Youth and beauty 

How many times should a bottle-fed newborn have stool. Stool for a baby with mixed and formula feeding. Why is the quality of feces in newborns constantly different?

Very often, the condition of a small child is assessed by the nature of the stool. Many problems can be solved at the initial stage. To do this, you need to know the norm and deviations for the main indicators: stool frequency, color, consistency. All these characteristics may differ depending on what kind of feeding the baby is.

The stool of children who are on breast milk has its own characteristics.

  1. The amount and frequency of stool changes frequently.
  2. Stool up to 12 times a day is not considered a digestive upset, and having no stool for three days is not constipation.
  3. After the introduction of complementary foods (no earlier than the sixth month), the baby's stool depends on the foods eaten, but not in any way on what the mother ate. The diet of a nursing woman does not affect feces.

What is the normal fecal test result?

  • Feces from yellow to green.
  • The presence of bilirubin can be traced up to the 8th month.
  • Sour smell.
  • White blood cells, blood streaks, mucus, and milk lumps may be present.
  • Unformed intestinal microflora.

Key metrics: what you need to know

Stool norms may vary. It depends on the general condition of the baby, what kind of food is received (formula or breast milk), whether complementary foods are introduced into the diet. If the child is breastfed, then the feces are at the following rate.

The color can range from light yellow to brown. For a baby who eats breast milk, a greenish stool will be the norm.

Feces can change color for several reasons:


Normal stools can vary in consistency, from thick to thin. It is important to distinguish the condition of diarrhea from the norm.

Troubled moments:

  • the stool becomes watery;
  • bowel movements are frequent;
  • an unpleasant odor appears;
  • pronounced green color;
  • high body temperature;
  • the appearance of vomiting;
  • in the feces, mucus, blood, foam can be observed;
  • the child looks lethargic, sleepy, lethargic.

Parents need to be aware that if the body temperature rises, the baby's behavior changes, the loss of appetite and poor weight gain, an urgent need to consult a doctor.

Baby feces always have various impurities

  1. A large number of white lumps may indicate an overeating baby. There are not enough enzymes to digest all the milk.
  2. There is always a small amount of mucus in the stool. In the case when it becomes more, we can talk about the beginning of the inflammatory process. There are several more reasons for the appearance of mucus in the stool of a breastfed baby: improper attachment to the breast, early introduction of complementary foods, infections.
  3. Foam may indicate dysbiosis, food allergies, abdominal cramps. The appearance of copious foam indicates an intestinal infection.
  4. The appearance of blood in the feces may be the result of cracks in the anus, inflammation in various parts of the gastrointestinal tract, lack of vitamin K, helminthiasis.

Changes from birth to one year

If the baby is breastfed, the composition of the feces will depend on what the mother ate and on the developmental characteristics of the baby's digestive system. If mom eats foods that lax, then the stool will liquefy. And vice versa.

As soon as the child is born, within three days he has a first-born stool - meconium comes out. It is black and viscous. After that, the baby will begin to poop with ordinary feces, which have a mustard color and a medium liquid consistency. There may be no stool for several days, since the child has completely emptied the intestines from the contents.

When breastfeeding a child, his feces acquire a greenish tint, liquefy and acquire a sour smell.

Around the second week of life, transitional milk changes to mature milk. The baby's digestive organs begin to get used to these changes. Colic and regurgitation are often observed. By the end of the first month, the milk has reached its final composition.

At 1 month old, the baby defecates almost after every feeding. At 2 months, stool frequency decreases up to 4 times. Yellow color, liquid consistency, milky smell are considered the norm.

The third month is characterized by the fact that the child can poop every other day. During this period, there is a change in the composition of breast milk and enzymes in the intestines of the child. If the child rarely poops, but does not feel discomfort, you just need to wait out this period.

After the 6th month, changes in the stool can be observed. It acquires a more pronounced pungent odor, the consistency becomes denser. These changes can occur even if complementary foods have not been introduced. This is due to the fact that the child's body is preparing for new food and began to produce more enzymes.

It is very important to make sure that the baby sucks out not only the front milk, which is for the baby a means of quenching his thirst. Rear milk has all the nutrients, which is more difficult for a baby to get to.

The appearance of a green, liquid stool indicates that the baby is feeding only on front milk. The mother should hold the baby to one breast for longer while breastfeeding.

Important points: how to recognize the problem

Stool problems while breastfeeding can occur for the following reasons:

  • feeding the child according to the regimen;
  • lack of milk;
  • supplementing with water;
  • early feeding with mixtures;
  • early introduction of complementary foods.

If the following symptoms appear, you need to seek medical help:

  1. Stool more than 12 times a day.
  2. Rare urination.
  3. Profuse, frequent regurgitation.
  4. Stomach ache.
  5. Bad breath.

How to fix the situation: tips to solve the problem

Constipation in a child can be suspected in the following cases:

  • the child has not pooped for more than three days;
  • the baby's behavior becomes moody, there is constant crying;
  • the child has a hard stomach;
  • feces become dry and very hard;
  • suspicion of abdominal pain in a child (he often bends his legs to the tummy).

You can not resort to self-treatment and the use of folk advice (thermometer, soap). All these methods can lead to disruption of the intestinal microflora and inflammatory processes. Constipation is rare in babies who are breastfed. The symptom may be not only a long absence of feces. It becomes hard and dry.

What foods are weakening? The following products will help to change the situation: cereals, fruits, boiled vegetables, kefir. Prunes will help to improve the digestion process. To do this, a woman should eat about 4 pieces of this dried fruit on an empty stomach in the morning.

Thick stools can be caused by medications that contain iron. They are usually prescribed to mothers in the first months after childbirth to raise hemoglobin.

Another reason that the stool is thick is the violation of intestinal motility.

To fix the chair will help:

  1. laying the baby on his stomach before feeding;
  2. a sufficient amount of fluid;
  3. abdominal massage;
  4. gymnastics.

If all these methods do not help, they resort to laxative drugs. What medications are allowed for infants for constipation? Glycerin suppositories or Microlax immediately weaken and lead to the desired result.

It is better to exclude from the diet foods that cause increased gas formation and worsen the situation. What foods should you avoid? These are peas, grapes, cucumbers, cabbage. If there are white lumps in the stool, then this indicates poor digestion of breast milk. Enzyme preparations, which should only be prescribed by a doctor, help to normalize the situation.

Frequent loose stools can occur due to infection.

Dangerous symptoms:

  • temperature increase;
  • the stool becomes very runny;
  • the appearance of an abundant amount of blood, mucus;
  • no weight gain;
  • regurgitation, vomiting.

In this case, only medicines will help to establish a chair: antibiotics, antiviral drugs, prebiotics. Mom should not eat foods that weaken and lead to increased gas production.

Don't worry about giving up breastfeeding. The main thing is to recognize the problem in time and consult a doctor. Self-medication can lead to serious health problems for your baby.

From the first day of life, an infant diaper is under the scrutiny of young parents. There is a lot of concern: how many times should a newborn have stool, what consistency and color. Such anxiety is justified, because children's bowel movements reflect the state of digestion of the crumbs.

How many times a day should there be a chair?

During the period of intrauterine development, the baby's intestines accumulate the original feces - meconium, which leaves in the first days after birth. Fecal masses have a pasty consistency of dark, almost black color, odorless.

After a woman's lactation normalizes, infant feces pass into a formalized state. The color and composition have mixed characteristics of original and mature stools.

Children's feces are yellowish and mushy. The smell is reminiscent of slightly sour milk. In the first weeks of life, the child recovers quite often. To say how many times a newborn should have a chair during this period can only be approximately. A bowel movement usually occurs after each meal, but may occur more frequently. The number of bowel movements reaches ten times a day.

With the growth of the child, the daily stool frequency gradually decreases and reaches one to three times. It is extremely rare that there are cases when the child's body carries out the absolute assimilation of mother's milk, and then almost no undigested residues are formed in the intestine. In such a situation, it will be difficult to answer the question "how many times should a newborn have stool". Bowel movements may occur infrequently, perhaps even once a week. That is, when it is filled with a sufficient amount of feces.

It should be clarified that rare bowel movements of a newborn at 2 months are considered the norm only if they are breastfeeding. At the same time, the child is active, cheerful, gaining weight well and does not show signs of ill health.

If the baby has mixed or artificial nutrition, then the answer to the question "how many times should a newborn have stool" can be quite definitely - at least once a day. If this does not happen, then, most likely, the baby has constipation. In this case, the child will behave uneasily and cry.

Everything described above refers to the typical process of the baby's intestines in the first months of life. Unfortunately, sometimes there are deviations from the norm, so it is worth considering what kind of stool a newborn has.

Greenish feces

After a woman has stabilized the lactation process, the baby's feces may have a greenish tint, sometimes mixed with mucus. There are several reasons for this.

The baby may lack breast milk and remain hungry. Lack of food can be complicated by the fact that the mother's breasts are not open enough or her nipples are tight.

The mother's nutrition is reflected in the child's chair. If there is a large amount of vegetables and fruits in the diet of a nursing woman, then this has a direct effect on changing the color and composition of the baby's feces.

Greens in baby stool may be due to inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. It could be provoked by oxygen starvation, or hypoxia, which occurred during childbirth. In this case, medical intervention will be required, followed by long-term treatment.

Causes

The cause of intestinal inflammation can be the mother's unhealthy diet. If the menu of a nursing woman contains products containing artificial colors, food additives, fillers, preservatives, then through milk harmful substances enter the baby's body.

The most common cause of inflammation is dysbiosis. The disease is characterized by an increase in pathogenic bacteria that can inhibit beneficial flora and provoke negative changes in the intestinal environment. If during pregnancy and childbirth a woman or child received antibiotics, then the chances of activating dysbiosis increase significantly.

With artificial feeding, stool disturbances are often associated with dietary habits. Feces in infants are thicker than during breastfeeding and have a darker color. The presence of a greenish tint and a pungent odor confirms the presence of foods containing a high concentration of iron in the diet. Such a reaction of the body is considered normal, and you should not worry about this.

In the event that the stool turns black without iron supplements, it is imperative to consult a doctor to exclude intestinal bleeding.

Nutrition and stool in a newborn

Sometimes in children's feces, you can find food particles that the body has not digested. This fact should not cause concern for parents, because some foods, in principle, are not completely digested. Also, food for the baby may not be mashed enough, or the baby overeats during feeding. Stool color can also vary depending on the composition of the food. Vegetables such as beets or carrots can give faeces their distinct color. But if poorly digested food appears in the feces all the time, you should sound the alarm and contact your pediatrician.

Watery stool

With the disorder, a newborn's watery stool may be so thin that it will leak out of the diaper. An infection or food allergy could be the cause. It is imperative to pay attention to how many times a newborn has stool that day. Frequent liquid bowel movements can lead to rapid dehydration. If liquid bowel movements are repeated several times, then this is a reason to consult a doctor. Doctor's help is needed all the more if mucus or blood is present in the stool.

Sometimes it happens that watery stools in a newborn have a discolored, offensive odor and foam. This phenomenon occurs with poor digestion of milk sugar - lactose. The reason is the low content of enzymes in the child's body that can break down this carbohydrate. When breastfeeding, lactase should be added to breast milk at the dosage recommended by the doctor. If the baby is artificially fed, then mixtures with a low content of the above element are recommended.

Constipation

If constipation occurs, the child may experience pain and difficulty having a bowel movement. Traces of blood may be found in the stool - this is the result of a crack in the anus. Repeated constipation indicates intolerance to any product. They often happen in or switch to mixed meals.

Cause of problems with bowel movements

According to the observations of pediatricians, problems with stool in newborns most often arise due to violations in the organization of breastfeeding. The microflora of the children's intestine is influenced by a number of reasons. This is late attachment to the breast, strict feeding in accordance with the schedule, early (up to six months) or transition to

If a child has a frequent stool disorder or a confirmed diagnosis of an intestinal infection, then in no case should the baby be deprived of breast milk. Breastfeeding will help restore microflora faster and give a small body a protective power.

Young parents, whose baby is on artificial feeding, often complain of constipation in the baby. Constipation in newborns in the absence of breastfeeding is by no means uncommon. Of course the situation is unpleasant, but everything is fixable. It is only necessary to eliminate the causes of digestive problems in the baby with artificial feeding.

How to recognize the problem

Many parents become worried if a newborn has rare bowel movements. However, the rare frequency of stools does not always indicate constipation. Children who receive artificial formula or are on mixed feeding use the toilet less often than their peers who eat mother's milk. This is due to the rapid formation of the enzyme medium, which means that in a rare stool, 1-2 times a day there is nothing to worry about.

First of all, it is not the frequency of bowel movements that should cause concern, but the consistency of its contents. If the crumbs have rare but soft stools, do not worry and do not run for an enema, everything is in order with your baby. But if you notice that the stool is hard and it hurts the child to go to the toilet, start sounding the alarm.

With normal stool consistency, bowel movement 1 time in 3 days is considered an acceptable norm with artificial nutrition. If there is no stool for more than 4 days, it can be suspected that the newborn is indeed constipated.

According to pediatricians, it is those babies who are bottle-fed that most often suffer from constipation. This is due to the composition of baby food, which contains fatty amino acids and unnatural supplements. The stomach of babies is not designed to digest such components, as a result of which the digestion process takes longer, and the intestines simply do not have time to empty out in time.

However, artificial nutrition does not always lead to constipation in newborns, the digestive system can fail if there are reasons such as:

  1. A sharp change in the type of food. For example, if from birth you breastfed your baby and suddenly, for some reason, transferred him to artificial mixtures, the intestines may react with constipation.
  2. Lack of fluid. Unlike children who receive breastfeeding, artificial children must be supplemented with water. This will help replace fluid deficiencies that are causing constipation.
  3. Frequent change of food brands. The composition of baby food from different manufacturers may vary. It is for this reason that artificial children need to be fed with the same brand of formula. In this case, the baby's stomach quickly adapts to food and digestion is normalized.
  4. Imbalance in the intestinal microflora. Dysbacteriosis can occur from taking antibacterial drugs, with artificial feeding from birth, passive smoking, stress, birth trauma. The diagnosis can only be made by a specialist who will prescribe adequate therapy. Babies who receive breast milk rarely experience this phenomenon, since all the beneficial microbes are passed on to them in their mother's milk. Also, constipation is quite common in children with mixed feeding. Especially if the mother or baby is receiving antibiotics.
  5. Psychological causes of constipation are also not uncommon. This can happen to a baby over 8 months old. At this time, the baby begins to understand that he wants to use the toilet and a one-time pain during bowel movements can cause fear. For this reason, the child may not tolerate going to the potty, which ultimately leads to constipation.
  6. Also, the problem can be provoked by the peculiar structure of the intestine. This problem should go away by itself by school age.

Young parents know little about the baby's feces, what it should be, so that in the future, if necessary, come to the rescue in a timely manner. In this article, we will consider what types of feces are in newborns when breastfeeding, what determines its color, how to determine the pathology by its shade?

After the birth of a baby, parents should find out information about his development, the nuances of feeding, about the formation of a chair. One of the important topics is the work of the intestines in infants and, therefore, the formation of feces.

Young mothers and fathers should be warned that a newborn's feces may already be formed on days 2-3.

The first days the mass is more liquid, after which it becomes mushy th. The color of the feces depends on the age of the newborn, his nutrition and previous diseases (or existing diseases).

In the early days, the mass of feces is more liquid.

As a rule, very young children go to the toilet in very different ways. This can be 2-3 times, or even 1 time in 5 days, when it comes to children aged 2-3 months.

3-4 months of a newborn's life

The consistency of feces and its shade can change by the age of six months.

From 3-4 months, the baby can be emptied no more than 1-2 times a day. This indicates his normal development.

The consistency of feces and its shade can change by the age of six months when the child is planted. Mixtures and purchased baby food affect the baby's digestive tract, which indicates his normal development. At the same time, the number of trips to the toilet by and large does not exceed 2-3 times a day with a normal balanced diet.

If the baby is emptied once a day, then there is no cause for concern.

What feces in the first days of a baby's life: green color pathology?

Young parents should be aware that newborns empty themselves for the first time in their lives 2-3 days after birth. The feces in this case are dark, rarely black.

Feces 2-3 days after birth has a green tint.

The mass is called meconium... It is a liquid that comes out of the child's body and does not smell at all. There is absolutely no pathology in dark and green colors. Feces of this color indicate the normal development of the child's intestines.

Feces acquire an unusual color due to the amniotic fluid that the child swallowed in the womb. The appearance of meconium in the first days of a baby's life is a good sign for young parents. If it stands out during the week, then the child should be immediately shown to the pediatrician.

Grayish or gray-green feces

Starting from 3-5 days or at the end of the first week of life, the baby's feces become grayish or gray-green.

On the 3-5th day, the feces become gray-green.

The mass gradually becomes thicker. This sign indicates a sufficient intake of breast milk into the child's body and the normal development of the gastrointestinal tract.

2 week of life

Starting from 2 weeks of age, the feces of the newborn become mustard or yellowish.

From 2 weeks of age, the feces become yellowish.

Consistency between liquid and mushy mass. There is not a very pungent fermented milk smell. The presence of mucus or white grains in the feces is allowed. Parents should see a doctor if stools are too loose or hard.

It should be noted that up to one and a half months, newborns fed on breast milk go to the toilet in many ways ... There are cases, with no pathology, that children empty themselves up to 12 times a day, while for others it is quite normal to relieve themselves up to 5-6 times a day.

2 and 3 months of life

Starting from the second and third months and life, feces are released less often. For some it can be 3-5 times a day, for others 1-2 times a week, while this fact is not considered a pathology.

From the second and third months and life, feces come out less often.

The main thing, show the baby to the pediatrician in a timely manner and talk about the peculiarities of his stool, so that the doctor will voice his norm, taking into account the physiological characteristics of the baby.

Constipation in a newborn

Often, parents are worried if the baby does not empty for more than three days.

There is no cause for concern if stool occurs in a period of 1 time in 5 days , while the child does not cry, behaves calmly, he has a normal temperature.

Do not worry if the baby has not been emptied for more than three days.

As a rule, after 3-4 months of life, the child is gradually accustomed to baby food, mixtures, cereals. Of course, the color of the feces and its consistency change markedly, it first of all becomes mushy, often similar to diarrhea.

What factors determine the color of bowel movements?

Taking antibiotics and medications can alter feces slightly.

Young parents should understand that the color of feces depends on various factors. The main ones are:

  • baby age (the first days of life, meconium comes out, which has a dark green tint, then during the period of breastfeeding, the feces have a slightly greenish tint);
  • introduction of complementary foods also affects the color of feces, which becomes slightly greenish, mustard or yellowish, which characterizes the normal development of the gallbladder;
  • digestibility of breast milk (the color of the stool can have a green or orange tint);
  • reaction to bilirubin (bile pigment) -;
  • taking antibiotics and medications may slightly alter feces, but in most cases this is not cause for concern;
  • dysbiosis gives feces a light shade, which indicates an imbalance of the beneficial intestinal microflora;
  • can also lighten stool;
  • infectious diseases may discolor feces, which is an immediate reason for parents to see a doctor.

When should you sound the alarm?

Young parents are not accustomed to seeing the feces of a newborn, since it looks different than that of an adult, which makes it difficult to determine the pathologies in a baby. Many inexperienced people confuse normal children's feces and make inaccurate diagnoses., although in fact the child is completely healthy.

The development of infections and pathologies has the following signs:

  • very loose, watery stools;
  • frequent emptying - more than 10-12 times;
  • strongly pungent, unpleasant odor;
  • strongly pronounced green or yellow color of feces;
  • increased body temperature of the baby;
  • irritation on the priest, anus;
  • the child is not gaining weight;
  • vomiting;
  • feces may contain mucus, foam, or bloody streaks;
  • apathy in the mood of the child.

An increased body temperature of a baby can be a symptom of developing infections.

The combination of these symptoms indicates the course of an inflammatory or infectious process in the child's body, so you should immediately consult a doctor.

Mucus in the feces of a newborn

There are times when there is mucus in the feces of the baby. She can talk about:

  • improper attachment to the chest;
  • introduction of complementary foods ahead of time;
  • overfeeding;
  • unsuitable infant formula;
  • runny nose;
  • reactions to medications;
  • gluten or lactose deficiency;
  • dysbiosis;
  • dermatitis;
  • intestinal infection.

Improper latching to the breast can contribute to the production of mucus in the stool.

Notes for nursing mothers and young parents

In order for a newborn to grow up strong and healthy, he did not have problems with stool, closely monitor your diet.

Breastfeeding mothers should eat healthy and balanced meals and eat a special diet for the formation of healthy and nutritious breast milk.

Breastfeeding mothers should eat healthy and balanced meals.

Pay attention to the time when you switch to the first complementary foods. On the advice of pediatricians, the best time to introduce baby food is 6 months.

conclusions

Unusual stool color in infants is a normal sign of healthy development.

remember, that unusual color of feces in infants is a completely normal sign of their healthy development... The alarm should be beaten only when the baby has become apathetic, his temperature has risen, visits to the toilet have become more frequent, the feces have begun to smell unpleasant and have changed their usual color. In this case, consult a doctor immediately.

Video about how a baby's stool should be

Baby chair is one of the problematic moments for many mothers. In the middle of the 20th century, when formula feeding became more common than breastfeeding, a new stereotype of "normal" bowel movements emerged. Children who are fed with formula poop differently than infants: the stool of "artificial" is relatively infrequent, comes out shaped and smells bad, resembling the stool of adults. While the stool from breast milk in the first 6 weeks of life is usually thin and frequent, and in the future, on the contrary, it may be of normal consistency, but with delays. At the same time, often people who do not know that this is quite normal for babies begin to treat the baby either for diarrhea or for constipation ...

For a child under the age of 6 weeks, it is normal to empty the intestines several times a day, little by little, with a mass of yellow or mustard color, without an unpleasant odor. At the same time, the stool may well have a heterogeneous consistency, or cheesy inclusions, or - after a while, if the mother does not remove the diaper or diaper for a long time - you will notice that the yellow stool turns green, this is a completely natural oxidation process. These are all signs that are characteristic of a healthy baby! If you see white "pellets" in your child's chair - do not be alarmed. Most likely it is just an immaturity of the intestines. Therefore, if the child is gaining weight well and nothing bothers him, then there is no reason for your concern either.

Signs that can make mom wary:

  • too frequent watery stools - 12 to 16 bowel movements per day, with a strong odor indicates that the child really has diarrhea (diarrhea). It is imperative to consult a doctor, while it is very desirable to continue breastfeeding, because breast milk best of all makes up for the deficiency of substances necessary for the baby.
  • frequent stools (8-12 times a day), which are green and watery, often caused by sensitivity to food or treatment of the child or mother; often this reaction is caused by the protein of cow's milk.

Green, watery, foamy stools are usually a sign of what is known as an anterior-posterior milk imbalance, which doctors like to call "lactase deficiency." True lactase deficiency is relatively rare, and in the overwhelming majority of cases, this condition of the baby can be corrected by allowing each breast to be emptied to the end before transferring to the next. In this case, the baby will receive a large portion of fatty "back" milk, which contains little lactose (in contrast to the "front" portion rich in it) and therefore is easier to digest. Clarification so as not to be confused in terms: lactose is the milk sugar found in breast milk, and lactase is an enzyme that is required to break down lactose. The reserves of lactase in the baby's body are relatively small, and if he receives a lot of "front" milk, then the lactase is not enough for its normal assimilation, so the baby is tormented by gas, and the stool takes on a characteristic appearance. Another problem that often occurs after 5-6 weeks of a child's life is a relatively rare bowel movement, which is often mistakenly considered constipation and begins to actively treat the baby. At this age, the milk finally becomes mature and the laxative colostrum component leaves it, and therefore most children begin to poop less often. By itself, a rare chair is not a cause for concern, just the child's body finds out how much it can accumulate in itself before pooping. If the process is not interfered with, the child may not poop even up to 7 days once or twice, after which the normal frequency will be restored. If you constantly interfere, forcing the intestines to empty when it is not yet ready, constipation will become habitual. BUT: Indeed, the child may not poop for up to a week, and the mother may not worry under the essential condition: the child TOO do not worry! If the child is obviously annoyed by this, the mother, of course, should not hope that everything "will be formed by itself."

Constipation in a breastfed baby

Constipation in a breastfed baby is hard, dry, formed stools, so-called "goat balls", which are very painful for the baby.
The consistency of NORMAL feces, even with its relatively rare appearance, cannot be considered constipation. These are only the physiological characteristics of this particular organism, such as eye color, nose snub angle or the shape of nails. We will not treat the body because its eyes are blue, and not brown, like most?

Why does such a physiologically rare stool ("not constipation") appear in babies?

For the urge to defecate, the little man needs to experience a chain of certain sensations. The most important of which is the pressure of feces on the intestines, it is the degree of pressure that forms the skill to relax the sphincters in response to tension, and not to contract them. A young, not fully formed intestine is just learning to react to any external changes, and breast milk, the only native and adapted product, helps it gently and not stressfully at this stage of its formation. Like any student, the gut passes a series of tests or even self-tests. Therefore, the baby's feces of the first half of the year are heterogeneous - sometimes thick, sometimes liquid, sometimes often, sometimes rarely. And our adult standards for such a young student are unacceptable, the adult intestine is very different from the intestines of a baby.

The main indicator with such a rare stool is the child's health and the discharge of gases, the most dangerous sign of constipation is the absence of gas, then you can fear for intestinal patency, but if the baby “farts like a machine gun”, then the patency is excellent. If the consistency of feces after defecation is normal, without "balls" - then the child has no problem.
The intestine is simply in a state of testing the degree of pressure of feces inside on the intestinal walls for optimal bowel movements, after completing such a test, the body will choose a certain period for defecation. This deadline will be set until ... the next test, after which everything will change dramatically again.
That is, the main thing is to objectively assess the condition of the child, to look at the discharge of gases, and not at the calendar.
And yet it is so strange and scary when the chair is not regular and young parents so want to attend to something. What can be done so that the body is "tested" faster, and the parents would see the coveted poop and at the same time not harm the child and not resort to medications.

1. Give extra liquid.

But the problem is not in the consistency of feces !!! The feces inside are soft, the additional liquid makes it generally liquid and ... postpones the period of natural bowel movements. As a result, additional mechanical stimulation is required (with a cotton swab in oil, a thermometer), but more often it turns out that due to additional fluid and an extended period, the “front” part of the feces has formed into a dense solid “cork”, and the “above” is a very liquid watery stool. It is very painful and unpleasant for the baby to pop out the "cork".
That is, in the case of a physiological rare stool, supplementation with any liquid can worsen the situation.

Here you need to take into account that juice is a very large irritant with a high acidity factor. The complete absence of fiber, but a deadly carbohydrate environment, due to sugars. The intestines of a child simply cannot digest such things, additional enzymes are needed to digest the juice, which are not produced by the pancreas of a child in infancy. And it turns out in the intestines there is an irritating product - sugar from juice. Up to a certain age, the mucous membrane of the baby is very perceptive and sensitive, through its walls, the small cells penetrate into the blood, and the sugars begin to strongly irritate the mucous membrane, the body receives a signal to get rid of the aggressors as quickly as possible, the pancreas tries to form enzymes to break down carbohydrates in the juice. The intestine collects additional fluid to partially neutralize aggressive sugars and begins to contract, removing the irritant. Outwardly, the child may have stools quickly enough after the infusion of juice. But at the cost of tremendous stress to the pancreas, mucous membranes and the body as a whole. At the same time, the necessary minerals and vitamins are washed out from the body, the child loses a lot of fluid. The carbohydrate component sucks in the intestines an ideal environment for the reproduction of pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic flora (candida, stuffylococcus), therefore, after copulation, thrush in a child's mouth is so frequent.
Juice is one of the most cruel methods of influencing the baby's body.

3. Give an enema.

The liquid will create additional pressure, the same that the intestines were waiting for and before the physiological readiness of the body there will be a chair. The "self-test" of the organism is knocked down. The defecation was caused by a mechanical stimulator, a contraction of the intestines, but the child himself needs to learn to relax. I think everyone has heard stories from two-three-year-olds who have problems with a chair. Often (not always) these are babies who were either artificially fed, or the period of "learning" in a safe chair from breast milk passed against the background of stimulation of defecation.

So what do you do? Nothing. Wait. If the child behaves as usual and farts well, then this is another "test".
But if the child is pushing, blushing, gas does not go away, the stomach is hard, and the child cries on palpation - this is a completely different matter. You definitely need help here.

If the child does not walk for a long time and it worries him

  • The first step is to massage your tummy. Massage clockwise with full palm. Or exercise like a "bike".
  • A warm bath - it does not help anyone to relax. Mom and baby are immersed in warm 37 degrees of water, breastfeed right in the water, then they quickly crawl out, mom or dad will rub their arms, legs and tummy with baby oil, then you can put the mole on your mother’s tummy relaxed, it’s worth remembering that it’s easier to poop while lying down on the tummy or side, than on the back, or the mother can feed in the landing position (so that the ass is sagging and the child is almost vertical) and in 80% you can expect the "coveted poop".
  • It is very good to hold a child complaining of a tummy over the sink under the knees, lubricating the anus with baby oil ... The posture is the same as when landing.

Only when these methods did not help, you can use the first step of mechanical stimulation. Take a hygienic stick, grease the tip liberally with petroleum jelly or baby oil and insert a little into the ass. No more than a centimeter! It is to enter and twist a little. Put away. Put on a diaper and put your mom on her stomach, tummy to tummy ... Or press your knees to your stomach in a position on your back ...

And only if this did not help, then the next step is a glycerin candle.
But as a rule, in the first step, everything already works out.

I would like to highlight the purpose of any treatment, parents should analyze - what are they treating - the child's condition or analysis? Does your doctor prescribe bifidobacteria for you? Is there a correlation with the onset of intake and the onset of stool retention? Were you warned that bacteriological preparations containing bifidocultures affect the stool and can cause chronic constipation, which will already be constipation, and not physiological reactions? ... Always watch the child's stool very carefully when using any medication.

Breastfeeding mistakes

As practice shows, for problems with stool in infants, it is often not bacteria that are to blame, but improperly organized breastfeeding. Here are the most common breastfeeding mistakes that interfere with the development of a baby's normal gut flora:

  • Late attachment of the newborn to the breast.
  • Rare feeding "by the hour", limiting the duration of breastfeeding by the baby.
  • Supplementing the baby with water, teas.
  • Early introduction of formula supplements or gradual transition to full bottle feeding.
  • Introduction of complementary foods earlier than 6 months.

Misconceptions associated with problematic bowel movements in infants

1. In the same place, everything rots inside if he does not walk for more than a day !!

We hear from many mothers. We hasten to dispel this myth!

We recall the school chemistry course. Oxidation, reaction with oxygen. Now we take the child and examine the belly for holes. There is not? just the navel? So oxidation does not threaten you. If someone says "rots" - also refer him to the school chemistry course, where it says that decay is a slow combustion reaction, in which the access of oxygen is a prerequisite. To do this, at least you need a hole in your stomach. And it, as already found out from a higher experience, is not there.

2. This is dysbiosis !!!
Dysbacteriosis is becoming more popular, however, as are the drugs aimed at treating it. In the minds of many parents, the wrong opinion has formed that every baby has dysbiosis, and biological products are no longer the means that a doctor should prescribe - they can simply be bought and given to your baby: maybe it will help? Let's take a look at some of the facts about this condition and speculate about them. After all, as you know, "he who is forewarned is armed."

The Truth About Dysbiosis:

    1. Dysbacteriosis Is not a diagnosis according to the Tenth revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) - the generally accepted international diagnostic classification of the World Health Organization. This is a state of imbalance of the intestinal microflora that accompanies its various diseases (for example, acute intestinal infection). Also, dysbiosis develops after surgical operations on the gastrointestinal tract, treatment with antibiotics, cytostatics, and immunity suppressants. Therefore, if a child was born healthy, gains weight well, grows and develops according to age, you should not look for dysbiosis from him.
    2. In babies who have just been born, the period of colonization of the intestine with microbes is called transient dysbiosis and it belongs to the borderline states of newborns. The main protection and medicine for the baby during this period is the mother's breast milk. Colostrum contains a huge amount of antibodies, anti-infectious proteins and secretory immunoglobulin A, which provide the infant with primary immunological protection. In addition, the bifidus factor in human breast milk is involved in the formation of normal intestinal microflora, and lactoferrin binds iron and prevents the multiplication of those bacteria that need iron. That is why it is extremely important that nothing but mother's milk gets into the mouth of the baby from birth! Dysbiosis is not terrible for a healthy baby.
  1. The analysis for dysbiosis does not reflect the true state of the intestinal microflora. Let's remember that microflora is a dynamic environment, the number of microbial units is in the millions, and these units themselves multiply (and die) rather quickly. By the time the parents receive the result of the microflora analysis (and this is at least 7 days from the date of its delivery), the microbial "picture" in the intestine will change radically. In addition, microorganisms colonize the intestines unevenly: there are more of them near the walls of the intestine, and not in its lumen, and when taking a feces analysis, only "luminal" colonies fall into the "field of view". That is why experienced and competent specialists do not trust this analysis and are in no hurry to treat children if it is changed and there are no clinical symptoms.