The color of feces can tell about the health of the crumbs and the development of its internal organs. Therefore, young mothers are very attentive to this indicator, studying the contents of the diaper. What should be the chair normally? Does dark green feces in infants always indicate problems?
What should be the feces in a baby normally
Immediately after birth, young mothers notice a viscous and sticky dark green, almost black mass on the diaper of the crumbs, which causes panic. Do not worry, this color of bowel movements in a newborn baby is the norm. The first feces of the baby are similar to tar or machine oil, they call it meconium. It contains what the baby ate in the womb.
With regular application to the breast, the dark green color of the feces in the baby will change to light green. This will happen when colostrum replaces full breast milk, after about 2-3 days. The norm for a baby from 1 to 12 months is yellow or mustard stool with a sour smell, in which there is no mucus, blood, lumps.
Sometimes dark green feces can be observed in infants, but there should be no sharp unpleasant odor. If other unpleasant symptoms are present, you should be wary and find out the cause of this phenomenon.
Immediately it is worth making an appointment with the pediatrician if the baby:
- sleep disturbance;
- vomiting appeared;
- the temperature has risen;
- lost your appetite.
Why the baby has a dark green feces
A mother who cares about the health of the child should pay attention to all the additional factors that accompany the appearance of green feces. To distinguish the norm from pathology, it is important to consider such points:
- stool consistency;
- inclusions and impurities in the stool;
- the presence of additional symptoms;
- the age of the child.
Green stool with mucus
Dark green mucus in the feces of a baby can be a normal option, but if the baby feels great, he is cheerful and does not cry, eats with appetite and gains weight. Feces of green with mucus in the absence of temperature can be a sign of dysbiosis. Modern pediatricians do not consider this a disease, and therefore treatment is not required.
The reason is that the digestive system of the crumbs needs time to adapt to new conditions and nutrition. Immediately after birth, the intestine is colonized by constant microflora, and dark green loose stools in infants with mucus can be observed.
The formation of healthy microflora in a newborn infant provides:
- early attachment of the baby to the chest;
- natural feeding, which lasts at least six months;
- the exception of taking antibacterial drugs (as much as possible) by both a young mother and a baby.
If there are a lot of mucous inclusions, and the baby behaves uneasily, then this condition can be triggered:
- indigestion;
- dysentery;
- food poisoning in mom.
Liquid green feces in a baby
According to the consistency of the baby's feces, it is also not always the same, this may depend on:
- nutrition of a young mother;
- the composition of the microflora of the intestines of the baby;
- the introduction of complementary foods, dairy crumbs;
- hormonal background of a woman.
Dark green feces in infants of a liquid consistency may appear as a result of excess iron entering the body of crumbs from mixtures or mother's milk.
Other causes of this phenomenon:
- stool oxidation in contact with air;
- leafy vegetables that give the child in the form of complementary foods;
- changes in the intestinal microflora;
- teething in crumbs;
- the use of foods that can mow feces, nursing mother (zucchini, broccoli and cucumbers).
Solid green stool
Constipation in a baby who feeds on her mother’s milk is a rare occurrence. Most often, this problem occurs in artificial babies. Solid dark green feces in infants on artificial feeding is an occasion to pay attention to its nutrition. It is advisable to get advice from a pediatrician, maybe he will recommend changing the mixture.
Feces with such characteristics may appear after taking antibacterial drugs. The reason is the change in the composition of the intestinal microflora under the influence of such agents. Such a problem can occur even if the drugs were not taken by a child, but by a nursing mother. Other means can cause a similar violation:
- antifungal;
- hormonal;
- anti-inflammatory;
- astringents.
Malnutrition can also affect stool color. Most often this happens if several feedings are replaced with a milk mixture. A lack of breast milk can affect the color of the stool, they turn green.
Green foam chair
Do not panic if you notice bubbles in the baby's feces, but you should take care to properly attach the baby to the chest. Milk from the front of the mammary glands will quench thirst and cause a feeling of satiety in the crumbs. It has a liquid and watery consistency. And in more fat and viscous rear milk there are many nutrients necessary for the baby.
The appearance of a green shade in feces may be a sign that the baby receives only front milk, and this can lead to a slow weight gain of the baby.
Correcting the situation will help correct attachment to the chest:
- the breast should be inserted into the wide open mouth of the baby;
- it is important to ensure that the baby captures not only the nipple, but also the areola;
- the tip of the nose of the baby should touch the mammary gland;
- you can not transfer the baby from one breast to another in the process of one feeding;
- a nursing mother should not experience pain.
Also, do not limit the time spent by the baby in the chest. One quarter is enough to saturate, weaker babies need long-term feeding.
The stool of a baby with a dark green color with foam is also a sign of lactase deficiency, which can have both an acquired and congenital form. Pathology occurs when there is a lack or absence of an enzyme that breaks down milk sugar.
The baby has a dark green stool with blood: causes
Blotches of red in the stool of a child may be a variant of the norm. The capillaries of the intestinal mucosa are still thin and brittle, when the baby is pushing, they can be damaged, which leads to the appearance of feces with streaks of blood.
But if there are a lot of such impurities, this may indicate the presence of infections, internal damage to the intestines, congenital malformations of the digestive system, acute inflammatory process, especially if the color of feces is green and there is a sharp unpleasant odor.
Green stool with other related symptoms
Green stools accompanied by vomiting are a dangerous symptom. This manifests intestinal infections caused by bacteria, fungi or viruses.
If the appearance of an unusual stool color is accompanied by fever and fever, this can indicate severe poisoning. Also, the violation can be caused by intestinal infection, viruses, helminthic invasion, inflammatory processes of the gastrointestinal tract.
What to do to parents when a green stool appears
If the baby's health is normal, he is cheerful and cheerful, there is no vomiting and other suspicious signs, and the thermometer does not cause concern, then you should not worry.
If the child is lethargic and capricious, there are other negative manifestations, it is necessary to determine the cause of the violation. In this case, you need the help of a pediatrician. The most dangerous symptoms requiring compulsory medical advice are vomiting and diarrhea. Without timely intervention, such conditions can lead to severe dehydration.
The following conditions should alert:
- insufficient weight gain;
- skin rash;
- spitting up or vomiting;
- heat;
- green stools of watery consistency, which is observed for more than one day;
- prolonged loose stools of an unusual color;
- feces in a newborn who leaves greasy marks on the diaper (if this is observed for 12 days or more - the baby may have intestinal problems);
- a large number of blood impurities.
Before examining a pediatrician, provide your baby with proper care:
- apply more often to the chest;
- do a light massage, spread it on the tummy;
- if necessary, use a children's antipyretic agent in the form of a rectal suppository.
Diagnostics
In the presence of green stool in combination with other unpleasant symptoms, the baby will take standard tests. In addition, coprology is recommended. During the study, the physical and chemical properties of feces are studied. Such a diagnostic method will help establish the cause of the change in its color.
If necessary, an analysis for dysbiosis is prescribed. This will allow you to evaluate the composition of the intestinal microflora and detect violations. If there is a problem, a specialist will recommend a diet and prescribe drugs that restore the balance of microflora.
If inflammatory processes in the intestine are suspected, inoculation on the flora and bacteriological analysis will be recommended. After diagnostic tests, the doctor will prescribe a course of therapy, if necessary.
Prevention of a problem
Knowing why feces in a baby can get a green tint, you can try to prevent this problem. A nursing mother should monitor her diet, using only allowed foods, while monitoring the baby’s reaction and avoiding overeating. The use of special nutritional supplements for women who are breastfeeding is helpful. Take care of proper attachment to the chest: the baby should receive both front and back milk.
Regardless of the cause of the appearance of dark green feces in a child, you can not self-medicate. To understand why the violation occurred, you need to contact a specialist, especially if the health of the crumbs is impaired. Only after a thorough examination, the pediatrician will be able to give useful recommendations or prescribe the necessary medications.