Chair at 2 months while breastfeeding. Stool in infants: normal options for breastfeeding and artificial feeding. Watery foamy stool

A newborn baby poops often, which is a sign of his health. Usually it is a liquid, mushy consistency, yellow or green stool, with particles of curdled milk or a mixture. All these "realities" of physiology should not alarm parents. If to frequent stool or, conversely, other symptoms are added to its absence - the capriciousness of the baby, poor appetite and weight gain increased gas formation and colic, you need to contact your pediatrician.

How should a newborn poop? It is important to know that the frequency, color and consistency of the child's stool breastfeeding may change. It depends on several factors: the time of day, the drinking regimen and diet of the mother, the individuality of the organism. The stool frequency of the infant can also be affected by physical and emotional condition wet nurse. What can be the norms of stool frequency in different periods baby life?

First days of life. The first stool in a newborn is called meconium. This is a tarry black stool that appears on the first day after birth. How often should a newborn poop? He can poop from 1 to 6 or more times. It depends on the work of the intestines and its filling.
Second to fifth days. During this period, there may be no stool, or stools may continue. Meconium accumulates in the intestines of the baby even before birth, so until it passes, normal feces will not appear. During this period, the newborn poops 1-3 times a day.
Second week. How often does a newborn poop during this period? There may be irregular emptying, which is considered the norm. It depends on the individual characteristics of the child's body and lactation. It is believed that during the first three weeks breast milk has a variable composition, lactation is only being established, this is reflected in the consistency and frequency of the baby's stool. From the second or third week, the baby may begin colic and gaziki.
Third to sixth week. Mother's milk has laxative properties. Therefore, the frequency of stools can increase up to 10 times a day. This is considered the norm. How many feedings - so many bowel movements. If the baby defecates less than 4 times a day, this may indicate that the mother is not all right with lactation - little milk is produced.
After six weeks. To the surprise of parents, the frequency of defecation can be drastically reduced, the baby may even begin to poop in a day, two, or even three. What is it connected with? In pediatrics, this period is called an enzyme crisis. The baby's digestive system reacts to the update mother's milk which occurs around this period. The baby begins to produce new enzymes. This process can take several weeks. A child can behave differently: actively and for a long time suck the breast or take it reluctantly.
Two month . Around this time, work gastrointestinal tract(GIT) of the child enters into an individual rhythm. The baby poops not so often anymore. The number of bowel movements in some children can be reduced to one or two per day. Others will continue to poop frequently: up to 6 times a day. This is considered the norm.
Six months . At this age, the baby produces enough enzymes, which allows the introduction of complementary foods. Even before it starts, you can notice changes in the stool: the smell becomes sharp, typical of feces, the feces are dense, the frequency of defecation decreases.

In fact, there are no set rules. If the baby poops after each feeding, this should not bother the mother. For control from the second week of life, you can weigh the baby daily, which often poops. At the same time, you need to know that in the first week of life, the baby loses weight, and from the second it begins to gain again. If there is a normal weight gain (150 g per day), do not worry about the frequency of the stool.

With artificial feeding

There are times when the type of feeding does not affect the frequency of the baby's stool. Observations of mothers and pediatricians confirm: a child on artificial feeding still poops less often. This is explained by artificial mixture takes longer to digest than breast milk.

Feeding and stool frequency. The “formula” has already been mentioned: how many times a newborn eats, the same number of times poops. It also works for formula-fed babies. The interval between feedings can be 3-3.5 hours, therefore, the frequency of stool is reduced.
Consistency of feces. With artificial feeding, the feces are denser. Therefore, artificial children may have irregular stool, V different time. If the feces move through the intestines for a long time, this can lead to hardening and constipation.
Stool retention. If infant does not poop for a day, this is already a sign of stool retention, which cannot be said about the baby on breastfeeding.

The baby may suffer from constipation or frequent loose stools because the mixture is not suitable for him. Then you need to consult with a pediatrician and gradually switch to another mixture. But if several mixtures change during the month, this is also not very useful for the child's gastrointestinal tract. After all, the digestive system of the crumbs needs time to adapt to the composition of the mixture. If they switch to a new food quickly and often, the infant may either increase the frequency of stools, or, conversely, decrease.

If your child is constipated: 4 steps to relief

In most cases, constipation during breastfeeding is quite rare. If the child poops every three days on his own, most likely, mother's milk is completely absorbed. This good sign. Pediatricians believe that a stool once every 5 days for a breastfed baby with excellent health is the norm. But if the baby has colic, bloating, he refuses to eat, behaves restlessly, you need to help him. What to do if the newborn does not poop?

Give lactulose syrup. The main active ingredient of this drug is lactulose - milk sugar, which has useful action for bowel function. It is a completely safe laxative and can be purchased without a prescription. Doctors recommend keeping it in a baby's first aid kit. The only one by-effect in the first days of admission - increased gas formation. Do not exceed the dose, start with small portions of the medicine.
Put baby candles with glycerin. They should only be used when necessary. As a rule, it is enough to put one candle to solve the problem. If the baby does not poop on its own, but you have to resort to candles regularly, you should definitely consult a doctor.
Give an enema or gas tube. It is not recommended to do these procedures often, only in the case of an "ambulance", if the stool is delayed for several days, the stomach is swollen, the baby is worried about colic, gaziki. About the correct setting of an enema and gas tube read our article.
Do tummy massage and gymnastics. These procedures will help the intestines "earn", will contribute to the release of gases and the promotion of stool.

Why is the baby not pooping? Perhaps he simply has nothing to poop. The mother produces little milk, the baby does not have enough food, there is nothing to form feces from. There is only one way out in this situation - to apply the baby to the breast more often, to increase lactation.

A dangerous diagnosis for constipation: Hirschsprung's disease

If the newborn is unable to poop within 48 hours, this may indicate congenital Hirschsprung disease. Her main symptom- chronic constipation and bloating, the baby does not poop on its own. According to statistics, the disease occurs in one in five thousand newborns, more often in boys than in girls. Part of the baby's intestines does not contract and does not push through the contents, which leads to obstruction and constipation. Another symptom of this disease is a flattened belly in a baby (doctors call it "frog").

The disease has different stages. With a short pathological segment of the intestine, the problem is initially eliminated with an enema. With a long segment of the intestine, lesions are observed chronic constipation, increased intestinal obstruction. If baby for a long time does not empty the intestines, intoxication of the body with vomiting may begin.

In Hirschsprung's disease, surgical intervention and removal of the affected area of the intestine. After surgery children long time are under medical supervision.

How much should a baby poop? From 4 to 10 times a day in the first months of life is average. If the baby does not poop for 3 days, this may also be a variant of the norm. The frequency of stool is influenced not only by the type of feeding, daily routine, age of the baby, his well-being, medication, but also by genetic predisposition.

The baby diaper from the first day of life is under close attention young parents. There are many things to worry about: how many times a newborn should have a 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 prenatal development in the intestines of the baby, the original feces accumulate - meconium, which departs already 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 its composition have mixed characteristics of primordial and mature feces.

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

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

It should be clarified that the rare stool of a newborn at 2 months is considered the norm only under the condition of 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 you can quite definitely answer the question "how many times a newborn should have a chair" - at least once a day. If this does not happen, then most likely the baby has constipation. In this case, the child will behave restlessly and cry.

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

Greenish stool

After the woman's lactation process stabilizes, the baby's feces may have a greenish tint, sometimes with an admixture of mucus. This can be explained by several reasons.

Perhaps the baby does not have enough mother's milk, and he remains hungry. Lack of food can be exacerbated by the fact that the mother's breasts are not sufficiently deflated or her nipples are tight.

On baby chair mother's nutrition is reflected. If in the diet of a nursing woman a large number of vegetables and fruits, this has a direct effect on the change in color and composition of the baby's feces.

Greens in baby feces can be explained by inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. could provoke him oxygen starvation, or hypoxia, which occurred during childbirth. In this case, medical intervention will be required followed by long-term treatment.

Causes

Intestinal inflammation may be caused by malnutrition mother. If the menu of a nursing woman contains products containing artificial dyes, food additives, fillers, preservatives, then harmful substances enter the baby's body through milk.

The most common cause of the inflammatory process is dysbacteriosis. 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 dysbacteriosis increase significantly.

With artificial feeding, stool disorders are often associated with nutritional characteristics. Feces in children are thicker than with breastfeeding, and have more dark color. The presence of a greenish tint and a pungent odor confirms the presence in the diet of foods containing a high concentration of iron. This 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 rule out intestinal bleeding.

Nutrition and stool in a newborn

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

Watery stools

In the disorder, watery stools in a newborn may be so loose that they will leak from the diaper. The cause may be an infection or a food allergy. It is imperative to pay attention to how many times a newborn's stool happened that day. Frequent liquid bowel movements can lead to rapid dehydration. If liquid bowel movements are repeated repeatedly, then this is an occasion to consult a doctor. The help of a doctor is needed all the more if there is mucus or blood in the feces.

Sometimes it happens that the watery stool in a newborn has a changed color, a fetid odor and foams. This phenomenon occurs with poor digestion of milk sugar - lactose. The reason is the low content in the child's body of enzymes that can break down this carbohydrate. When breastfeeding, lactase should be added to mother's milk at the dosage recommended by the doctor. If the baby is bottle-fed, then he is recommended mixtures with a low content of the above element.

Constipation

If constipation occurs, the child may experience pain and difficulty with bowel movements. Traces of blood may be found in the feces - this is the result of a crack in the anus. Repeated constipation indicates intolerance to any product. Often they happen in or transition to a mixed diet.

Cause of bowel problems

According to pediatricians, problems with stool in newborns most often occur due to violations in the organization of breastfeeding. The microflora of the children's intestines 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 mother's milk. breastfeeding will help to quickly restore the microflora and give protective forces to a small organism.

Any mom small child to some extent, you can call a professional in the issue of children's bowel movements - this is quite natural, since with the advent of a baby in a family, parents have to not only surround him with care and love, but also carefully monitor the health of their little one. The baby's chair, which corresponds to the norm, is an excellent confirmation that everything is in order with the child.

What should a normal baby stool look like?

normal stool in a baby of 6-9 months - a relative concept, since the norms for fecal indicators fluctuate within fairly wide limits and can also be interpreted in different ways. To the main features on which general analysis feces include:

color;
consistency;
the presence of impurities;
smell.

There are many reasons for a change in one or another indicator, but most often it is not a sign of a serious illness. Both the type of infant feeding and the period during which its digestive system adapts to new conditions can lead to a non-standard type of children's bowel movements. With all this, according to Komarovsky, it is important to understand that the well-being of the child always comes first, and only then his chair.

Doctors are reminded that appearance feces in most cases should not be a decisive indicator of the health of the child. Mom should pay more attention to the behavior and general well-being of the baby

Color of defecation

The color of normal baby feces can vary greatly, from light yellow and orange to dark green and brown. Among the factors affecting the color of the stool of the baby, it should be highlighted:

Type of feeding. The poop of the baby will prevail if he is completely on breast milk.
The introduction of complementary foods. The appearance of green colors in the stool of the baby is associated with an excess amount of bile during the introduction of new products.
Reaction to drugs. After taking certain medications, such as antibiotics, activated carbon and preparations containing dyes or iron, the crumbs' feces may darken compared to normal. However, at good health a child, such a chair should not cause concern to parents.
The digestibility of breast milk. When a baby does not absorb milk well, its feces become green or orange.
reaction to the bile pigment bilirubin. has a yellow-brown color and is a consequence of the destruction of blood proteins. 70% of newborns experience physiological jaundice, which usually does not require treatment. This pigment leaves the body with urine and feces, respectively, their color is yellow, orange and brown. A similar stool in infants occurs during the first month of life.
Hepatitis. One of the symptoms of this infectious disease is discoloration of the stool, that is, the stool turns white. Fortunately, hepatitis in children under one year old is rare.
Dysbacteriosis. Light color infant stool indicates an imbalance in the beneficial intestinal microflora.
Teething. The process of teething can also lead to light stool child.

A change in the color of feces with their usual density, smell and impurities may be associated with nutritional problems, and not with digestive disorders or dangerous diseases. Evaluate the stool of infants should be in all respects, and not just in color.

Consistency of feces

Until the age of one year, the normal consistency of the stool is mushy stools. Often in everyday life, the density of bowel movements is compared with mustard, pea soup or thick sour cream. Also, babies often have liquid or watery feces, which is also normal - this is due to the fact that the first 6 months the child receives only liquid food, and even at 7-8 months, breast milk makes up the bulk of his nutrition. The problem arises: how to understand in which case the baby has diarrhea, and when it’s just liquid stool(We recommend reading:). There are a number of distinguishing features:

the consistency of feces becomes not just liquid, but also watery;
the number of bowel movements noticeably increases;
the appearance of an unpleasant odor;
pronounced yellow or green color;
body temperature rises;
gagging;
the presence in the feces of such impurities: foam, mucus,;
weakness and sluggish behavior baby.

If the newborn continues to gain weight, sleeps well and is awake at the usual time for him, but the feces suddenly become too liquid, green, and foam and mucus appear in them, you can not panic. If, to the previously described feces, bad dream and appetite, increased capriciousness, temperature above normal, colic and gaziki, it is imperative to contact a pediatrician.

An alarming symptom for the mother and the reason to see a doctor should be the general malaise of the child, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, fever body

The presence of impurities in the stool

There is nothing supernatural in the heterogeneity and presence of impurities in the feces of an infant. For example, white lumps are nothing but curdled milk. Their excessive amount indicates overeating: the digestive system does not have time to allocate the required amount of enzymes to process all the food that enters the body. As a result, the baby is rapidly gaining weight, which sometimes significantly exceeds the norm. Also, at the initial stage of the introduction of complementary foods, blotches of food may appear, namely, fiber, which the body could not digest.

A small amount of mucus is present in the stool, as in children and adults, this is considered physiological norm. On initial stage inflammatory process in the body, the amount of mucus can increase dramatically. The most common reasons are:

runny nose;
atopic dermatitis;
dysbacteriosis;
intestinal infection;
lactase or gluten deficiency;
reaction to medications;
inappropriate milk formula;
introduction of complementary foods ahead of time;
improper attachment to the breast;
overfeeding.

In most cases serious violations or pathologies are not accompanied by foam during bowel movements, but diarrhea in a newborn, gaziki and colic, food allergies may well serve as a source of its occurrence. An abundant amount of foam signals a possible intestinal infection or dysbacteriosis.

If blood or bloody streaks and clots appear, you should consult your doctor, as this may be a symptom of more dangerous diseases, among which:

rectal fissures;
atopic dermatitis;
intestinal inflammation;
an allergic reaction to a protein cow's milk;
polyps;
helminthiasis;
lack of vitamin K;
lactase deficiency;
intestinal pathology;
bleeding in the lower parts of the digestive system.

Features of the chair in newborns

This article talks about typical ways to solve your questions, but each case is unique! If you want to know from me how to solve exactly your problem - ask your question. It's fast and free!

A newborn is obliged to poop within a day after birth. During the period of being in the womb, the intestines of the child are filled with a sticky and viscous black-green substance resembling tar, called meconium. This mass includes amniotic fluid, mucus, bile and digestive tract fluid. The stool in newborns in the form of meconium lasts about several days and indicates a healthy digestive system.

The black stool that will appear in the future is no longer meconium. If the black color of the bowel is not caused by food or drugs, then bleeding in the upper GI tract may be the cause of this color. In this case, you will need to consult a pediatric gastroenterologist.

With natural feeding

There are 2 main factors that affect breastfeeding breastfeeding:

nutrition of a nursing mother;
maturation of the digestive system.

Breast milk has a laxative effect. With the beginning of the flow of milk into the baby's body, his feces acquire a green color, become soft and more liquid in comparison with meconium (we recommend reading:). Approximately 5 days after birth, a normal stool is formed in the baby, similar in consistency and color to mustard.

Feces during breastfeeding have a characteristic more or less pronounced sour smell. If, against the background of a sour smell, the stool is frothy and watery character, this indicates a possible dysbacteriosis or lactase deficiency (we recommend reading:).

Also within the normal range of naturalists is liquid green chair- in everyday life it is also called hungry. The appearance of such feces is due to the fact that when feeding, the baby gets only foremilk. In order for the baby to get enough of the fatter and more nutritious hindmilk, breastfeeding experts advise leaving the baby to suckle 1 breast longer and not change it during one feeding.

At monthly baby bowel movements occur after each feeding, but by 2 months the frequency is reduced to 4 times (see also:). Sometimes the baby can poop after 1-2 days. The reason for this is the crisis of the digestive system. Over time, the body will begin to produce new enzymes necessary for the digestion of milk of a more complex composition. According to Dr. Komarovsky, 1 stool every 2-3 days without interference and discomfort - individual characteristics crumbs.

The nutrition of a nursing mother is one of the main factors affecting the nature and frequency of bowel movements in an infant. In some cases, the introduction of new products into a woman's menu can immediately affect the work of the baby's gastrointestinal tract.

With artificial or mixed feeding

If the infant is on an artificial or mixed feeding, his feces are either pale yellow or closer to brown. What exactly the stool will be depends largely on the composition of the milk mixture used and the assimilation of the crumbs by its body.

Artificers defecate less often - about 1-3 times a day. By consistency, their feces are not mushy, but more dense, as a result of which they are more likely to experience constipation. The chair in children on the mixture has bad smell, somewhat reminiscent of the feces of an adult. Parents should consult their pediatrician for guidance on choosing the right formula.

Stool norms for children aged six months to 3 years

In the process of growing up the child will change and character traits his stool: stool frequency, color, consistency. The table below shows the parameters of bowel movements that are considered normal for a certain age:

As a result, we can conclude that parents should remain calm if their baby has regular and independent stools. For a painless trip to the toilet, it is desirable that the crumbs have soft feces. In the case when mucus, foam or blood clots appear in the stool in large quantities, you should immediately go with your child for a consultation with a doctor (see also:). Also, the mother should be alerted by too rare and difficult defecation.

In this article:

Immediately after giving birth, new parents face a lot of problems. It is necessary to accustom the baby to the chest, constantly change his diapers, do massages, bathe, monitor the temperature regime. This is superimposed by the struggle with drowsiness and despair caused by a lack of understanding of the reasons for the crying of the child.

Any change in the color of the feces causes panic, but often it is not justified. The stool in newborns can change in appearance, degree of mass density, smell almost every day, you should not immediately get upset, because this can be a variant of the norm.

You should know how the baby's stool differs, which is breastfed and mixed or artificial. The first weeks of life are characterized by a gradual change in color, consistency of feces, which continues to change depending on the type of feeding, its frequency, duration. The introduction of juices or purees into the child's diet also has a direct effect on the bowel movements of the baby.

The color and smell of bowel movements: what should they be

Image from http://ponos-x.com/

In a newborn, feces do not have any specific odor; they are black or with a greenish admixture. At the same time, the stool is liquid and viscous. The child often defecates, but you can notice this only by looking into the diaper. That is why doctors recommend the first months when the baby is crying, first check the cleanliness of the diaper, only after that start feeding. The original feces (it is also called meconium) consists of everything that the child swallowed along with amniotic fluid during the months of being in the mother's womb. The appearance of meconium in a newborn indicates the normal functioning of the intestines of the newborn.

In the period from 2 to 6 days from the date of birth, the child's stool may change its color to grayish or gray-green, become thicker (the consistency of a semi-liquid ointment). This is true for all healthy children during adaptation to a new way of getting food. From the second week, the feces become yellowish-mustard, sometimes brown with a mild sour-milk odor. The consistency of the bulk is watery, there are white small grains. Such a chair indicates the normal functioning of the digestive tract of the child. A slight presence of mucus or a green tint with a stable weight gain is considered the norm.

A variant of the norm is the case when the child's feces are light Brown or very dark brown. Small greenish inclusions are allowed. According to the consistency, two requirements are imposed on the contents of the diaper - it should not be liquid, like water, too dense feces are unacceptable. The smell can be strong and unpleasant. This situation typical in relation to children who are on mixed feeding. Similar indicators appear with the introduction of complementary foods.

It happens that pieces of undigested food are clearly visible in the diaper. If this is rare, then you should not worry. Depending on the food, feces can turn orange or burgundy color. This is typical after eating carrots or beets.

Bowel frequency

At the age of up to 6 weeks, with breastfeeding, the baby is emptied 4-12 times a day. With age, the frequency of stools will decrease significantly. By two months, a child can please parents with odorous stools both 4 times a day and 1-2 times in a five-day period. These are benchmarks slight deviation in one direction or another, subject to the norm of color, smell and consistency, it is considered acceptable.

Young parents sometimes confuse normal loose stools with diarrhea. Even if the child is emptied once a day, but very plentifully (up to the outflow of feces from the diaper), you should not sound the alarm. In some children, the intestines work in such a way that bowel movements appear rarely, but in large volumes. This is not a pathological change. You should be worried if emptying occurs more than 12 times a day. In this case, the stool masses will not just be liquid, but watery, they will flow from above, below, and along the sides of the diaper.

The absence of a chair in a child for 4-5 days in a row, followed by a successful bowel movement and with a normal consistency of the mass should not cause a change in the daily menu. This is a variant of the norm, and therefore the possibility of any mechanical impact on the child in order to speed up emptying is excluded. In no case should you give the baby an enema, as this can cause a weakening of the normal reflex activity of the corresponding muscles. It is not recommended to try to help the child by irritating anus a thermometer or a piece of soap (although grandmothers will insist on using these methods).

What feces indicate pathology?

Cases when the bowel movements of the baby normal color, but they are too liquid or slightly foamy, they emit a sharp sour-milk smell, require increased attention from parents, especially when breastfeeding. If the presence of irritation in the anus is added to the listed signs, and the baby himself began to behave very restlessly, is naughty during meals and after it, and is underweight, then this indicates a lack of hind milk in the diet. It is higher in calories, less sweet, and contains the enzymes needed to break down milk sugars. All this is not in the foremilk, so you just need to change the breast less often.

If there is a large amount of mucus in the stool, and the feces are green, yellow or brown, then you need to focus on the behavior and well-being of the baby. If this fact does not bother him, then medical assistance is hardly necessary. This is most likely a consequence of the recent colds or a harbinger of teething. Medical advice should be sought if such symptoms persist for several days in a row.

Soft and very thick stool brown shade It can be both a variant of the norm and a pathology. If in Lately the child was taking iron supplements, then there is no need to worry. You should consult a doctor if additional reception there was no iron. Then an examination is necessary to rule out internal bleeding.

Urgent medical attention is needed if the stool is excessively watery and has an unpleasant odor, and the child is not gaining weight well or even losing it. The reason may lie in allergies, poisoning or infectious disease. Hard feces, coming out in small parts with constant strong tension in the abdomen, accompanied by the screaming and crying of the baby, indicates constipation. The reason may be in complementary foods with an ingredient that is not suitable for the child, or in the wrong diet for the mother.

Foamed green feces, which appears along with a specific "cotton", which has a sharp sour smell, indicates a pathology. If irritation and redness appear around the anus, plus everything, then you should immediately go for a consultation with a doctor. Usually, with such symptoms, children stop gaining weight and are constantly naughty, behaving extremely restlessly. The reason is lactose deficiency, both primary and secondary.

The appearance of blood in the feces, both liquid scarlet and black blood clots, should lead to an urgent call to the hospital. Most often it is caused allergic reaction on the protein found in cow's milk can also be one of the symptoms of development bacterial infections. According to the results of the examination, hemorrhoids or intestinal bleeding can be diagnosed. Both problems require immediate treatment. A case with digested blood clots may indicate that the mother's nipples are damaged, and the baby with milk swallows the blood oozing from the cracks in the chest. For a newborn, this option is safe, although it is better not to allow such a scenario.

If you have any bowel problems, you should contact medical assistance. This will help to diagnose pathological changes in the child's body in time, accelerate the subsequent normalization of the stool and restore the rate of weight gain. The fundamental recommendations of doctors often come down to changing the technique of breastfeeding.

Among them:

feeding should take place in a position that is comfortable for the mother and the newborn;
it is important that the child correctly grasps the breast and does not suck only the nipple;
in some cases it is necessary to increase milk production by more frequent applications to the baby's breast, pumping after each feeding;
special attention should be paid to ensure that the baby receives enough hind milk;
it is impossible to artificially limit the duration of feeding sessions;
in the first months of life, the crumbs should not try to feed according to the regime, it is much better to do it on demand.

Always carefully examine the contents of the baby's diaper - this will make it possible to respond in a timely manner to any pathological change. But panic at the slightest inconsistency with the norm is also not worth it.

Useful video

One of the concerns of parents is the stool of newborns. Young parents, having no experience with babies, often take the completely normal contents of the diaper for pathology and unreasonably treat the child for all sorts of ailments.

In fact, in the vast majority of such "sick" children, the stool belongs to the variants of the norm, and the main pathologies in them can only be diarrhea (in reality, they do not occur very often). So, what can be a chair in newborns, we will consider in this article.

What should be the chair of a newborn

The stool in children who are breastfeeding from the very first hours may differ significantly from the stool in children who are fed with a mixture. All this is due to the fact that the composition of breast milk is ideal for your baby, and can be absorbed almost completely by him, leaving no waste. Breast milk passing through digestive tract crumbs, is digested quickly and fully, almost all nutrients are absorbed, and real problems with a chair in infants are very rare.

Stool in breastfed newborns

A breastfed baby can have a variety of stools and all of these are normal variations.

from 10-12 times a day in small volumes, with a teaspoon,
up to once a week, but immediately in large quantities.

By consistency, the options for the norm during breastfeeding are:

stool with thin yellow porridge, with some water around the edges of the diaper;
the allocation of stool during the passage of gases;
stool with mucus and white lumps, with greenery.

At the same time, the baby looks healthy outwardly, sucks at the breast and gains weight, does not worry, gas is moving away actively. If you have just such a situation, the child has no problems with stool, during the neonatal period such variations are quite acceptable.

Important! With a short absence of stool (no more than 3 days with breastfeeding) and the normal behavior of the child, you do not need to think about constipation, and solve the problem with radical, sometimes very dangerous methods.

It is forbidden in the absence of a chair to use such methods as:

introducing a bar of soap into the ass;
picking in the anus with cotton swabs;
irritation of the anus with a glass thermometer.

Let's explain why.

The introduction of soap into the rectum creates a chemical burn of the mucous membrane inside it, soap is an alkali, it causes burning and irritation of the intestinal walls, it is painful, and only leads to an aggravation of the problem, inflammation and cracks in the rectum.
Mechanical irritation of the anus with sticks or a thermometer leads to injury to the mucous membranes and muscles of the sphincter, can lead to mechanical injury and perforation of the intestine. Plus, such stimulation simply suppresses the reflex to natural defecation, and the condition worsens.
In order for the baby to empty the intestine, a certain pressure must be created inside it, which presses on the sphincter from the inside, giving an impulse to open it. When there are few fecal masses inside the intestine, this reflex is absent, the volume is accumulated for the minimum necessary. Therefore, before the bowel is emptied, it can take from several hours to several days until a sufficient volume is received.

Sometimes there may be a bowel movement with gases, this is normal.

Supplementing the baby with water, smecta or epumizan will not improve the situation, but only worsen it. These substances interfere with the normal formation of the microbial flora, disrupt the functioning of enzymes and can only provoke a worsening of the situation. Babies need only breast milk, their stool will be established without your intervention.

For a better understanding of why a newborn's stool looks the way it does (on different stages) consider the process of becoming a newborn stool.

The process of becoming a chair of a newborn

Before birth, the child does not pass stool, it accumulates in the large intestine. From the moment the baby is born, during the first two to three days, the first stool of the child, meconium, leaves. It's a special dark or olive color mass, sticky and thick, accumulated over intrauterine life. It contains swallowed amniotic fluid and desquamated epithelium, but almost no microbes. Meconium is practically odorless as a result.

From the moment of birth, the intestines of the crumbs are populated by microbes, which will later form its microbial flora. As a result of this, and with the onset of active consumption of breast milk, the stool changes.

Stool of a newborn in the first 7-10 days after birth.

The stool becomes more frequent, it is heterogeneous in consistency, with lumps, a liquid part and mucus. It also varies in color, it can be bright yellow with patches of dark green and greenish yellow, white lumps. It is watery and runny in texture. The frequency of the chair can be five or more times a day. Such a stool is called transitional, and the very state of stool formation and bowel function is called transient intestinal catarrh.

This process is associated with the restructuring of the intestine to work in new conditions and the process of colonization of its microbial flora. At normal pregnancy the baby is born into the world with a sterile intestine. But from the moment of birth, from the skin of the mother's nipple and from the external environment, he receives a lot of microbes. This complex of microbes, getting into digestive system, causes a response inside it in the form of intestinal irritation, which is called intestinal catarrh. It's quite normal phenomenon adaptation of the intestine to outside uterine life and it passes on its own.

Stool of a newborn aged 10 days to 1-2 months.

After about seven to ten days, the stool gradually becomes homogeneous in consistency, mushy and acquires yellow. Mucus gradually disappears in it and the stool becomes less frequent. Normalization of bowel function contributes to full breastfeeding, as well as cohabitation mother and baby from the maternity hospital, refusal of supplementary feeding, nipple and formula in the maternity hospital.

The first drops of colostrum received by the baby immediately after birth help in the proper colonization of the intestines with microbial flora and the formation of a full-fledged stool. After establishing mature lactation the baby forms a “mature” stool, which will persist until the introduction of new food to the baby (supplementation with formula or complementary foods).

This is a homogeneous stool, yellow mass like liquid sour cream, with a distinct sour-milk smell. This stool indicates the complete digestion of breast milk. Many children can have a bowel movement almost after every breastfeeding, but there may be more rare bowel movements, once or twice a day, or even once every few days. This is due to the fact that the assimilation of breast milk occurs almost completely and there is practically no waste left.

Such a chair is considered normal only with exclusive breastfeeding (if neither water nor formula is given). Usually this phenomenon occurs by the age of two to three months. The volume of stool in the first month is about 15-20 g per day, gradually increasing to 40-50 g per day over several bowel movements. On average, the number of bowel movements for the first half of the year is about 5 times a day.

Chair of the newborn on artificial feeding

In artificial children, the stool is formed in the same way as in infants, but usually has a thicker consistency, a brownish color and an unpleasant odor.

Artificers should defecate at least once a day, more rare defecation is a tendency to constipation. Usually children on the IV are emptied no more than 3-4 times a day.

A small amount of mucus is allowed in the stool, as well as small amounts of whitish inclusions, these are the remains of undigested fat from food.

Sometimes the stool of a newborn changes, and this does not always mean that the child is sick and any treatment is needed. Only some changes in nutrition or other points will be needed.

Note. Return of food and cosmetics possible only with undamaged packaging.

Chair with white lumps

Often the stool of children has white lumps, similar to cottage cheese or sour milk. With normal weight gain, this suggests that the baby sucks milk in excess and some of it simply does not have time to be digested. This happens when applied to the chest on demand, for calming, sleeping, etc.

This is not dangerous, part of the milk fat remains in the intestines, which are not digested and form milk lumps.

BUT, if such a chair is formed with poor weight gain, this indicates a decrease in the activity of pancreatic and liver enzymes. In such cases, enzyme therapy is prescribed with their gradual abolition.

Liquid foamy stool

Sometimes the stool has a liquid consistency, watery, foamy and sour smell. A strong watery stain remains on the diaper after defecation of the baby.

Often such a chair in small portions can be released during the passage of gases. The color of the stool remains yellow or mustard.

This can be due to insufficient digestion of carbohydrates in the stool. If part of the carbohydrates remains undigested, passing into the large intestine, it attracts a lot of water. Therefore, the stool becomes more liquid, watery.

Milk sugar (lactose) is mainly present in the stool, and it is digested by a special intestinal enzyme lactase. If the latter is not enough, the rest of the milk sugar enters the intestines, where it is fermented to gas and water by microbes. This gives a liquefied and foam stool with gasses.

Often, in this condition, pediatricians put "lactase deficiency" but this is not true. True lactase deficiency with enzyme deficiency accounts for approximately 1% of children. They need an enzyme from the outside to digest food and milk sugar, it is given when breastfeeding.

Most children are faced with a state of anterior-hindmilk imbalance:

"Fore" milk is produced in the breast between feedings, it is very thin, watery, rich in milk sugar lactose. It is sucked out by the baby at the beginning of feeding, he gets drunk with it and receives fast energy;
“hind” milk is formed during feeding, when the baby suckles for a long time. It is thick, oily and gives the baby saturation and long-lasting energy.

If a child receives a lot of “front” milk and little “back” milk, an excess of milk sugar prevails in his intestines, which is fermented by microbes and gives gas and loose stools. This may happen:

with rare and short feedings, if the mother accumulates a lot of milk in the breast,
at frequent shift breasts, when the baby simply does not have time to suck up to the hind milk,
with frequent and short attachments, when the baby simply sucks out the milk that has accumulated in the chest.

The foremilk is spent on the momentary needs of the crumbs if he receives little hindmilk, but it will be worse to gain weight. It is necessary to feed the baby as long as possible, without shifting it from one breast to another. Usually fed in one feeding with one breast, so that the baby completely gets to the hind milk.

A similar situation will be with short feedings, when the mother does not allow the baby to hang on her chest for a long time. Then the child simply does not have time to get to the "hind" milk for 5-10 minutes of feeding for short feedings.

Newborn has green stool

Sometimes the chair has green coloring in the diaper, especially in newborns and children early age. This always scares parents, but most often it does not pose a danger.

Green stools result from the excretion of unchanged feces. In air, it quickly oxidizes to a green dye, which is why the stool has a light green color.

Also, a similar greenish stool can occur for reasons:

malnutrition of breast milk with sluggish sucking,
mother's lack of milk
in case of problems with application, flat nipples(use for a comfortable and painless grip on baby lips),
with the predominance of vegetables and fruits in the mother's diet over all other products,
with inflammation of the intestinal mucosa in a baby.

Inflammation of the intestine often occurs with hypoxia in childbirth, since the intestinal mucosa also suffers from hypoxia. Inflammation can be caused by allergies to different kind synthetic components that enter breast milk from the mother's diet (dyes, food chemistry).

Dangerous symptoms associated with the stool of a newborn

It is worth remembering once and for all: the combination of liquid, green stools with mucus, blood, vomiting, fever and abdominal pain is always a danger. Most likely it's an intestinal infection or surgical pathology requiring treatment. Call a doctor immediately or ambulance. Self-medication is prohibited in this condition, it is fraught with severe dehydration and complications.

When shopping in we guarantee pleasant and fast service .

We express our special gratitude for the preparation of this material to the pediatrician Alena Paretskaya.