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How many days do newborns have black feces. Normal stool in infants: when and what to pay attention to, expert advice. Causes of stool disorders in children

One of the main concerns of parents of toddlers is the baby's stool. It always seems to parents that it is their child who does “it” in a completely different way, and they are ready to go through hundreds of studies in order to find non-existent problems. Two problems - constipation and diarrhea - are sometimes created by the parents themselves. However, the problem is often considered to be absolutely normal “major results” of the child’s life. To be able to distinguish between normal and problematic stools, you need to know the norms. Here we'll talk about them.

Baby chair

The chair in children of different types of nutrition differs significantly in quality and appearance. Therefore, it is impossible to compare the contents of a diaper in a baby and an artificial one. Due to the fully digestible nutrition of the ideal composition, babies are very rare, only in the case of real illnesses they can have problems with stool. Breast milk does not cause any problems with digestion by definition. However, it is these kids who have the most imaginary problems.

The biggest questions are the number of bowel movements of the child: usually they are from 8-10, almost after each feeding, with a volume of about a teaspoon, up to once every 5-7 days, but with a large volume. This phenomenon is called a physiologically rare stool, it occurs due to the almost complete digestibility of breast milk - there is simply no “waste” left.

The appearance of a stool with “water” is quite acceptable, with yellow staining and interspersed with white lumps, a stool when spitting, a mushy mass. In infants, up to 6-7 months, stool with the presence of mucus, lumps, pieces and even greenery is quite normal - this is the formation of microflora and the work of enzymes - there is no need to get into this process with “therapeutic” measures. If, with any variant of the stool, the child is cheerful and healthy, smiles, farts well, eats and sleeps, gains height and weight, this is normal and the child has no problems with the stool.

What Not to Do

Many parents, in the absence of a stool in the baby, try to look for constipation in the child and begin to treat them with barbaric methods. I advise you to first try all the methods of "treatment" on yourself, and then apply it to your child. It is forbidden to induce a stool by inserting a bar of soap, cotton swabs, the tip of a thermometer or other foreign objects into the rectum!

The introduction of soap into the rectum causes irritation and chemical burns of the mucous membrane of the rectum, this causes severe pain in the child, and inflammation of the rectum disrupts its normal operation.

Insertion of thermometers and rods into the rectum leads to mechanical injury and disruption of the intestinal sphincter apparatus, which can lead to disruption of the well-coordinated work of the intestine and the formation of true constipation. All artificial stimulants suppress the natural urge to defecate, and children stop going to the toilet "in a big way" on their own, only with stimulants. In order for reflex defecation to occur, it is necessary to create a certain pressure of stool masses in the lumen of the rectum, which will allow sending an impulse from the rectum to the brain and opening the sphincter. Until the volume accumulates, it may take several days.

In addition, you should not supplement the child with various drops, teas and infusions - espumizan, smecta, plantex, dill tea - you should not interfere in the process of the physiological formation of the intestinal microflora and the formation of enzymes without extreme necessity.

How is bowel function established?

After the baby is born and the first cry, its microflora is formed - the baby receives it from the air, from the skin of the perineum and mother's chest, and this microflora begins to colonize the intestines. In the first two or three days of his life, he empties the intestines from meconium - a dark, olive-colored mass that looks like glue or plasticine. These are the remains of intestinal epithelial cells and digested amniotic fluid from nine months of pregnancy. When swallowing amniotic fluid, the baby trains his digestion to work after birth. Meconium has practically no smell, it is very difficult to wash off diapers and buttocks. For the first three days, he should completely move away and then the nature of the chair will change.

The stool begins to liquefy, it becomes more frequent, heterogeneous blotches appear in it - liquid, mucus and whitish lumps; its color is also heterogeneous - there may be areas of dark color with yellow fragments, whitish and colorless, watery. Defecation can occur six or more times a day. This stool is called transitional, and it means the settlement of the intestines with microflora and the inclusion of enzymes in the digestive process. As the intestines are settled, the stool can take on a different look and color due to irritation of the intestinal wall by microbes and the formation of intestinal immunity. In about one to two weeks, the stool begins to return to normal - it becomes homogeneous, mushy, yellow in color, happens less often and ceases to contain impurities and mucus. This is facilitated by exclusive breastfeeding - if the baby is not given pacifiers, bottles and additional food and drink. If this is present, the correct physiological stool will take longer to form.

From the moment lactation is established and the microflora in the intestine settles down, the baby begins to go to the toilet with a “mature” stool - this is a bright yellow homogeneous slurry of the consistency of thick sour cream with the smell of cottage cheese. This indicates good assimilation of milk, although its frequency may vary from several times a day to once every 5-7 days. Such a rare chair is a normal occurrence in GW. At the same time, the baby’s well-being is excellent if he has enough milk and there are no additional supplements and supplements. At the age of 2-4 months, there are usually from 15-20 to about 50 grams of feces per day. With the introduction of complementary foods, the stool begins to take shape, becomes less frequent and changes character.

Artificial chair

Usually, stools in formula-fed babies are thicker, darker in color (from greenish to brown), and occur from several times a day to once every one or two days. If bowel movements occur less often, the mixture is most likely causing constipation or you are not giving your child enough water. On average, children poop on IV 1-2 times a day, the amount of feces is about 30 g. Due to the predominance of decay processes in the stool, there is Escherichia coli and bifidoflora, there may be some mucus and whitish crumbs; this suggests that the baby has not yet fully absorbed the fats of the mixture, or you have overfed him.

With the introduction of complementary foods, the stool thickens and begins to take shape in a soft sausage or gruel, the color becomes dark brown, there are no impurities in the form of blood or mucus. Stool frequency 1-2 times a day.

This is a chair that should ideally be and which reflects the full functioning of the intestines. But there are options for deviations from the norm, which are not considered a pathology, but are very scary for parents. Then moms and dads demand immediate actions from the doctor, which are not needed and can only do harm. But how to understand - where did “this” come from in the diaper?

Norm and deviation options

Often, white lumps, similar to curdled milk, are found in the child's stool. With a good or excessive weight gain, they talk about some redundancy in the supply of milk or mixture; this happens when a baby is breastfed on demand. This is a good sign: there is more than enough milk, just a certain amount of protein and fat does not have time to be processed by enzymes and comes out unchanged - a milk residue is formed. But if, with a large number of lumps in the feces, the child does not gain weight well, this usually indicates enzyme deficiency (primarily the liver and pancreas), that is, the intestines cannot cope with the digestion of food. In this situation, the doctor may prescribe enzyme preparations for the time of intestinal maturation.

Often the stool may have a more liquid, even watery texture with foam, be splashy or with a border of watering on the diaper, sour smell. Sometimes such stools pass when gas is released - in small portions. The stool is yellow or mustard in color, not changed. This condition is called milk imbalance or transient lactase deficiency. If a child receives a lot of fore milk, rich in milk sugar (lactose) and milk liquid, then lactase, an enzyme that is still limited in the intestines of a child, simply does not have time to cope with the entire amount of milk sugar that has arrived. Then part of it enters the intestines and is fermented by microbes to gas and water - this is how excessive gas formation and active metabolites appear - including lactic acid, which irritates the intestinal walls and causes increased peristalsis and loose stools. With insufficiently thorough washing, irritation of the anus zone may occur - it is necessary to use a protective cream. Correcting the situation is quite simple - you do not need to "save" milk, it is necessary that the breasts are always soft. Then the baby will receive back, poor in lactose, but more high-calorie milk.

However, often in such a situation, the diagnosis of lactase deficiency is unreasonably made, which does not reflect the true picture. Lactase deficiency is manifested by poor weight gain, which cannot be corrected even with the normalization of breastfeeding. This is a congenital defect of the enzyme or its severe deficiency (although over time, the enzymes can ripen). Often there is an excess of lactose (milk sugar) in mother's milk - this is a genetic feature or a consequence of an unbalanced diet. The diagnosis is confirmed by an analysis of feces for carbohydrates, and, of course, monitoring the well-being of the child. And with the introduction of restrictions in the diet and the appointment of lactase, the condition returns to normal. Do not rush to transfer the child from breast milk to lactose-free mixtures - lactose is necessary for the body, therefore, breastfeeding will be correct even with lactase deficiency and the introduction of an enzyme to digest lactose.

The most terrible thing for parents is the presence of "green" in the feces, which causes panic or thoughts of the most terrible diseases. In fact, in the vast majority of cases in young children (up to about 4-6 months) this is the norm. With feces in the first months of life, a lot of bilirubin (a breakdown product of hemoglobin) is released, it oxidizes to a greenish tint in air. Hence the "romantic" admixture of greenery. Sometimes it happens that a mature stool is not established in any way and the baby’s stool has an unsightly appearance for a long time: with greens, lumps and threads of mucus. This happens when the baby is malnourished, inactive sucking and other problems - a hungry stool. Another reason for such a chair is the predominance of raw fruits and vegetables in the diet of a woman with a lack of meat, with hypoxia in childbirth. Then the mucous membrane recovers longer and more difficult, the enzymes mature later.

What is mom to do?

First of all, you need to remember the rule - if the child is not bothered by anything and there are no painful manifestations, he has the right to any chair. Even infants can have a long period of stool formation due to difficult childbirth or the establishment of full breastfeeding. The body is a complex system and each has an individual development program, it is impossible to drive everyone under a single standard. If a child gains from 500 g per month, urinates well and often, there are no painful manifestations - this means that this is his normal stool, no matter what impurities it contains, and there is no need to interfere in the delicate process of adjusting the intestines.

Medical correction measures must be applied if the child is worried about severe pain, he screams and presses his legs to his stomach, and the stomach itself is tense; if he has rashes, itching and problems with weight and height. It is necessary to consult a doctor, conduct an examination and scatological examination of feces, adjust the mother's diet. But feces for dysbacteriosis is an absolutely unnecessary and not indicative analysis, it is practically meaningless to conduct it.

What should be really worrying?

It is necessary to immediately call a doctor or an ambulance if the child has loose stools (mucous or with pieces) in the presence of fever, vomiting or feeling unwell - these are signs of an intestinal infection, and this cannot be the norm. No medicines, except perhaps for smecta, can not be given to a child - self-medication in such cases is deadly, dehydration and convulsions may occur.

It is also necessary to pay attention to the retention of stool in a child on IV for more than 2 days - this indicates constipation and may indicate the need to change the mixture or feeding regimen. It is also necessary to pay attention to stool retention in infants with rare urination and highly concentrated urine.

In addition, the appearance of a chair in a baby or an artificial stool resembling a dense sausage or “sheep balls” requires the intervention of a doctor - these are also manifestations of constipation that require correction.

Especially dangerous is the appearance in the stool of an admixture of blood, scarlet or clotted. Sometimes small streaks of blood appear when spitting with straining due to a crack in the anus. However, these should be isolated and very rare occurrences. The constant presence of blood in the stool can be caused by a number of diseases: allergies and problems with the rectum, infectious diseases, and even malformations of the anus.

What should be the feces (stool) in newborns and infants. How do the properties of feces depend on the nutrition of the child? In what case does a change in the nature of the child's stool indicate an illness?

In the first year of a child's life, the functions of the digestive system have not yet been fully formed, and therefore, the feces (stool) of newborns and children of the first year of life have a number of characteristic features. The analysis of feces in children of the first year of life also has some features that are important to consider when trying to establish a diagnosis of dysbacteriosis or digestive disorders. The properties of a baby's feces depend on the nutrition he receives, so the normal stool of a breastfed baby is very different from the normal stool of a formula-fed baby.

Features of the analysis of feces in newborns

The first stool, which is passed about 8 to 10 hours after the baby is born, is called meconium. Meconium is a mucous plug that contains a small amount of cells that line the intestines of the child, as well as tiny drops of fat and a yellow-green pigment - bilirubin. Meconium is usually a sticky, thick, odorless substance that is viscous and dark green in color. The characteristic color of meconium is given by a pigment - bilirubin, which is formed during the breakdown of erythrocytes (red blood cells) of a child. As a rule, meconium is sterile, that is, it does not contain germs.

Normal discharge of meconium in the form of greenish-black mucus in a total amount of up to 100 g continues for another 2-3 days after birth.

What diseases are detected in the analysis of meconium?

The study of meconium is an important step in the detection of some congenital diseases of the child's digestive system. An important indicator is the time of discharge of the first meconium (normally, the first portion of meconium is excreted in the first 8-10 hours of a child's life). Delayed passage of meconium for more than 24 hours after birth is called meconium ileus and may be a sign of the following diseases:

  1. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disorder characterized by increased production of thick mucus by the body's glands (including those in the intestines). Meconium in this case becomes too viscous and is not able to stand out.
  2. Anomalies in the development of the intestine (overgrowth of the intestinal lumen - atresia, narrowing of the intestinal lumen - stenosis, etc.) are the cause of delayed meconium discharge. Treatment in such cases consists in the surgical restoration of intestinal patency.

Features of the feces of a child of the first year of life who is breastfed.

With natural feeding, the child receives with milk all the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals. In addition, mother's milk contains enzymes that allow the baby to absorb the maximum amount of nutrients from mother's milk.

Fecal frequency in breastfed babies changes with age:

  • In the first month up to 10-15 times a day
  • In the next 4-5 months 2-5 times a day
  • After 6 months 1-2 times a day or less
  • After a year 1 time per day or 1 time in two days

false diarrhea

Once again, we draw the attention of readers to the fact that loose, frequent stools in infants receiving breast milk is a completely normal phenomenon. Such a stool should not be considered as diarrhea or a sign of dysbacteriosis. In the letters of our readers, there are often such expressions as "a child who has been breastfed since birth has had diarrhea ... numerous attempts have been made to treat them, but to no avail, while stool analysis shows the presence of dysbacteriosis." This situation can be commented as follows:

It is perfectly natural that a child who receives only liquid and easily digestible food passes liquid feces. Approximately the same chair will be in a perfectly healthy adult if he begins to eat only milk. After the introduction of complementary foods, the liquid feces of the baby will immediately begin to thicken and become the same as in adults, only after the child begins to receive exactly the same food as adults.
The fact that in children of the first year of life dysbacteriosis is often determined can be explained by the fact that the intestinal microflora is formed for quite a long time. We do not recommend treating dysbacteriosis in cases where the only symptom of the suspected disease is liquid feces. Treatment should be resorted to only if there are obvious and severe symptoms of dysbacteriosis: allergies, lag in body weight, severe bloating after 6 months.

False constipation

Due to the fact that breast milk is digested and absorbed almost completely, in some children, after 6 months, stools can become very rare (once a week or less). If at the same time the child feels normal, can empty his intestines on his own without crying and anxiety, such a schedule for fecal excretion should be considered normal. No treatment for constipation is required in this case.

Also, quite often, in children of the first months of life, some temporary difficulties are observed with the release of feces, which causes considerable concern on the part of parents, who immediately begin to actively stimulate the release of stool in the child with enemas, laxatives, gas tubes and even soap (!).
In such cases, attention should be paid to the consistency of the child's stool: if the stool is soft, no treatment is needed, since the difficulty in defecation is obviously not due to the fact that the stool is too dense, but to the fact that the child has not yet learned how to control it well bowel function. Note also that parents' persistent attempts to stimulate a child with soft stools can only exacerbate the problem, as they deprive the child of the opportunity to train his intestines to work properly. The use of enemas and laxatives is allowed only as an ambulance in cases where the child cannot remove dense feces. If a child has chronic formation of hard stools and the accompanying difficulty in defecation, he should be seen by a doctor and treated for constipation.

Features of the feces of a breastfed child

The feces of a child who is on natural (breast) feeding is an unformed mass of golden or yellow-green color, with a sour smell. Often, even with the same mother's diet, the color of the baby's feces changes from yellow to green, which should also not cause concern.
The reaction of feces to the content of bilirubin is normal in children is positive up to 6-8 months of age. Bilirubin gives the feces a greenish tint, so a green stool (feces) in a child under 8 months old, which is not accompanied by other signs of the disease (fever, blood in the feces, restlessness of the child) should not cause any concern and does not require any treatment.
In infants after 8 months of life, bilirubin in the feces is practically absent, since intestinal bacteria turn it into stercobilin. Until the age of 8 months, the intestinal microflora is not sufficiently formed to completely convert bilirubin into stercobilin.

So, the analysis of the feces of a breastfed baby is normal:

  • yellow-green stools, mushy or liquid
  • positive for bilirubin (before 6-8 months of age)
  • has a sour smell and slightly acidic environment (рН = 4.8-5.8)
  • infant stools may contain white blood cells (blood cells designed to fight infection), as well as mucus and visible undigested milk clumps
  • intestinal flora is not fully formed

Features of the feces of a child of the first year of life, who is bottle-fed

In a healthy formula-fed baby, the feces have some differences compared to the feces of a child receiving mother's milk:
The color of the feces of a bottle-fed child is pale yellow or light brown, has an unpleasant odor and is more alkaline (pH = 6.8-7.5)
The consistency of the stool is pasty (if the child is receiving liquid formulas) or semi-solid if the child is receiving solid foods.
The stool test for bilirubin is also positive until 6-8 months of age.
Microscopic analysis of the feces of a child of the first year of life reveals single leukocytes and a small amount of mucus.
Feces depart 1-2 times a day, in greater quantities than with natural feeding.

Waste diseases of infants that cause changes in the analysis of feces:

  1. Celiac disease is a disease characterized by a deficiency of a special enzyme that promotes the absorption of gluten, a substance found in wheat flour, oats, rice, rye and barley. The disease manifests itself only when the child is introduced to complementary foods containing foods with gluten (various cereal cereals, bread, cookies). Undigested gluten causes an allergic reaction in the body, resulting in intestinal inflammation. Symptoms of celiac disease are: frequent stools (up to 10 times a day) of a light yellow color, with an unpleasant odor, anxiety of the child, lack of weight gain, etc. Analysis of the feces of a child with celiac disease: feces contain a large amount of fat (steatorrhoea).
  2. Lactase deficiency is a disease in which the child's body does not produce enough lactase, an enzyme that promotes the absorption of lactose (a carbohydrate in breast milk). Lactase deficiency manifests itself in the first days of breastfeeding: stools are quickened (up to 10 times a day), feces are watery, have a sour smell, the child is restless, cries, does not gain weight. In the analysis of feces, a large amount of fat (steatorrhoea) and lactic acid are determined - a substance that is formed from milk lactose under the influence of intestinal microflora.
  3. Cystic fibrosis is a disease that is inherited. With cystic fibrosis, the glands of the body produce a viscous secret that makes it difficult for all organs to work. In the intestinal form of cystic fibrosis (the predominant lesion of the digestive system), the child's feces have a viscous consistency, a grayish color, an unpleasant odor, and “glistens” due to the presence of fat in the feces (steatorrhoea). An analysis of the feces of a child with cystic fibrosis reveals a large amount of fat (steatorrhoea), at an older age, with the introduction of complementary foods, muscle fibers (creatorrhoea), connective tissue, and starch. All these substances in the feces indicate a lack of digestion of food. Like

    The stool in the baby is constantly changing. Therefore, parents are wondering: what is considered the norm and what symptoms are alarming. To answer this question, you need to study the features of the development of the child's body.

    What is the normal stool in the first days after the baby is born?

    • The first 2-3 days should leave the original feces (meconium). It has a thick appearance, black color, viscous consistency, no smell.
    • After the 3rd day, the poop begins to change color. They acquire a greenish tint and liquefy.
    • From the 8th day, the stool has a mushy or liquid consistency, mustard color, and a sour smell. There may be lumps of undigested milk and some mucus.
    • During the first month, the baby poops after almost every feeding.

    If the original feces do not come out, you need to see a doctor. The condition indicates pathologies of the intestine.

    When the black stool reappeared, after some time, diseases such as sepsis, jaundice, hemorrhagic disease can be suspected.

    What you should pay attention to:


    Important symptoms not to be missed

    The color of feces can change for the following reasons:

    • It is important what kind of feeding the child is: artificial or natural.
    • Taking antibiotics, iron-containing preparations, activated charcoal leads to the appearance of black feces.
    • After the introduction of complementary foods, the poop turns green.
    • If breast milk is not digested enough, then the poop turns orange, yellow or green.
    • Elevated bilirubin in the body turns feces yellow, orange, or brown.
    • Light poop is observed with dysbacteriosis or at the time of teething.
    • The black color of feces, not associated with taking medications and the first complementary foods, may indicate bleeding in one of the sections of the intestinal tract.

    Dangerous symptoms of loose stools:

    • watery appearance;
    • the number of bowel movements per day increases;
    • bad smell;
    • increase in body temperature;
    • mucus, foam and blood appear;
    • profuse regurgitation;
    • loss of appetite, sleep disturbance.

    Hard, infrequent stools in a child can occur for many reasons. Poop becomes like plasticine.

    • Violation of the digestive organs (pancreas, biliary tract).
    • Improper nutrition of the mother (for example, eating foods that strengthen), a certain composition of the mixture, early complementary foods.
    • Weak muscle tone.
    • Lack of fluid. Especially when children are bottle-fed.
    • Violation of the intestinal flora (for example, after taking antibiotics).

    A rare stool can occur due to malnutrition (an excess of foods that strengthen), medication, and disorders in the digestive system.

    What products are attached? Those that contain little fiber and do not make the intestines work. These include: rice, white bread, some fruits (pomegranate, persimmon) and vegetables (eggplant).

    Why Violations Occur

    The stool of the baby is disturbed most often due to infection. In other cases, this is due to errors in breastfeeding (if the child is breastfed).

    • Late attachment to the breast immediately after birth.
    • Feeding according to the regimen.
    • Early introduction of complementary foods.
    • Excessive supplementation of the child with liquid.

    After taking antibiotics, the baby's stool may change. It has a black color, an unpleasant odor, and sometimes a greasy composition. It is important to take prebiotics and probiotics, which improve the intestinal microflora.

    What can be found in the feces of a baby

    An unusual stool in a child may occur due to disorders in the development of internal organs.

    • Normal stools may be green in color and smell sour. If the child does not experience discomfort, it may be a reaction to food.
    • If the feces become liquid, foam appears, there is irritation, redness on the pope, this may be due to an excess of foremilk. It has a sweetish taste. In this situation, you can express some milk before feeding. A liquid consistency also occurs due to dysbacteriosis (for example, when taking antibiotics).
    • Saturated bright green or yellow color can be for three main reasons:
    1. Viral or infectious disease.
    2. Teething moment.
    3. Lack of enzymes to break down food.

    • White lumps. Normal stool may look like this. If the number of lumps increases, the problem may be overfeeding. The body of the child lacks the enzymes necessary for the absorption of food.
    • Slime. An increase in its amount can indicate many things: an inflammatory process in the digestive organs, an improperly selected mixture, early introduction of complementary foods, food allergies.
    • Foam. It can accompany watery stools that leak from the diaper, increase during colic and increased gas formation, food allergies. Fatty stools may appear. The detection of abundant foam indicates an infection in the body.
    • Blood in stool. The reason for its appearance may be: hard stools, allergy to cow's milk protein, inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. If there are violations in the upper gastrointestinal tract, then black stools appear. Normal feces should not contain blood impurities.
    • Fatty stools appear when there is a violation of the absorption of fats, it can accompany both constipation and diarrhea. If fatty feces appear, the doctor prescribes additional examinations.

    Artificial and natural feeding - the difference in stool

    What type of stool should be for breastfeeding? The stool of a breastfed child depends on how developed his digestive system is and what foods are present in the mother's diet.

    Breastfeeding babies rarely suffer from constipation, as milk has a laxative effect. Even if there is no stool for several days, the child feels satisfactory. The color of feces can vary from light brown to greenish. The smell is sour.

    If the poop is bright green, it means the baby is only getting foremilk. This is the so-called "hungry" chair. Forward skim milk lacks the fats and vitamins needed for growth and nutrition.

    Frequent stools in infants are observed throughout the first month. The passage of feces occurs after almost every feeding. From the second month, this number will decrease to 4 per day. Even if there is no stool for several days, you can not talk about constipation.

    At 2 months, children often have colic and abdominal pain. This is due to the fact that breast milk changes its composition, becomes more complex.

    New enzymes begin to be produced in the child's body. This results in irregular stools. A lactating woman should follow a strict diet to prevent stool disorder in a newborn. Products, after which there is increased gas formation and colic: peas, cabbage, cucumber, grapes. It is better to refuse this food. What foods have a laxative effect? Products that will help to establish a chair that resembles plasticine: dried fruits, boiled or stewed vegetables, fruits.

    You can not refuse breastfeeding, even if there are problems. Mother's milk contains many nutrients and antibodies that are able to resist infectious diseases.

    What type of stool should be in formula fed babies? The stool of a bottle-fed child depends on the transition from one mixture to another and on the characteristics of the formation of internal organs.

    The color of feces is from light yellow to brown. The smell is pronounced. Green poop appears when switching to another mixture, or with the introduction of new products. Black feces appear with constipation. The consistency of feces is dense, as it takes a long time to digest.

    When a new person is born, it seems to his parents that it was at that moment that all the troubles and difficulties ended by themselves. But this is far from true. One of the main problems in the first months of a newborn's life is the normalization of his stool. After all, in fact, in the womb, the baby's stomach was sterile, and at birth, milk (mixture) begins to get there. Not every digestive organ of a tiny creature copes with such work perfectly. Some moms and dads have to work hard before their baby's stool returns to normal.

    Basic concepts related to the stool of a newborn

    The primary stool in a baby has some difference from those feces that parents will see throughout his future life. In medicine, it is called meconium and usually looks like a stretching sticky green mass (sometimes the color can even be closer to black). Meconium comes out in the first 2-3 days of a baby's life. Often, he causes panic in an inexperienced mother, who begins to assume that her child is not all right. In fact, this is a waste product of the baby in the womb, because there he also feeds, only through the umbilical cord, sometimes swallowing amniotic fluid. In the future, the stool in newborns normalizes and takes the form familiar to everyone.

    What color should a newborn's stool be?

    Parents need to clearly remember that the type of baby's feces can change very often. First of all, the color of the stool in newborns depends on nutrition, that is, the child is on artificial or natural feeding. Secondly, from the work of the organs of his digestive system and their development. Thirdly, on whether the peanut is taking any medications. As you can see, there are a lot of factors, and therefore parents should not immediately panic when they see an unusual stool in their child. It is necessary to analyze all the above factors and draw appropriate conclusions. Of course, there are some rules regarding the color of feces in newborns. They can be yellow, light brown, greenish. Yellow stool in a newborn is the most common color that tells worried parents about the normal functioning of their child's gastrointestinal tract. A greenish tint indicates a large amount of swallowed air, overeating, etc. But what color a newborn's stool should be in color becomes clear only after a few weeks.

    Stool consistency in a newborn

    What should be the consistency of a newborn's stool, it's hard to say right away. After all, there are a lot of reasons for changing it:

    If, for example, the baby does not eat up and sucks only the "forward" milk from the mother's breast, then the consistency of his feces is usually liquid and even foam may appear.

    Mushy fecal masses usually indicate the good health of the baby, the good functioning of his gastrointestinal tract. Sometimes they can even be interspersed with curd mass - this is curdled mother's milk.

    Tight feces that come out with difficulty greatly disturb the child, they also speak of the high fat content of mother's milk and the need to supplement the baby with plain water.

    Stool frequency in a newborn

    This is an equally important issue, because the peace of the baby and parents depends on this. How many times should a newborn have a stool per day? It is difficult to give an unambiguous answer here, because first of all it is necessary to raise the question of nutrition: is it artificial or natural. If we are talking about the first, then it is generally accepted that the child should defecate after each feeding. That is, if in the first months of life he eats approximately every 2-3 hours (we do not take into account the night, since some babies sleep all night almost from birth), then on average it turns out 7-8 times a day the newborn should poop . Although the option once a day is also quite normal. If we are talking about breastfeeding, then everything is much more complicated. Each mother's milk is individual: it can be fatty or not very fatty, it can be well absorbed by a particular baby or not at all. Therefore, the frequency of bowel movements during natural feeding is special. Doctors say that if a child has not pooped during breastfeeding for up to 7 days, this is the norm, despite the fact that nothing bothers him (he sleeps well and eats well). Although the baby can walk "in a big way" after each feeding, and this is also the norm.

    Breastfeeding and newborn stool

    We note right away that breastfeeding is much more beneficial for the child than artificial mixtures, and every mother should make every effort to maintain it for a longer period. Of course, since feeding occurs naturally, it seems that the child should not have problems with stool. But it is not always the case. What should be the chair of a breastfed newborn, not every experienced pediatrician can say. After all, everything depends on the mother: what she eats, how she feels (the psychological state after childbirth, whether she is resting well, etc.). Indeed, with breastfeeding, the baby is connected with the mother much more than with artificial feeding. Naturally, in the first months of a child's life, the mother should try to adhere to a strict diet: do not eat fried and heavily salted foods, forget about sweets and citrus fruits. Then the child's stool will be normal. Just remember that in this case, the baby may not poop for a long time (up to 7 days), this is considered the norm, but only if he feels well. They say that the less the baby empties, the better the mother's milk is absorbed.

    Artificial feeding and stool of the newborn

    What should be the chair of a newborn with artificial feeding? This question also gives mothers a lot of trouble. Now companies involved in the production of baby food offer a huge number of different types of mixtures that can replenish the supply of vitamins and other nutrients that any child needs. But often the first mixture that a mother tries to give to her child is not very suitable for him. Either an allergic reaction, or just a disorder in the work of the gastrointestinal tract, makes parents try more and more new types of these products from various manufacturers. Some mixtures cause diarrhea in children, while others lead to constipation. Therefore, in this matter, everything is individual. It’s just that with the introduction of the mixture, it is necessary to clearly monitor the frequency of bowel movements (usually it reaches 7-10 times a day in newborns) and the color of the feces (from yellow to greenish).

    The introduction of complementary foods and its effect on the child's stool

    Since the question of the time of introduction of complementary foods remains open and always causes a lot of discussion in the society of mothers, it is necessary to say a few words about changes in the child's stool in such a situation. What should be the chair of a newborn, we found out. In infants, since the introduction of complementary foods, it will change. And it does not depend on the age when you begin to accustom the child to food other than breast milk or formula. The chair will become the most viscous and dense, despite the fact that the baby is only given a vegetable or fruit puree. The frequency of bowel movements will also change, most likely, it will decrease sharply, because the child will now eat less often.

    Problems with stool in a newborn

    Increase in temperature and number of bowel movements per day (more than 10-12 times);

    The feces are too liquid, have a pronounced green color and an unpleasant odor;

    The child does not feel well, is not active, refuses to eat;

    Underweight at the end of each month;

    Vomiting or frequent profuse regurgitation;

    The baby rarely began to walk "in a small way", which may indicate a lack of mother's milk;

    There is not a very good smell from the mouth, especially when it comes to the first months of life.

    How to behave if there are problems with the baby's stool?

    Of course, this happens to many, so you need to behave adequately and not succumb to panic:

    It is urgent to contact a competent specialist who will suggest a scheme for solving your particular problem. You should never treat a child yourself, especially if you are not very experienced in this matter.

    Whether it is necessary to take any tests or undergo examinations - the doctor will tell you this. You do not need to do anything in advance, then you will avoid unnecessary problems and costs.

    During problems with the stool, try to feed the baby in the same way as before, if this does not threaten his life, because numerous experiments are also not needed at such a moment.

    Any mother of a small child to some extent can be called a professional in the issue of children's bowel movements - this is quite natural, since with the advent of a baby in the 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?

    A normal stool in a baby of 6-9 months is a relative concept, since the norms for fecal indicators fluctuate within fairly wide limits and can also be interpreted in different ways. The main signs for which a general analysis of feces is carried out 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 remind that the appearance of 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:

    1. Type of feeding. The poop of the baby will prevail if he is completely on breast milk.
    2. 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.
    3. Reaction to drugs. After taking certain medications - for example, antibiotics, activated charcoal, and preparations containing dyes or iron, the crumbs' stool may darken compared to normal. However, if the child feels well, such a chair should not cause concern to parents.
    4. The digestibility of breast milk. When a baby does not absorb milk well, its feces become green or orange.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. Dysbacteriosis. The light color of the baby's stool indicates an imbalance in the beneficial intestinal microflora.
    8. Teething. The process of teething can also lead to light-colored stools in the baby.

    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. A problem arises: how to understand in which case the baby has diarrhea, and when it’s just loose stools (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 of the 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 sleep and appetite, increased capriciousness, temperature above normal, colic and gaziki are added, it is necessary to contact a pediatrician.



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

    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 feces, as in children and adults, this is considered a physiological norm. At the initial stage of the 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 disorders or pathologies are not accompanied by foam during bowel movements, but diarrhea in a newborn, gas and colic, food allergies may well be the 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, including:

    • rectal fissures;
    • atopic dermatitis;
    • intestinal inflammation;
    • an allergic reaction to a protein in 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

    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. Such a 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, this indicates a possible dysbacteriosis or lactase deficiency (we recommend reading:).

    Also, within the normal range, naturalists have loose green stools - 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.

    In a one-month-old 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, a chair once every 2-3 days without intervention and discomfort is the individual characteristics of the 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 bottle-fed or mixed-fed, 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.

    Artists 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 stool in children on the mixture has an unpleasant odor, 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, the characteristic features of his stool will also change: frequency of bowel movements, 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.