Green slimy stool in a child. Chair of the baby on natural feeding. Mucus in stool. When is it pathological?

06.06.2019

A child's stool is one of the main indicators of not only the functioning of the digestive system, but also the health of the body as a whole. Fecal masses begin to form in the small intestine, where nutrients and nutrients are absorbed, and then move into the colon and rectum. In children of all ages, feces are made up of waste products, bacteria, toxins they produce, and undigested food. The exception is the original feces (meconium): it contains a fairly large amount of mucus, prenatal hair, bile and other substances that the intestines of the fetus digested during fetal growth, as well as amniotic fluid.

Any stool disorder in childhood is a signal that some organs are not functioning properly. Pathology may be associated with malnutrition, emotional stress and other factors that do not require medical treatment, but in some cases the child may have alarming symptoms of serious illnesses. One of these symptoms is diarrhea with mucus. If a child has loose stools with mucus, it is necessary to contact a pediatrician, since normally the child's feces should have a different consistency and appearance.

Normal stools in children older than 1 year should have an oblong, elongated sausage shape, a homogeneous structure, and an average density. Small cracks are possible on its surface, but without dense inclusions and particles. If the child has eaten too many foods that cause stool hardening, feces may come out in the form of separate soft pieces, but the bowel movement should not be painful. If the stool looks like small, hard, dry lumps, the child is diagnosed with mild constipation. The same diagnosis is made if the stool comes out in the form of a sausage, consisting of dense balls.

With diarrhea, the stool in children becomes watery, liquid, has an unformed consistency, may contain mucus, foam. If such stools occur more than three times a day, the urge to defecate becomes painful, and the amount of excrement reaches 100-150 g, the child is diagnosed with functional diarrhea. With infectious diarrhea, feces often acquire a greenish tint, which is one of the main signs of the growth of pathogenic flora in the intestinal lumen. Normal stools should be brown or dark yellow in color.

Important! If the baby's stool is black and viscous, sticky, you need to seek medical help immediately - this may be a sign of internal bleeding. Until the examination by a specialist, it is better to keep the child in a horizontal position (including the period of transportation if the parents decide to get to the hospital on their own).

Liquid feces with mucus: what can be the cause in children under one year old?

Loose stools in infants are a variant of the physiological norm if the child is less than 5-6 months old. This is due to the immaturity of the digestive tract and temporary fermentopathy - a condition in which the body does not produce enough of the necessary enzymes, or their activity is insufficient to digest certain substances. In most babies, feces have the consistency of gruel, which may contain lumps of undigested milk, a small amount of mucus, and cheesy blotches. If the amount of mucus exceeds a tenth of the total volume of excrement, it is necessary to find out the cause and, if a pathology is detected, consult a doctor.

The abundance of cereals in the diet or their intolerance

Almost all types of cereals (especially wheat and oatmeal) contain gluten, a complex protein that has a sticky texture (gluten). If an infant's diet contains a large amount of grain-based foods, mucus may appear in his stool, which is released as a result of the breakdown of gluten. The overall consistency of the stool usually does not change, but in some children the stool may become thinner without changing color or smell.

Another reason associated with the introduction of cereals as complementary foods is gluten intolerance. The disease is called "celiac disease", is a genetic pathology and is characterized by damage to the villi of the small intestine, which respond with increased mucus production.

Important! If a child has gluten intolerance, it is not necessary to completely exclude cereals from the child's diet. Special gluten-free cereals and pasta are on sale, which can be used as a therapeutic and preventive food for children in the first months of life.

Video - Baby chair: what is normal and what is not

lactose intolerance

Most often, milk sugar (lactose) intolerance is temporary, as the body begins to produce enough lactase, the enzyme needed to break down milk lactose molecules, only by the age of six months. True lactase deficiency is quite rare (prevalence less than 5%) and requires a complete rejection of milk and products based on it, which can be replaced with soy milk.

Signs of lactose intolerance in infants include:

liquid stools with foam or mucus, occurring mainly after breastfeeding or formula milk;
intestinal spasms and colic;
rumbling in the abdomen during feeding;
anxiety while eating (the child can kick his legs, turn away from the bottle or breast, while his need for nutrition remains unsatisfied).

With temporary lactase deficiency, children who are breastfed or mixed are recommended to take drugs containing artificially synthesized lactase, for example, " Lactazar" or " Lactase Baby". For children under 12 months, 1 capsule is diluted in 20 ml of milk or mixture and given during feeding. Before this, it is necessary to insist the remedy for 5-10 minutes (for fermentation).

If the baby is bottle-fed, the pediatrician will select an adapted milk formula that does not contain milk sugar.

Teething

Loose stools with a small amount of mucus during the appearance of the first milk teeth (usually four incisors) is a variant of the norm, if it is not accompanied by other pathological symptoms: high fever, abdominal pain, vomiting. Dilution of feces occurs due to increased activity of the salivary glands and increased production of saliva, the excess of which flows into the stomach and from there enters the intestines, being digested with the rest of the food. If the condition of the child is normal, there is nothing to worry about.

Older children: causes of loose stools with mucus

In children older than 1 year, one of the main causes of mucus in the feces is nutritional errors. It can be:

binge eating;
non-compliance with the diet (long intervals between meals);
abundant food intake after a long period of fasting;
the use of foods that can irritate the walls of the stomach and intestines and adversely affect the digestive function (carbonated lemonades, chips and crackers with the addition of flavors, sausages, smoked sausage, etc.).

To adjust the chair in childhood, it is necessary to adjust the children's diet, taking into account the needs of the child and the recommendations of nutritionists for children of this age category. If, despite this, the child has periodic stool disorders, it is necessary to consult a pediatrician or pediatric gastroenterologist to rule out chronic diseases of the digestive system, some of which are listed in the table below.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, in which stools with mucus may appear

Disease	Image	What it is?	Other symptoms
		Inflammation of the gastric mucosa and submucosa caused by chronic contamination with spiral-shaped bacteria Helicobacter pylori	Heaviness in the stomach, feeling of pressure and fullness in the epigastric space. Bad breath (most pronounced with the infectious nature of inflammation), belching, heartburn, dull or dagger-like pain in the upper abdomen. All symptoms usually occur 20-40 minutes after eating.
		Damage to the pancreas (the Latin name for the pancreas), accompanied by a violation of the transport of enzymes to the small intestine and their accumulation in the tissues of the organ	Pain of varying intensity in the epigastric zone, less often in the abdominal space. Dry lips, constant feeling of thirst, heartburn, sensation of a foreign body in the throat (the child constantly tries to swallow a lump)
		Inflammation of the intestinal wall, which may be infectious, mechanical or traumatic in nature	Pain in the lower abdomen, stool disorder, flatulence with flutulence syndrome (“explosive” discharge of odorous gases), intestinal spasms. Possible fever, vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite

Important! If a child has loose stools with mucus that does not go away within 1-2 days, it is necessary to take stool and blood tests. A general blood test will help identify signs of leukocytosis, which is characteristic of inflammatory processes, and a coprogram will help evaluate the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and determine the chemical composition of feces.

If the temperature rises

Mucous loose stools in combination with high fever in children is most often a symptom of food poisoning or an infectious lesion of the gastrointestinal tract. Acute intestinal infections are among the three most common "children's" diseases, so parents should teach their child personal hygiene from an early age.

Causes of intestinal infections can be:

poor hand hygiene after contact with potentially hazardous substances and surfaces (sand, water in puddles, earth);
infected domestic and street animals;
stale meat contaminated with E. coli, salmonella and other bacteria;
eating rotten eggs and dairy products that are past their expiration date.

Vomiting is almost always the first sign of infection. It is usually plentiful, indomitable, poorly stopped by drugs. Within 15-40 minutes after the first attack of vomiting, diarrhea appears with foam or mucus. Feces with infectious diarrhea have a pungent odor and a light yellow or greenish color. The child's temperature rises, painful cramps appear in the abdomen, signs of dehydration become pronounced (pale skin, dry lips). In children with diseases of the heart and blood vessels, the heart rate may change, blood pressure may decrease.

What to do?

Acute dehydration is the main cause of childhood death from intestinal infections, so before the arrival of the ambulance, it is necessary to provide the child with plenty of fluids. You can not force to drink a lot of water at once - this will only provoke a new attack of vomiting and lead to a deterioration in the condition. It is best to give the child clean water or special saline solutions to drink (" Hydrovit», « Regidron”) 1 teaspoon every 5 minutes.

The classic treatment regimen for acute intestinal infections includes the following drugs:

antispasmodics to relieve pain and spasms (" Drotaverine», « Spazmonet», « Papaverine»);
antidiarrheals with antibacterial and antimicrobial action (" Enterofuril»);
enterosorbents for removing toxic substances from the intestines (" Neosmectin», « Polysorb»);
antipyretic at high temperature (" Paracetamol», « Panadol», « Cefekon»);
antiemetics for intractable vomiting (" Motilium for children»).

Important! Older children can be treated on an outpatient basis under the supervision of a local pediatrician. Treatment of infants under 1 year of age is carried out in an infectious diseases hospital due to the high risk of dehydration.

Black mucus appeared in the stool

This is a very dangerous symptom that may indicate internal (hidden) bleeding or tumor processes in various parts of the intestine. If the phenomenon is one-time, it is possible that the change in the color of feces and mucus is associated with the intake of any vitamin complexes or preparations (for example, activated charcoal), but with the periodic appearance of dark mucus in the child's excrement, it is necessary to go to the hospital.

Gastrointestinal bleeding

Pathology is dangerous because it can proceed without pronounced symptoms until it reaches a severe stage that threatens the life of the child. The situation is complicated if the child is less than 1 year old, and he cannot explain what exactly worries him.

Signs of occult bleeding in the intestines or stomach include:

abdominal pain;
fever (not always);
black feces of mucous consistency, odorless;
nausea;
refusal to eat;
lowering blood pressure;
increase in heart rate.

Treatment of pathology requires the use of surgical methods (including drainage). For a favorable prognosis, the speed of hospitalization of the patient is important.

Intestinal polyposis

Polyps are tumors that can have a flat or elongated shape, formed by epithelial tissue cells. Polyposis is a benign disease, but with a long absence of the necessary treatment, pathology can become a provoking factor for the development of more serious diseases, such as intestinal ulcers.

If a child is diagnosed with polyposis, the doctor may recommend observation, but only if there are single small polyps. With multiple polyposis, tumors must be removed using an endoscope.

colorectal cancer

The most dangerous bowel disease, the survival rate for which is less than 8% among patients of any age. Timely diagnosis is of great importance, therefore, for any symptoms that may indicate bowel cancer, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Such signs may include:

stable stool disorder;
poor appetite;
frequent dyspeptic disorders (flatulence, flatulence, heaviness and bloating);
increase in rectal temperature;
pain in the lower abdomen of unknown etiology.

Older children may complain of constant weakness, drowsiness, their academic performance decreases, absent-mindedness appears in the classroom. The skin is usually pale, on the lower half of the body, areas of cyanosis (cyanosis) can be determined.

Treatment of colorectal cancer is carried out in several stages. First, the surgeon resects the part of the intestine where the tumor is located, along with the surrounding tissues, to eliminate the possibility of re-growth of malignant cells. In most cases, to ensure defecation, an intestinal stoma is removed - a fistulous opening on the surface of the abdomen through which feces are excreted. The stoma is closed with a special gasket, to which a sealed colostomy bag is attached.

After surgical treatment, the child may be prescribed a course of chemotherapy, radio or radiation therapy, which is carried out according to a special protocol. The scheme of conservative treatment includes antioxidants, alpha-fetoprotein, hormonal drugs.

Stool with mucus in childhood is not the norm. Despite the fact that sometimes the causes of pathology can be harmless, parents should not ignore the appearance of this symptom. In some cases, slimy loose stools are a dangerous sign of serious illness, so the best solution in this situation would be to see a doctor and undergo a comprehensive diagnosis.

Mucus in the feces of a baby is a common occurrence, which does not always indicate a violation in the functioning of the body. If you see your baby have slimy stools, don't panic. Pay attention to the volume, color and frequency of bowel movements, as well as the general well-being of the baby. When a child is calm and gaining weight normally, there is no reason for alarm and concern.

Normal stool for a newborn

Interestingly, the stool of a child who is breastfed can be almost anything. Of great importance is what foods mom eats. The state of feces is affected by age, and the well-being of the baby, the first complementary foods and the organization of feeding.

For the first three days, the child has black or black-green odorless stools with a consistency of tar or thick sour cream. Then the stool becomes gray or gray-green in color and becomes semi-liquid. In the first week, the number of bowel movements is 3-6 times, but it can reach up to 10-12.

After a week of life, the stool gradually returns to normal. Bowel movements occur after each meal, but by the second month the frequency is reduced to one to three times a day. If the baby "does not go to the toilet" for two or three days, but feels good, the lack of stool is not constipation. This may be due to a lack of breast milk and because.

Constipation in a newborn is a delay in stool for more than two days, which is accompanied by difficult and uncomfortable emptying, severe crying and pain in the tummy. How to help a baby with constipation, read

A week after birth, the stool changes color and has shades from yellow to brown. Feces resemble liquid semolina and have a slight sour-milk odor. When the mother consumes colored vegetables and fruits, the stool acquires unusual shades and color blotches.

Be careful with foods of bright colors, as they contain a strong allergen and can cause negative consequences in the baby in the form of allergies, severe colic, flatulence and other digestive problems.

You can find out more about what a chair should be like for an infant at the link /. Please note that inclusions of white grains, impurities of greenery and mucus in the baby's stool are normal.

Causes of slimy stools

In small quantities, it appears with a load on the intestines of the baby. Such a load is especially strong in the first two months, when the newborn's digestion is just adapting to a new food. Mucus aids in the digestion of food;
often results in small amounts of mucus. Abundant mucus appears with early or improper feeding. On the advice of pediatricians, the first complementary foods for babies should be introduced no earlier than 5-6 months after birth;
Runny nose with flu or other colds. The child swallows a particle from the nasal cavity, which enters the intestines. The mucus in the stool will be clear;
Long intervals between feedings and large portions stimulate fermentation in the baby's body and form mucus. Feed your baby at least once every two hours and four times at night. Doctors recommend feeding a newborn on demand and not forcing him to eat if he does not want to. The baby releases the breast on its own when it is full. If the baby requires the breast more often, feed more often. In addition, frequent applications perfectly stimulate lactation;
With artificial or mixed feeding, the cause of mucus is often inappropriate milk formula. Doctors advise to breastfeed the newborn only, but sometimes the mother does not have such an opportunity. What mixture to choose for the baby, read the article "";
Improper nutrition of a nursing mother. Many foods strongly irritate the intestines of a newborn, lead to changes and disturbances in the stool. In addition, malnutrition leads to allergies and other negative consequences. To avoid problems, read the article “ ”;

Medications taken by a nursing mother. The components of the funds penetrate through breast milk and into the body of the baby. The compositions of most drugs adversely affect the condition of the baby and the course of lactation. Therefore, when breastfeeding, you need to be very careful when taking medications, carefully study the instructions and be sure to consult a doctor before use!;
Latching problems and improper latch on of the nipple result in the baby receiving only foremilk. Change breasts less frequently while feeding. The best option is to transition when the baby completely sucks one breast. In this way he will receive the necessary portion of hind milk, the lack of which often causes green stools with mucus;
Atopic dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin caused by allergies. Sometimes irritation, redness and peeling accompanies the release of mucus in the stool;
Intestinal obstruction, which occurs due to squeezing of the intestine and causes severe abdominal pain, vomiting and in infants, watery stools often with blood impurities. In this case, the baby needs immediate hospitalization and specialist help;

Acute intestinal infections are the result of infection with fungi, bacteria and microbes. Newborns are difficult to tolerate such diseases. They are accompanied by frequent diarrhea and copious clots of mucus. In addition, intestinal infections are characterized by fever and vomiting, weakness and refusal of food, dehydration. In this case, medical assistance is also needed;
Gluten deficiency (celiac disease). Often, gluten causes allergies in young children, especially after complementary foods. Then a special diet is introduced and foods containing gluten are excluded from the diet. These are pasta and bread, semolina and barley porridge;
Dysbacteriosis or intestinal upset is a common disease among babies. In a mild form, the baby is tormented by bloating, constipation or diarrhea, colic. There is a small amount of mucus in the stool. What to do and how to help a baby with dysbacteriosis, read.

Mucus specificity

Mucus in small quantities is always present in the feces of both a child and an adult. With a disease or infection, the amount of mucus increases significantly. The color of the mucous secretions also indicates the presence of the disease.

If you find a large amount of mucus in a certain color of stool, see your doctor. Analyzes will help to identify and determine the disease. Only a specialist can prescribe treatment! Self-medication will only exacerbate the problem.

To the doctor!

Sometimes a baby needs medical attention. The following symptoms indicate serious deviations in the development of the baby:

with vomiting and mucus;
elevated temperature;
Blood impurities in the stool indicate serious disorders. It can be dermatitis, an allergy to protein, inflammation and intestinal fissures;
Defecation occurs more than 12 times a day;
The baby is not gaining or losing weight. How to calculate the correct weight of a child up to a year, you can find out;
Profuse slimy stools; bad breath;
Urination occurs more than 6 times per knock and is accompanied by an unpleasant odor;
White chair;
Green frothy stool with a strong sour smell. By the way, the usual, with normal well-being, the baby is not a deviation;
Brown, yellow or green stools with abundant mucus indicate a cold in the baby;
appears due to increased gas formation and severe colic. Abundant foam can be a sign of pathology and problems in the body. The stronger the foam, the more serious the problem.

A properly composed menu for a nursing mother will help to adjust the baby's chair. Dried fruits and sour-milk products, plentiful warm drink contribute to the normal functioning of digestion. The norm for a nursing mother is 2-3 liters of fluid per day! In addition, you can massage the baby's tummy before feeding with light strokes and circular movements. This will reduce colic and improve digestion.

The appearance of a green stool in an infant worries many mothers. A formula-fed baby's stool is different from a breastfed baby's stool: it's darker, thinner, thicker, and foul-smelling. In other words, it resembles the chair of adults.

Green chair

If the baby has green stools

Breastfed babies often soil the diaper, the stool is bright yellow, or slightly darker, without an unpleasant odor. The consistency of the stool, homogeneous or not, may contain cheesy grains. If you leave the diaper for a while, you can see that gradually its color changes to green. This is a variant of the norm and should not bother parents. The cause of the greenish tint of feces can also be bilirubin, which is gradually excreted from the body with feces.

Also, if a baby has green stools, it depends on the nutrition of the mother. If mom eats green foods - spinach, parsley and dill, broccoli - this can affect the color of the baby's stool. The same applies to babies who are already getting vegetables - after a good portion of broccoli for lunch, the baby goes into a diaper with a mass of greenish color.

If the baby has green foamy stools, need to tell the doctor about it . Such a stool is a sign that the baby receives only "forward" milk. Such nutrition is more liquid and less fatty than milk, which the child gradually sucks after 3-5 minutes at the breast. Such nutrition is dangerous because the baby lacks lactase (it is produced in the body of the baby in a relatively small amount), gases begin to torment him, and the contents of the diaper become green and frothy.

Moms take note!

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The mother of such a baby can be advised to establish proper breastfeeding: do not remove the breast too quickly. In addition, sometimes there are cases when the mother's breast produces a large amount of milk, the child simply does not have time to get to the hind milk, which is more fatty, full. In this case, experts advise giving less frequent breast changes during feeding. And, finally, if lactase deficiency occurs, which cannot be dealt with by the measures described above, the pediatrician prescribes special enzymes that must be diluted in breast milk and given at the beginning of feeding. Before that, the pediatrician will ask you to take special tests. Thus, the appearance of green stools in an infant can be a sign of lactase deficiency.

Greens in the stool of a formula-fed baby may appear because the mixture is not suitable for the child. It should be changed (of course, under the supervision of a pediatrician) and pay attention to the reaction of the child's body. Another possible cause of greenery is iron, which is found in some mixtures.

So, the main thing is not the color of the chair, but the well-being of the baby. If a baby has a green stool and at the same time he is active, cheerful, does not suffer from pain in the tummy - most likely, nothing terrible happens. If the child is lethargic, cries often, spits up a lot, sleep is disturbed, it is worth telling the health worker about this, since a green tint can mean a serious illness. Green color in the stool and foam is also a reason to check with the doctor if everything is in order ..

Mucous stools in a small child always cause concern for parents. The first thing that comes to mind is disease. What does a changed chair really mean, and is it worth it to be afraid of? First you need to learn how to distinguish mucus in the feces of a child from other secretions. Mucus is considered yellowish and whitish jelly-like masses. They are part of the digestive process and protect the intestines from acids, alkalis and injury from moving and undigested stomach contents. If mucus is seen in large quantities in the feces, it can be taken as a sign of pathology.

What causes mucus in feces?

An excess of white mucus in the stool signals the body's attempts to get rid of the influence of a negative factor. The intestinal glands work hard, so the baby poops mucus. What causes this process? Experts identify several predisposing factors:

Allergy.
Dysbacteriosis.
Worm infestations.
lactase deficiency.
Irrational medication intake.
Errors in the nutrition of a nursing mother or baby. Non-sterile breast milk, the abuse of fatty, fried and other forbidden food with HB changes the nature of the baby's stool.
Intestinal obstruction, the causes of which lie in the closure of the lumen by polyps, intussusception, atresia, and abnormal structure of the tract.
The accumulation of sputum in the body, formed during the period of morbidity with rhinitis, bronchitis, pneumonia. The condition is associated with the inability of the child to blow his nose and spit out sputum.

Mucous stools in children under one year old

Frequent acute respiratory infections, occurring with a profuse runny nose, force the baby to swallow mucus. In the digestive tract, it does not break down and comes out with feces, frightening adults. Timely cleaning of the nasal passages will help to avoid this phenomenon. More dangerous causes of slippery stools are dysbacteriosis, viral and bacterial damage to the body, and an acute infectious condition.

One to three years

The secretion of white mucus by the intestines against the background of undigested food without a significant deterioration in well-being is a symptom of dysbacteriosis. A fecal analysis and a study for helminthic invasions will help confirm the suspicion. The risk group usually includes children who have reached the age of 2 years. Additional signs of infection are poor appetite, lethargy, underweight and slow growth.

Mucus in the stool in older children

Pediatrician Komarovsky shares his point of view on mucus in the feces of a child. Evgeny Olegovich believes that when living under normal conditions in compliance with the prescribed regimen, a healthy baby has light mucus in the stool is not an anomaly. And in the crumbs, which is still fed by mother's milk, bowel movements can be anything at all.

Reason for urgent medical attention

Single episodes of mucus excretion with feces with a good health of the child should not disturb parents. However, if the child defecates mucus and blood, trips to the toilet “in a big way” become more frequent, and their result is liquefied, fetid stools, you need to urgently consult a doctor and find out why adverse health changes have occurred. Also, the reason for visiting the clinic is vomiting, anxiety of the child, thinness, temperature fluctuations that accompany the process of emptying mucus.

How to get rid of slimy stool

In case of detection of dysbacteriosis, the treatment of the child is carried out in the form of sanitation of the tract with bacteriophages, Enterofuril or Stop Diar. To improve the intestinal microflora, a monthly course is prescribed to take one of the following drugs:

Linex;
Hilak Forte;
Bifiform Baby;
Primadophilus;
Normoflorin.

With lactase deficiency, therapy is directed to a change in diet. With insufficient drinking regimen and poor nutrition, the condition of the tract is improved by organizing proper nutrition and increasing the volume of fluid consumed. The child is given boiled water and natural juices, the intervals between feedings are reduced.

The quality and consistency of stool in young children is an important indicator of their health. If diarrhea with mucus appears in a baby, an urgent consultation with a pediatrician is required. In order not to miss the symptoms of a dangerous pathology, you need to know the signs of pathological changes in the stool.

Where does slime come from

Loose stools with mucus in a newborn is a variant of the norm. In the first days of life, he excretes the original feces - meconium.

It contains:

water;
bile;
slime;
lactobacilli;
coli;
amniotic fluid swallowed in the prenatal period;
epithelial cells.

Meconium is formed before birth and is excreted in the first 2-3 days of life. The consistency of the original feces is viscous, it has no smell, it is distinguished by a dark color.

The stool then becomes yellow and jelly-like or watery in texture. Preservation of loose stools with mucus in an infant during the first 3-4 months of life should not be a cause for concern. The digestion of mother's milk is accompanied by the formation of acids and alkali in the intestines of the child, therefore the formation of mucus is a kind of protection against the aggressive consequences of biochemical reactions in the digestive system.

Normally, loose stools with mucus in infants are rarely recorded, because these inclusions are mixed with feces in the large intestine. If they occasionally appear in the form of separate fragments, there is no cause for concern.

What symptoms are considered dangerous

Delay in diagnosing a violation of the children's digestive system entails dehydration. For infants, the loss of water in the amount of 10% of body weight threatens coma and death.

In order not to miss the onset of mucous diarrhea in children, you need to be able to determine the atypical consistency of the stool and its pathological inclusions.

When is stool considered liquid?

For children who are breastfed, mushy stools are typical. Formula-fed babies are more likely to have diarrhea in the early stages because their stools are denser. With the introduction of complementary foods, feces thicken, change the smell and color of feces, so after 5-6 months in a baby receiving mixed feeding, it is easy to notice signs of trouble.

Attention! In children who are breastfed, the stool accompanies each meal, appears 1-2 times a day. With the introduction of complementary foods in infants, it happens no more than 3 times a day, for "artists" - no more than 2 times.

The main symptoms of diarrhea in young children are:

feces acquire a liquid consistency, sometimes it contains undigested food particles,;
single and total volume of feces increases;
bowel movements appear more often than usual;
the standard odor of the stool changes, becomes sharp and unpleasant.

The baby's anxiety, frequent crying, the desire to pull the legs to the stomach, elevated body temperature are manifestations of the pathology of the digestive tract.

Types of atypical mucous inclusions

By the appearance of the mucous inclusions in the baby's stool, the cause of the sudden deterioration of his condition is determined.

What does the color, volume and consistency of mucus indicate if the child has diarrhea:

transparent mucus in a small amount - a consequence of an enterovirus infection that caused inflammation of the intestinal walls;
white mucus in the form of foam or threads - appears with intestinal infections (dysentery, salmonellosis), with helminthiasis;
yellow, regularly appearing mucus in secretions with a pronounced unpleasant odor is a sign of helminthiasis, enzyme deficiency or infection of the digestive tract;
pinkish-red mucus is a sign of intestinal disease, accompanied by the release of blood during hemorrhagic inflammation of the digestive tract;
green mucus - appears as a result of the activity of pathogenic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, may be accompanied by bloody inclusions, contain food particles.

In case of any deviation from the norm, the parents of the baby should immediately contact the pediatrician.

Causes of deviation from the norm

The search for negative factors leading to the appearance of diarrhea is very important for determining a treatment strategy.

The main causes of loose stools:

intestinal infections that develop due to an imperfect immune response;
lactose intolerance, when diarrhea is caused by a deficiency of an enzyme that processes milk sugar;
dysbacteriosis, as a result of taking antibacterial drugs by a nursing mother;
teething;
gluten intolerance;
violation of the diet of a nursing mother;
viral disease, enterocolitis;
the introduction of complementary foods that do not correspond to age, the capabilities of the digestive system;
gastroenteritis;
violation of hygiene rules for child care.

The reason for the appearance of green stools can be bacterial infections caused by staphylococcus aureus. With a delay in diagnosis, a baby with such a pathology quickly develops intoxication.

How is the diagnosis with a pathologically altered stool

If infants develop diarrhea with mucus, you should immediately consult a pediatrician or gastroenterologist for advice.

Laboratory tests to identify the cause of trouble:

complete blood count - assesses the intensity of the inflammatory process;
analysis of feces for dysbacteriosis - reveals the degree of colonization of the gastrointestinal tract by pathogenic and beneficial bacteria;
bacterial culture for the dysentery and paratyphoid group, rotavirus, staphylococcus - reveals the presence or absence of infectious agents;
analysis of feces for worm eggs - determines the presence or absence of helminths.

A coprogram, or a detailed analysis of feces, can reveal enzyme deficiency, individual pathologies of the digestive tract. If, with the inclusion of mucus, it becomes acute, this analysis is useless.

Treatment of diarrhea with mucus in infants - drugs, diet

Self-treatment of an infant for diarrhea is unacceptable, its consequences can be fatal. Only a qualified specialist can assess the severity of the condition, prescribe the necessary diagnostics, and choose the tactics of treatment.

With vomiting and loose stools, the baby loses a lot of fluid. The body of the baby is dehydrated rapidly, so the doctor immediately begins to replenish the lost fluid.

Important! About 2 million childhood deaths from dehydration are recorded annually in the world. They most often occur in children under 5 years of age.

It is recommended to feed children more often, in small portions, if the appetite is preserved. They are actively fed with saline solutions (Regidron, Oralit), mixed with 5% glucose, or with sweet tea. Every 10 minutes you need to drink ½ teaspoon of liquid.

If signs of dehydration increase, the baby does not urinate, he has dry palms, lips, drowsiness overcomes - this indicates the need to seek emergency medical help.

To eliminate the cause of diarrhea, prescribe:

enzymes;
probiotics;
antibacterial drugs;
bacteriophages;
intestinal antiseptics.

It is undesirable to use home remedies for the treatment of infants. If there is no allergy, after 7 months, you can give medicinal tea with chamomile and fennel.

Diet is an important therapeutic agent in the treatment of diarrhea. It is not recommended to stop natural feeding, on the contrary, the baby is applied to the breast as often as possible. In infants receiving complementary foods, they temporarily replace food rich in fiber with the following foods - crackers, tea, bananas, potatoes without the addition of butter and milk.

The first signs of diarrhea in children under one year old should not be ignored. Emergency diagnosis and timely treatment will help to avoid serious complications.

The information on our website is provided by qualified doctors and is for informational purposes only. Do not self-medicate! Be sure to contact a specialist!

Gastroenterologist, professor, doctor of medical sciences. Prescribes diagnostics and conducts treatment. Expert of the group on the study of inflammatory diseases. Author of more than 300 scientific papers.