns), then the color of the feces will be pronounced green. And if the child is fed not with special mixtures, but with cow's milk, then the feces will be distinguished by a greasy sheen, bright yellow color and a "cheesy" smell.

Complementary feeding is considered a new type of food for babies, the digestive system will begin to adapt to it and produce specific enzymes for digestion. In the first days of complementary feeding, mommy may pay attention to the fact that undigested pieces of food and an increased amount of mucus have appeared in the child's feces. If such a change in stool does not lead to a change in the baby's well-being (the baby does not scream, feces leaves freely), then you need to continue to give complementary foods to him, carefully monitoring the amount of feces excreted, the frequency of bowel movements and the nature of the stool.

There are some foods that can have a laxative effect, such as boiled carrots. Moreover, it is not even digested, but comes out together with liquid feces in an unchanged form. If the parents were not faced with the task of correcting the stool, getting rid of constipation in the baby, then with such "feeding" it is necessary to cancel the introduction of carrots into the child's diet and switch to more sparing vegetables - for example, potatoes, zucchini. And if you introduce rice porridge into the baby's diet, then the chair will surely be fixed. It is necessary to take into account such features of the influence of various products on the work of the digestive system, so as not to worry and not to take any drastic measures at the slightest changes in the stool.

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In general, the following changes in stool are considered the norm when complementary foods are introduced:

  • feces become denser;
  • stool color changes from yellow to brown;
  • feces become heterogeneous;
  • diarrhea or constipation may appear.

Knowing what kind of baby stool can be considered the norm, it will be easy for parents to find out how healthy the baby is. When detecting changes that can hardly be called physiological, it is necessary to call a doctor at home and describe to him the full clinical picture - this will guarantee the timely detection of pathology and the appointment of effective treatment, if necessary.

Tsygankova Yana Aleksandrovna, medical columnist, therapist of the highest qualification category