Dark green feces in babies: causes, features and expert advice

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The color of feces can tell about the he alth 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 a normal chair? Does dark green stool in a baby always indicate problems?

What should be the normal feces of a baby

Immediately after birth, young mothers notice a viscous and sticky dark green, almost black mass on the baby's diaper, which causes panic. Do not worry, this color of bowel movements in a newborn baby is the norm. The first feces of the baby resembles 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, in about 2-3 days. The norm for a baby from 1 to 12 months is yellow or mustard feces with soursmell, in which there is no mucus, blood, lumps.

Sometimes there may be dark green feces in the baby, but there should be no sharp unpleasant odor. If there are other unpleasant symptoms, you should be alert and find out the cause of this phenomenon.

Schedule an appointment with a pediatrician immediately if your baby:

• sleep disturbed;
• vomiting;
• temperature rose;
• lost appetite.

Why does a baby have dark green feces

A mother who cares about the he alth of her 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:

• fecal consistency;
• blotches and impurities in feces;
• presence of additional symptoms;
• child's age.

Green stool with mucus

Dark green mucus in the feces of a baby may be a variant of the norm, but if the baby feels great, he is alert and does not cry, eats with appetite and gains weight. Green stools with mucus in the absence of temperature can be a sign of dysbacteriosis. Modern pediatricians do not consider this a disease, and therefore no treatment is required.

The reason is that the digestive system of the crumbs needs time to adapt to new conditions and nutrition. Immediately after birth, the intestines are populated with a permanent microflora, while it canthere is a dark green liquid stool in the baby with mucus.

The formation of a he althy microflora in a newborn baby is provided by:

• early breastfeeding;
• natural feeding that lasts at least six months;
• exclusion of antibacterial drugs (as far as possible) for both the young mother and the baby.

If there are a lot of mucous inclusions, and the baby behaves restlessly, then this condition can be provoked:

• indigestion;
• dysentery;
• Mom had food poisoning.

Baby's runny green feces

The consistency of the baby's feces is also not always the same, it may depend on:

• nutrition for a young mother;
• composition of the intestinal microflora of the baby;
• introducing complementary foods, supplementing crumbs;
• women's hormonal background.

Dark green feces in a baby with a liquid consistency may appear as a result of excess iron entering the body of crumbs from mixtures or mother's milk.

Other reasons for this phenomenon:

• oxidation of feces upon contact with air;
• leafy vegetables given as complementary foods to babies;
• changes in intestinal microflora;
• baby teething;
• Eating stool-producing foods for breastfeeding moms (zucchini, broccoli, and cucumbers).

Hard green stool

Constipation in a baby who feeds on mother's milk is a rare occurrence. Most often, this problem occurs inartificial babies. Solid dark green feces in a bottle-fed baby is a reason to pay attention to his nutrition. It is advisable to consult a pediatrician, perhaps he will recommend changing the mixture.

Feces with these characteristics may appear after taking antibacterial drugs. The reason is the changes in the composition of the intestinal microflora under the influence of such agents. Such a problem can occur even if the drugs were taken not by a child, but by a nursing mother. Other means can also cause a similar violation:

• antifungal;
• hormonal;
• anti-inflammatory;
• binders.

Stool color can also be affected by malnutrition. Most often this happens if several feedings are replaced with formula. Lack of breast milk can affect the color of bowel movements, they turn green.

Green Foam Chair

Don't panic if you notice bubbles in your baby's stool, but care should be taken to ensure that the baby is properly attached to the breast. Milk from the front of the mammary glands will quench your thirst and cause a feeling of fullness in the crumbs. It has a liquid and watery consistency. And the richer, more viscous hindmilk contains many of the nutrients an infant needs.

Green stools may be a sign that your baby is only getting foremilk, which can lead to slow weight gain.

Fix the situationproper breastfeeding will help:

• breast should be put into baby's wide open mouth;
• important to ensure that the baby captures not only the nipple, but also the areola;
• the tip of the baby's nose should touch the mammary gland;
• you can not shift the baby from one breast to another in the process of one feeding;
• a breastfeeding mother should not experience pain.

Also, do not limit the time the baby is at the breast. A quarter of an hour is enough for one to saturate, weaker babies need long feeding.

Dark green stool with foam can also be a sign of lactase deficiency, which can be both acquired and congenital. Pathology occurs when there is a lack or absence of an enzyme that breaks down milk sugar.

Baby has dark green stools with blood: reasons

Inclusions of red color in the feces of a child may be a variant of the norm. The capillaries of the intestinal mucosa are still thin and brittle, when the baby pushes, they can be damaged, which leads to blood-streaked stools.

But if there are a lot of such impurities, this may indicate the presence of infections, internal damage to the intestines, congenital anomalies of the digestive system, an acute inflammatory process, especially if the color of the feces is green and there is a sharp unpleasant odor.

Green stools with other associated symptoms

Green stools accompanied by vomiting is a dangerous symptom. So manifestintestinal infections caused by bacteria, fungi or viruses.

If the appearance of a chair of an unusual color is accompanied by fever and fever, this may indicate severe poisoning. Also, the violation can be caused by an intestinal infection, viruses, helminthic invasion, inflammatory processes of the gastrointestinal tract.

What parents should do when green stools appear

If the baby is feeling 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 will need the help of a pediatrician. The most dangerous symptoms that require mandatory medical advice are vomiting and diarrhea. Without timely intervention, such conditions can lead to severe dehydration.

The following states should also alert:

• insufficient weight gain;
• skin rash;
• regurgitation or vomiting;
• high temperature;
• green, watery stools that persist for more than one day;
• prolonged loose stools of an unusual color;
• feces from a newborn that leaves greasy marks on diapers (if this is observed for 12 days or more, the baby may have problems with the intestines);
• a lot of blood impurities.

Before seeing a pediatriciangive your baby the right care:

• breast more often;
• make a light massage, spread on the tummy;
• Use a children's antipyretic rectal suppository if needed.

Diagnosis

If there is a green stool in combination with other unpleasant symptoms, the baby will take standard tests. In addition, scatology is recommended. The study examines the physical and chemical properties of feces. Such a diagnostic method will help determine the cause of its color change.

If necessary, an analysis for dysbacteriosis is prescribed. This will allow you to assess the composition of the intestinal microflora and detect violations. If there is a problem, the specialist will recommend a diet and prescribe drugs that restore the balance of microflora.

If inflammatory processes in the intestines are suspected, it will be recommended to carry out planting on the flora and bacteriological analysis. After diagnostic studies, the doctor will prescribe a course of therapy, if necessary.

Prevention of the problem

Knowing what causes a baby's feces to turn green, you can try to prevent this problem. A nursing mother should monitor her diet, eating only permitted foods, while monitoring the baby's reaction and avoiding overeating. It is useful to take special nutritional supplements for women who are breastfeeding. Take care of proper attachment to the breast: the baby should receive both foremilk and hindmilk.

Regardless of the reason for the appearance of dark green feces in a child, self-medication should not be done. To understand why a violation has occurred, you need to contact a specialist, especially if the crumbs are not feeling well. Only a pediatrician after a thorough examination will be able to give useful recommendations or prescribe the necessary medicines.