Newborn baby feces green. Signs that should make you worry. Additional symptoms for anxiety

02.08.2019

The firstborn appeared in the family. This is a joyous occasion. The baby is brought from the hospital, the diapers are unfolded and they find ... green liquid stool in the baby. Excited parents begin to wonder: what is the reason?

Before panicking, you need to get some basic knowledge of the physiology of an infant.

In the first days after birth, a tiny person adapts to new conditions of survival. He has already learned to breathe, regulate heat exchange and feed on breast milk.

Immediately after the birth of a newborn, a well-formed, dark-colored stool. This is the original feces - meconium. Thus, the waste nutrients obtained directly from the mother through the umbilical cord are released.

Adapting to breastfeeding requires restructuring of the entire body. The work of the entire system of the digestive tract starts.

The products of the baby's vital functions are one of the indicators of the baby's health; they can be used to judge how the adaptation to the new conditions of life outside the womb is going on. Indeed, immediately after birth, the baby's stomach and intestines are almost "sterile". The correct intestinal microflora should gradually form. That is why the contents of the diaper are analyzed so carefully - for color, smell, consistency. It has always been customary to focus on some kind of norm, but one cannot call a single option the norm. In general, each child is individual, and if he does not show any signs of anxiety and illness, then there is nothing to worry about.

If a green liquid substance appears in the diaper, do not panic. Examine the contents of the diaper carefully. Sometimes green color can become a common oxidation reaction of feces in the air, if the baby pooped some time ago. In the vast majority of cases, there is no reason to worry.

Baby chair

Green stools in a breastfed baby are normal. The baby uses mother's milk - food is only in liquid form, respectively, and his feces should be of a liquid consistency. Stool odor is sour, most often yellow. A greenish, yellowish or brownish tint depends on the characteristics of digestion. The presence of small white lumps and inclusions of mucus is acceptable.

In children with any type of diet, green stools may simply be a reaction to substances that have entered the body, or as a result of some changes in the forming intestinal flora.

Experienced mothers judge the health of the baby by the state of the feces. Changes in color, smell, consistency signal possible malfunctions in the baby's body. Of course, green feces can be a signal of a disease, but at the same time, there must be other symptoms of trouble. It is clear that a child will not be able to tell what and where he hurts, but he has his own "notification system", understandable to adults. If a child eats well, sleeps calmly and does not cry for no reason, then it is clear to everyone that everything is in order with health. If, in addition to the green stool, other signals of malaise appear -

frequent regurgitation;
the appearance of a rash;
frequent crying;
increased mucous discharge in the feces;
the appearance of a putrid odor in feces;
restless sleep,

then you need to urgently consult a pediatrician.

Foamy green stools are often mistaken for a lactose-deficient signal from the digestive system. However, this diagnosis is rare. A similar effect can occur if a mother changes breasts too often or wears her baby prematurely before he stops sucking. The reason is the imbalance of the front and rear milk. It is known that the front milk is more watery, light, and the back milk is more fatty, thick, saturated with nutrients. With such a diagnosis, in addition to frothy green stools, there will be poor weight gain, since the baby receives anterior, light milk, and the last, "fat" portion does not.

Green stool may be due to bilirubin secretion.

Also, green bowel movements may be due to the mother's taking certain medications (antibiotics, iron), or maybe mother's menu gives such an effect (most often vegetables, for example, cucumbers, zucchini, etc.).

Up to one and a half months, the baby poops 3-10 times a day. The absence of a chair during the day signals an insufficient amount of feeding.

Less frequent bowel movements 6 weeks after birth.

A breastfed baby receives milk of different composition every day, depending on the mother's diet. Accordingly, the child's stool can change.

If the stool has changed for the worse (thinning, unpleasant odor, frothy discharge, the baby began to behave restlessly), you need to analyze your own menu. Everything that my mother ate was received with milk and the child. Spicy and fatty foods will not benefit the baby, nor will an excessive amount of sweets, strong tea and coffee, or excessive consumption of fruits and vegetables.

A nursing mother needs to re-prioritize her own diet. A balanced diet will have a beneficial effect on the condition of the baby.

The baby's stool will change at the same time as the mother's menu is adjusted.

The introduction of complementary foods also affects the condition of the stool. With an increase in the volume of ordinary food, the child's feces begin to change, become more shaped, and change color.

During the period of the introduction of complementary foods, you should more closely monitor the child's bowel movements. New food is perceived in a new way by the developing organism, the load on the gastrointestinal tract increases. The stool will show which food will be good for your baby, and which is better to exclude.

With an increase in the volume of complementary foods, the stool will become more and more shaped, but if suddenly the baby has diarrhea, it is necessary to analyze the menu, to understand what the baby's intestines have reacted to, and what should be excluded from the diet.

Another reason for stool change is illness. Children get sick sometimes. Doctors prescribe medications for them. If the drug is not suitable for the baby, the intestines will definitely react. All changes must be notified to the pediatrician and consulted about further therapy.

About dysbiosis

Excessively frequent bowel movements (more often 10 times a day) with watery discharge can be a sign of dysbiosis. This condition is not a disease. Its essence is already in the name itself - the unbalanced composition of the intestinal microflora. In general, the imperfect composition of the microflora is characteristic of infants, since their intestines are in the process of formation. It can even arise from supplementing the baby, since boiled water already disrupts the natural balance in the intestines. The diagnosis can only be made by a doctor after laboratory tests.

If your child has very frequent bowel movements with abundant fluid secretion, or when the baby often farts and each time there are marks on the diaper, you should seek qualified medical help.

A child can and should even fart. But the air from the intestines, during normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, comes out dry and leaves no traces on the diaper or diaper.

With dysbiosis, the temperature often rises, regurgitation may become more frequent, and even vomiting may open. The stool takes on an unpleasant odor. Which bacteria are missing, only laboratory tests will show.

Feces for dysbiosis are handed over to a special sterile jar, which can be obtained at the children's clinic. Based on the results of the analysis, the pediatrician prescribes a specific treatment. Remember: self-medication is dangerous! The baby is only adapting to new living conditions, the microflora in the intestine is in the process of formation, so the wrong actions of the parents can cause serious harm to the child.

Breastfeeding with diarrhea

Stopping breastfeeding during diarrhea is unacceptable. Breast milk is optimal nutrition for a sick baby and the best help during treatment. Only a healthy baby can be weaned.

There are no unimportant questions when diagnosing symptoms. The doctor must be informed of all changes. Modern diapers allow you to save feces for demonstration to the doctor if parents are not sure about the normal functioning of the child's intestines.

Green stools are usually easily manageable.

If it is the result of taking medications by mommy, then after they are canceled, the color will return.

If your mother's menu falls under suspicion, then you need to try to exclude the corresponding products that potentially provoke green stools.

If lactose deficiency is to blame, breastfeeding should be established. The breast should be rotated every two hours, but not more often, and the baby should be allowed to suckle as much as he wants.

Features of a breastfeeding baby chair

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to provide a newborn with breast milk. The modern industry offers a wide range of baby food. Unlike breastfeeding, when the composition of milk depends on what the mother has eaten, artificial feeding is the same composition.

The feces of a baby on IV are denser and more uniform. Artificial people receive an adapted mixture as food, which, unlike mother's milk, is always constant in composition. In this case, green stools in babies may be due to the composition of the mixture (for example, high iron content). As a result of taking iron-containing drugs, there will always be greenish stools, since, in contact with air, the feces will change color. Also, bottle-fed during the transition period immediately after birth (when meconium is transformed into normal stool), the color of the stool may have a greenish tint.

In any case, if the child has green feces, and there are no other signs of ill health, there is no need to worry about the baby's health.

It is necessary to examine the child: does he have a rash on the skin,
if there is a temperature, the oral cavity should be examined for redness of the throat, gums or mucous membranes. If everything is in order, the baby eats and sleeps well, does not show signs of anxiety, then the child is healthy.

The interest of young mothers in the contents of a diaper, which is often ridiculed, is not at all a manifestation of excessive concern, but the recommendations of pediatricians. After all, this is perhaps the best indicator of the health of a newborn. According to the condition of the baby's stool, a lot can be said about the development of his digestive system, and the disease can be determined in time. That is why the appearance of unsightly "green" in the diaper raises at least many questions.

Content:

Why did the color change

Almost all of the baby's systems continue to develop after birth, and it is necessary to monitor how it happens in terms of behavior, improvement of skills, and secretions. There are many tables where various norms are included - from monthly weight gain to the number of regurgitations per day.

There is no strict standard of what consistency and color the stool of a newborn should have. On average, yellow-brown or mustard feces with white blotches are considered the norm, the presence of a small amount of mucus is permissible.

Your baby's stool is different almost every day, especially if breast milk is being digested. Changes depend not only on the type of feeding, but also on the change in regime. In addition, in a newborn, green stools indicate the following conditions:

The liver is not fully functional, and the intestines are not populated with the necessary bacteria.
Increased bilirubin in the "jaundice" of the newborn.
Stool oxidizes on contact with air.

Breastfeeding stool

The stool of a child under 3 days old is dark green in color and resembles plasticine. This is meconium - the original feces, it contains the digested epithelium, swallowed along with the amniotic fluid. After receiving the first drops of colostrum, it liquefies, but still has a green tint.

When mature lactation is established, the feces become liquid, therefore, almost everything is absorbed into the diaper, and the norm is judged by the color. Green stool in a breastfeeding newborn is not uncommon, so its occurrence should not frighten parents unless there are additional symptoms.

Cause of color change

maternal hormones transmitted by milk;
a change in mom's diet;
taking antibiotics by a baby or nursing mother;
lactose deficiency - deficiency of enzymes that can break down milk sugar;
the use of a large amount of "front" milk, more watery in composition.

Video: All about the baby's chair.

How to change the situation

The main rule that parents should adhere to with any changes in a child's first month of life is careful observation of his behavior. If only the green color of feces worries, but whims, anxiety, changes in the general condition are not observed, then it is worth trying to find out and eliminate the cause.

The discovery of a green stool in a newborn after the introduction of new products into the diet of a nursing woman indicates the reaction of the baby's body to them. It is better to exclude products that the child “did not like”, otherwise it may become a harbinger of allergies. The same goes for drugs.

If a mother often changes breasts during feeding or feels that there is a lot of milk, the baby is likely to receive only "front" milk, which is quickly absorbed. The result is green, slightly frothy stools. In this case, you need to change the breast less often, do not take the baby away until he is full. Pediatricians advise to express a little milk before feeding, so that the baby gets to the "back" faster.

Lactose deficiency is a rare disease. Gas formation joins the green stool, sometimes allergic rashes. If such symptoms appear, you need to consult a doctor and get tested. Most likely, feeding on time will be the way out - no more than once every two hours. When the baby's GI tract has completed its development, the mother's milk will not cause this reaction.

Artificial feeding chair

The composition of the selected mixture is always the same, so the baby's stool will not change often. Newborns using formula have thicker, pasty stools.

It is believed that bottle-fed green stools in newborns are rare but not unusual. This can be observed if a mixture change has occurred or the selected mixture has a high iron content. In this case, after consulting a pediatrician, it is better to replace it.

When to start worrying

Green stools may indicate an incipient disease, and then other, more alarming symptoms will be added to it:

harsh crying with bending of the legs is a sign of pain in the abdomen;
deterioration in appetite and sleep;
the release of a large amount of mucus, the appearance of blood, a strong unpleasant odor.

The cause of green stool against the background of the listed symptoms can be an infection, dysbiosis, even an acute respiratory viral infection, babies endure with similar manifestations from the gastrointestinal tract.

Many conditions are combined under dysbiosis, so this is a minor cause. For successful treatment, it is necessary to find the root cause, which can only be identified by a doctor. He will also prescribe the correct treatment, which often comes down to the use of lacto- and bifidobacteria, help in restoring the intestinal microflora.

Green stools from a newborn can also indicate a staphylococcal infection.

These conditions are treated at home. If fever and vomiting have joined the green stool, you need to call a doctor immediately.

Video: Dr. Komarovsky on intestinal infections in children.

Baby has green stools ...

Green stools with mucus ...

Green and frothy stools in a breastfed baby…. the variety of options you see in your child's diaper.

It is natural to worry and look for an answer - is this normal, or should the child be shown to the doctor?

In this article, you will receive answers to your questions from a breastfeeding consultant with 9 years of experience and will be able to deal with your worries.

What is the normal stool for babies?

Most often, in most breastfed babies, it varies from light yellow to green, it happens with mucus, and sometimes with lumps of undigested breast milk.

It depends on the individual characteristics of the baby, and on how you breastfeed: exclusive breastfeeding or sometimes the baby receives another liquid: water, chamomile, medications.

Why a breastfed baby has loose stools read in a separate article, we have already discussed this issue in detail.

Green stools in babies

One of the main causes of green stool is improper breastfeeding.

In the mammary gland, relatively speaking, two types of milk are produced: front and back. Front milk is saturated with water and carbohydrates, it is more liquid. If we draw an analogy with the nutrition of an adult, then it’s as if you and I were drinking tea.

Hind milk, it is thicker, contains fats and proteins. It is more satisfying, and it is its intake that is important for weight gain in infants. It's like eating a plate of mashed potatoes with a cutlet with you.

This is not to say that one type of milk is more important than another. Everything should be in balance. But if the child's stool is regularly green or greenish, this is a signal that the child is not sucking enough back milk.

What if my child has green stools?

It is imperative to achieve the correct attachment of the baby to the breast:

We put the chest in the child's wide open mouth;
We make sure that not only the nipple is in the mouth, but also the areola (the dark part of the skin around the nipple);
You shouldn't be in pain while breastfeeding;
The tip of the baby's nose touches your breast;
During sucking, no whistling sounds are heard.

Let the baby suck for as long as he wants

The baby sucks as long as he needs it. One baby is stronger and can be satiated in 15 minutes, the other was born weaker and needs longer feeding. We do not limit sucking in time, do not sit and do not look at the clock.

We do not shift from one breast to another in one feeding of the baby.

This rule is valid up to 6 months. After 6 months, the child is already strong, he has learned to suckle, everything is fine with him and you can give two breasts in one feeding. In the first months of a child's life, use the rule: one breast is on duty for 2 hours, the second for 2 hours. During this time, the child can attach to 1 breast 2-3 times, and maybe more, and then you shift it to the other.

At night, in order not to get confused, follow the rule: each feeding - a new breast.

Green stool with foam in a baby

Foamy stools - what does this indicate?

You need to pay attention to those things that were listed just above. Eliminate the imbalance of front and rear milk during feeding.

Foamy stools are very common in changing weather conditions. The child may react:

on the new moon,
on the full moon,
to strong temperature changes,
in a strong wind, foam may appear in the child's chair.

You do not need to give your child medicines right away. Foam in a baby's stool is temporary.

You just need to watch it and try to correct it through proper breastfeeding.

Watch my video tutorial on baby chair:

Analysis of the baby's feces for dysbiosis: to take or not?

Often times, when the texture or color of the poop starts to bother you, you talk about your concern to your local pediatrician.

What can a local pediatrician do? Send the child for stool analysis to check for dysbiosis.

You need to understand that the intestinal microflora is formed for a long time, but gets lost very quickly.

Have you ever taken a course of antibiotics in adulthood? Have you noticed how they affect your gut? Normal work is interrupted. Someone is very confused.

Why do they always say: drink antibiotics under the cover of some other lactobacilli? Because there is a strong blow to the entire microflora: both good and bad.

Just imagine a child whose balance has not yet been established, it is many times more sensitive than our adult. You are 20 years old and up, and the baby is only a few months old. Treating tests is the very last thing you can start with a child.

The analysis of feces for dysbiosis is not needed with the normal development of the child, with good weight gain. So what if there is an imbalance? There may be staphylococcus aureus, but again there may be staphylococcus epidermidis, which we also have on our skin.

What matters is not how much is bad, but how much good, that is, in proportion!

Important: when you take an analysis, ask yourself: "What will I do with this analysis?"

I have a second daughter, and in her 3 months I had to drink a course of antibiotics. Against this background, she developed allergic spots on her body and, of course, I was worried. I called a good friend who knew about allergies and asked: can I get tested, scrapings?

And she told me: well, if you take the analysis, they will tell you that there is something there, will you give antibiotics to the child?

I say no, I won't.

Well, that's all, relax.

She listed me all the drugs that are most often prescribed, says: “You sit down, read the instructions for these drugs. Are you going to give them yourself consciously at 3 months old? " I say "No.

- "Well, why then analyzes?"

This is a personal story, and I am not encouraging you to do the same. I just went the other way - I turned to a homeopath in order to raise the general level of immunity. At 6 months old Vicki we turned and at 9 months this allergic spot disappeared in an instant and that's it, and never appeared again. Now the child is 5 years old, ugh, ugh, he never pours out on anything.

The birth of a child brings not only joy and happiness, but also a lot of concern for his health. Changes in feces in an infant, in particular, the appearance of a greenish tint, are a reason to worry. There may be several reasons for this, many of which do not relate to pathology: mom's disturbed diet, the introduction of complementary foods, the baby's condition. However, if a green stool occurs in a baby, you should consult a pediatrician to rule out diseases. Consider the factors why green stools appear in breastfed babies.

Usually, in a newborn who is exclusively breastfed, feces have a liquid consistency. It is characterized by a sour smell, brown tint with a small amount of inclusions. It is possible to allow a small amount of mucus, blood streaks in the diaper. This is because a vessel bursts in the intestine. There are cases of changing the color of the baby's feces to a green tint. The formation of green stools in a breastfed baby is likely due to the following reasons:

Often, after emptying the child, after a while, the feces change their color to green - this is an oxidative reaction to air.
Most often, some vegetables that a nursing mother ate give baby feces a green color. Usually, zucchini and cucumbers give such a reaction.
It happens that a similar reaction occurs as a result of taking medications by both the mother and the child. For example, iron preparations color the feces in a greenish tint, the use of antibiotics often leads to a violation of the intestinal microflora.
The appearance of green, frothy stools, combined with reduced weight gain in the child, is due to insufficient intake of both hind and anterior breast milk. This usually happens when the mother lifts the breast from the baby before sucking is finished, or often performs a breast change.
By itself, dysbiosis is not considered a disease. It is a violation of the balance of the intestinal microflora, that is, the permissible amount of harmful bacteria is exceeded. Often, children who are breastfed suffer from dysbiosis even from drinking boiled water, which leads to a disruption of the natural balance. Imperfect intestinal microflora is not considered a pathology for the baby, as his intestines continue to form.
Often, greens produce increased bilirubin.
Viral diseases affecting the digestive tract.

Important! If the baby's stool changes simultaneously with the introduction of complementary foods, then it must be temporarily stopped.

In what cases does a greenish tinge of feces indicate a disease

Not always a green tint is one of the signs of the presence of diseases. On this fact, it is impossible to draw an unambiguous conclusion. It is necessary to focus exclusively on the well-being of the baby. Of course, he is not able to say that he is in pain somewhere. But babies have their own warning signals. If they have an excellent appetite, sleep, they do not show any anxiety, then everything is fine with them. When even a slight malaise is noticeable in the child's behavior, this is a signal to visit the pediatrician. Signs that should be alarming include the following:

rash;
unreasonable crying;
regurgitation;
sleep disturbance;
the presence of mucus in the feces;
temperature increase;
vomit;
frequent diarrhea - more than 10 emptyings per day;
the appearance of a rotten smell.

The presence of a disease can be indicated not only by the shade of feces, but also by their density:

dark green color is the norm, it speaks of the body's response to the introduction of certain food products, the transition to complementary foods;
a yellow-green tint indicates not only the norm, but also the lack of hind milk;
a black-green tint indicates a lack of nutrition, a gastrointestinal disease;
a bright green tint is a sign of insufficient hind milk production by the child, the mother's use of foods rich in dyes;
frothy stools indicate a lack of hind milk;
thick stools are normal.

The appearance of green feces and the age of the baby

Green stools during breastfeeding at certain ages can occur for a variety of reasons. The most common ones are shown in the table:

Baby age	Possible reason
1 month	In the absence of other signs, green stool indicates an adaptation of the digestive system.
2 months	A two-month-old baby most often suffers from dysbiosis caused by the adaptability of the gastrointestinal tract, which learns to synthesize the required amount of bacteria
3 months	Usually at this age, the gastrointestinal tract returns to normal, but it happens that adaptation continues.
4 months	Usually green stool is caused by early initiation of complementary foods.
5 months	The greenish tint of feces is caused by the beginning of the period of adaptation to the introduction of complementary foods.
6 - 7 months	In connection with teething, the child chews on various things on which there are germs. This leads to impaired bowel function.
8 - 10 months	Usually, a change in the color of feces is caused by the introduction of new food into the diet.
11 - 12 months	Often, the shade of the stool changes from the inclusion of vegetables, fruits in the diet, the appearance of an allergic reaction

What to do if greenish stool appears

If a baby who feeds on mother's milk has problems with stool, then before starting treatment, you should determine what reasons led to them, and take the following simple measures:

Breastfeeding should be continued as the antibodies in milk help develop immunity.
There is no need to start self-medication.
Before consulting a doctor, you should stop taking all medications, including vitamin complexes.
It is necessary to correct the woman's diet, to exclude the use of products that have a laxative effect.
You should not reduce the amount of breast milk intake. It is important to feed the baby on demand, not to limit the feeding time, it is recommended to alternate the breast no earlier than 2 hours later.

Advice: if it is difficult for the baby to take medications, then you can use the option for their use by the mother. Penetrating through breast milk, they will bring fewer side effects. However, when infectious diseases are the cause, antibiotics should be given exclusively to infants.

Most often, it is normal for babies to have green stools. You should not take any action on your own if they behave calmly, their sleep and appetite do not suffer. Parents need to monitor the condition of the baby and, at the first alarming symptomatology, contact a pediatrician.

Green stool in bottle-fed babies can indicate both the health of the newborn and can warn of the threat of disease. Therefore, it is so important to know all the nuances regarding the baby's bowel movements.

The color and consistency of stool is one of the important indicators of a newborn's health. Therefore, it is not surprising that green stools in formula-fed babies are a concern for moms.

Why do children have green feces?

Dark green bowel movements are normal in the first days after birth. The baby leaves the original feces, meconium, odorless, viscous and sticky. The color of meconium is even close to black. It contains everything that the baby swallowed in the womb: water, mucus, epithelial cells, amniotic fluid, bile, and even fragments of prenatal hair.

The mass of original feces is from 60 to 100 grams, and its acidity is 6 pH. Children's intestines get rid of meconium in the first 20 hours after birth. In the next two days, its amount decreases significantly, which confirms the clarification of the feces from dark green to yellowish.

It is believed that by the seventh day of life, a yellowish mushy stool is formed in a newborn, which is considered normal. At the same time, the presence of white cottage cheese pieces of an undigested mixture is permissible in the feces.

A greenish tint at this time may indicate an increased level of bilirubin, which is normal for the first weeks of a little man's life.

In artificial infants, green bowel movements can be a reaction to a consumed mixture containing an increased content of iron. After consulting your doctor, try changing the infant formula - perhaps all your stool problems will be resolved.

The cause of green stool in a child can be:

transfer of the baby from breastfeeding to artificial;
unformed intestinal microflora of the baby and the liver is not fully functional,
"Jaundice" of the newborn;
long walks in the air contribute to the oxidation of feces, which is manifested by its green color.

Attention! Dark green bowel movements can be a signal that this mixture is not suitable for your baby.

According to pediatricians, underfeeding can cause stools to turn green. Lack of water also leads to a change in feces to a greenish color.

Green bowel movements in a bottle-fed baby

According to pediatricians, artificial babies should walk at least once a day.

Unlike babies, artificial ones are less susceptible to changes in the color of feces and their consistency. This is due to the fact that the child receives stable nutrition all the time, new elements that depend on the mother's nutrition do not enter his body.

However, at the age of 5 months, artificialists also face problems associated with the introduction of juices and new complementary foods into the diet. Even the first drops of juice can cause a natural discoloration of the stool.

To avoid an allergic reaction, infants are advised to start dropping apple or pear juice. Following them, you can switch to carrot and plum juices. When the baby adapts to these drinks, you can start giving him cranberry juice.

Until the end of the first year of life, children can already receive a small amount of cherry, currant and blueberry juices.

All juices should ideally be freshly squeezed. It is unacceptable to give packaged juices to an infant.

Exotic fruit juices are highly recommended to be avoided. Do not give your baby pineapple, citrus, peach juices, or mango, papaya, and passionfruit drinks.

The reason for the staining of feces in green may be the introduction of new foods as complementary foods, in particular, such as broccoli and zucchini. To avoid complications, introduce nutritional components that are unusual for feeding a child gradually and in small doses.

Keep in mind: from the fifth month, teeth begin to erupt in babies. It is possible that this will cause the appearance of green feces.

Keep in mind that green faeces can be a reaction to medication. In this case, after stopping the medication, the color of the stool will change to the already familiar yellow or mustard, which is considered normal.

When to seek medical attention

if the green stool foams and smells unpleasant;
in case of frequent green diarrhea;
if green stool has black blotches and a fetid putrid odor;
the appearance of bad breath;
urinary retention with a pungent odor of urine;
with a sharp deterioration in the condition of a child with green stools;
the presence of bloody blotches in the feces.

An unpleasant, pungent stool odor can signal both a nutritional deficiency and the onset of an inflammatory process, which will also be indicated by an admixture of mucus in the feces. Bloody blotches can indicate not only a digestive problem, but also damage to the intestinal mucosa.

Adults should also be alerted to unusual baby conditions in combination with green stools, such as:

noticeable lethargy and drowsiness;
anxiety, moodiness, tearfulness;
decreased appetite;
weight reduction;
persistent pressing of the legs to the tummy;
frequent regurgitation, vomiting;
intestinal colic;
bloating;
increased body temperature;
diarrhea;
constipation;
flatulence;
allergic skin rashes.

The signs listed above may indicate the appearance of dysbiosis or ARVI. Dysbacteriosis is an imbalance of the intestinal microflora. According to doctors, up to 95% of children under one year old suffer from it.

If you suspect dysbiosis, do not self-medicate: it can be a minor cause, so it is important to identify the root cause.

The World Health Organization does not recognize dysbiosis as a disease. Doctors of European countries often do not treat it at all, they believe that the body will cope with this condition on its own.

However, if the baby feels great with a green stool: he is cheerful, active, eats and sleeps well, you have nothing to worry about. Remember: the main thing is not the color of the feces, but the state of health of the child.

Serious causes of green bowel movements

Serious causes of green stools in a bottle-fed baby may include:

rotavirus and fungal infections;
helminthiasis;
hereditary symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract;
weak immunity;
lack of lactose;
allergy;
enterocolitis;
diarrhea, etc.

Only a laboratory examination of the baby's stool can reveal various infections that are serious threats to the child's health. During the examination, the doctor will probably prescribe a coprogram that determines the degree of digestion of food components by the intestines and reveals signs of inflammation. A bacteriological study will reveal the true state of the intestinal microflora.

Untimely access to a doctor can become a threat to the health of the baby.

Loose stools and constipation can lead to metabolic disorders and dehydration. Inflammatory and necrotic processes can begin in the child's body.

Only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment. Keep in mind: self-medication of an infant is unacceptable. In the interests of your baby's health, seek the advice of a pediatrician immediately at the first warning signs.