Stool frequency at 2 months. Pathological changes in the stool and methods of treatment. What is the stool of a newborn with artificial feeding

Several months pass from birth before gastrointestinal tract the baby adapts to the processing of food coming from outside. That is why the problems of colic, dysbacteriosis, and irregular stools are typical for newborns.

Features of the child's stool (normal)

For parents, these difficulties can become serious reason for worry. Pediatricians again and again tell moms and dads about children's body, give directions for tests, prescribe drugs.

The chair in the baby is determined by the quantity and quality of the food consumed, as well as the general state of health!

In the first weeks, it is considered normal if a bowel movement occurs after each feeding. Even if the stomach is cleared in two or three days, then this is not a reason for panic. Accordingly, no matter how people would like to standardize everything, there are no exact figures provided here, everything is individual.

Meconium in a newborn:

Immediately after birth, the contents of the stomach of the baby are characterized dark color, it is practically odorless, as it does not yet contain bacteria. Meconium leaves completely on the second day, sometimes the process takes longer. The nutrition in the womb was completely different, so the stool has an unusual shade and composition.

Meconium in a newborn always dark, but can vary in shades from yellow to green.

After, on the 3rd - 4th day, the stool takes the form of a yellowish slurry. Due to addiction to mother's milk, at first, a delay in emptying is natural. If after three days the newborn has not pooped, then it is best to seek help. The specialist will massage the tummy or apply an enema. After simple procedures, everything will be restored, and the newborn will feel better.

Feces of the baby breastfeeding yellowish, do not contain impurities, liquid consistency. On artificial nutrition, the child poops at regular intervals, the result is darker and denser.

Frequent stool in the chest. It is considered normal if emptying occurs up to 7 times a day or up to once every 3 days. If there are significant deviations from the above data, then it is advisable to resort to the help of a specialist.

Why does my stomach hurt?

The introduction of supplementary feeding with a mixture can cause constipation in infants. Additional food provokes the colonization of the infant's intestines with beneficial bacteria, as a result of which constipation appears and discomfort.

All this causes anxiety and crying. Even if it seems that the little one does not have enough food, it is advisable to wait a little with the mixture. It is better to use new food only on the recommendation of a pediatrician. If, nevertheless, the mixture cannot be dispensed with, then for several days the child may experience pain and discomfort in the tummy.

What will the color say?

The residual contents of the stomach come out in the first days of life. At this time, the stool in the baby resembles tar, it is dark green in color, almost does not smell.

Shades of feces in newborns from birth to complementary foods:

Further, from the fourth day, the appearance approaches a gray-green or yellowish tint. The more the baby consumes mother's milk the faster the color returns to normal. Without deviations, babies poop about 4 times a day.

If the child is breastfed, then by the second week the marks on the diaper become yellow and remain unchanged for a long time.

Shades of feces in children with the introduction of complementary foods:

In the future, with the introduction of complementary foods, the feces of the baby become different shades. After the first portions of apple juice, the stool darkens, since the necessary enzymes are not enough yet, oxidation occurs. Carrots make the stool brighter, zucchini and broccoli give a green tint.

The appearance tends to change, it depends on the diet of the nursing mother and on what was additionally given to the baby to eat.

Frequency: rarely or often?

If the stool in the baby is of the usual consistency, yellow, then frequent trips“For the most part” is no reason to sound the alarm. The main thing is that the baby is active, has a good appetite. So he assimilates received nutrients Frequent defecation is not diarrhea.

Regular watery toilet causes dehydration, so treatment should be started as soon as possible!

Anxiety should cause the appearance of foam, mucus and an unpleasant sour smell. In this case, you should consult a doctor. The cause may be an intestinal infection or an incorrectly chosen way of eating.

Rare emptying can cause anxiety in young parents. If there is no bowel movement for 2 days, then on the 3rd baby is able to empty himself. It is not recommended to stimulate the intestines of the baby. If the baby poops less than once every 3 to 4 days, then you should resort to the help of a doctor.

In an ordinary situation, a light massage of the tummy clockwise helps out, but you should not get carried away with enemas, they wash out the unformed intestinal flora.

If the stool contains blood or its slight traces, it is important to understand why this happens. Lack of vitamin K causes low clotting, blood enters the internal organs. Also, the reason sometimes lies in hemorrhagic disease. Seeing a doctor and taking a vitamin will improve the situation.

Feces with blood in a newborn:

Because of the cracks in the anus, traces of blood appear, this happens with numerous constipation. Many adults mistakenly think that blood has got in when the baby eats beets, tomatoes or watermelon.

loose stool most often occurs due to the peculiarities of the mother's diet. A large number of vegetables in the diet leads to thinning of the stool.

Infection is much more serious reason the appearance of watery results of vital activity.

Loose stools in a newborn:

The infection is accompanied by fever and irritability of the baby, the newborn refuses to eat. In this option, calling a health worker is mandatory, since frequent bowel movements lead to dehydration.

A common occurrence in newborns is foam stool . It occurs with a lack of nutrition, then it is advisable to supplement the baby with a mixture. A lack of lactase causes foamy stools.

Lactase is a special enzyme responsible for the digestion of milk. It should be added to the mother's daily menu so that it enters the baby's food.

Foamy stool in a newborn:

In addition, foam may be a reaction to new food. In such cases, it is recommended to postpone the addition of new foods for a while so that more enzymes are produced in the digestive system, which contribute to trouble-free absorption.

Slime in the feces appears due to the inability to cope with the volume of incoming food. Depending on the age, the specialist offers his own solution to the problem. The way out is to add foods like kefir or rice porridge to the diet.

Stool with mucus in a newborn:

The appearance of lumps indicates poorly processed food. Lumps indicate overeating. With the introduction of complementary foods, such particles are a sign of undigested fiber.

In any case, you should monitor the general well-being of the child, as well as the frequency of atypical bowel movements. Temperature increase, nervous state indicate unhappiness. Do not self-medicate, the baby needs to get timely medical care.

Characteristics in color and smell

Green chair in the early days - a common, natural phenomenon. Within a couple of weeks, the feces may be green, as a substance, bilirubin, is excreted from the body. Further, green color give new foods added with complementary foods: broccoli, zucchini. Most often, greens are not alarm signal. If color changes are accompanied by unpleasant putrefactive odors, temperature, nervous behavior of the baby, then you need to seek qualified help.

yellow stool characteristic of breastfeeding children. Shades depend on the fat content and density of mother's milk, on the functioning of enzymes.
The darkening of the secretions indicates oxidative processes. Complementary foods containing apples provoke dark stools. Iron-containing preparations also cause oxidation.

Slightly considered normal sour smell feces of a breastfed infant. With constipation, waste products darken and acquire an unpleasant rotten smell. Most often, dysbacteriosis manifests itself in this way. In this case, the doctor prescribes special bacteria to populate the microflora. With the help of a special analysis - a coprogram, an accurate diagnosis is made and suitable method troubleshooting.

What kind of chair should a baby have? During the first year of his life, his parents will have to undergo a kind of training, as a result of which they will learn about baby chair practically everything. Since the amount and appearance of feces tells how a child digests food, there is nothing surprising in such attention to the contents of diapers. The pediatrician will also always ask you about this, so you should be careful.

The ideal option is yellow chair with a mushy texture. It occurs more frequently in children artificial feeding. And here is the chair breastfeeding sometimes the most diverse - both light and dark, even green. Such diversity appears because, unlike mixtures, the composition of mother's milk changes all the time, because it depends on her diet, and no woman, of course, can eat the same food day after day.

If we talk about the first six weeks of a baby's life, then the most important thing in the issue of stool will be that the bowel movement of the crumbs occurs several times a day - at least 3-4 times, and in some cases up to 10. Simply put, the baby can poop after every feeding.

The stool of a newborn during breastfeeding changes as follows: the first stool - meconium - has a very dark color, dark green. The consistency is very thick, like window putty. If the mother feeds the baby properly, then soon the color of the stool changes to transitional green. This usually happens on the third day of life. Until the tenth day, you need to watch closely so that bowel movements occur regularly: if there is no stool for more than a day, this indicates that the baby has little mother's milk. After this age, the number of urination per day will be evidence of the sufficiency of feeding.

After six weeks, the number of bowel movements in a child may drop dramatically, and this is normal. But the most striking circumstance is that when breastfeeding, a child may not have a chair for up to a week, and if the baby is cheerful at the same time, this is the norm.

Breastfeeding baby's chair: problems

Why can there be no stool for so long while breastfeeding? Because it means that mother's milk is perfectly digested. But if the baby is naughty, pulls up his legs, he begins to have colic, then this can no longer be called the norm, and you need to help the child go to the toilet.

The consistency of the stool in infants is usually liquid or puree. If the stool is too frequent, frothy, with a smell, the mother needs to be alert and notify the pediatrician about this. yellowish, greenish and Brown color stool is within normal limits, as is a small amount of lumps or impurities. If the consistency changes to frothy, and the color changes to green, most often this indicates an incorrect regimen: the baby most likely eats little and often. In this case, he sucks out only the "forward" milk, which is less rich in composition and fat than the "back". If you change the order of feeding, the problem will disappear by itself.

We repeat once again that the stool of a breast-fed child directly depends on the nutrition of the mother. Therefore, if you see a strange picture - a chair of an incomprehensible color, for example, red - then before you panic, remember if you ate red vegetables or fruits the day before.

Most mothers are afraid of the occurrence of dysbacteriosis in a child and attribute to him all changes in the quantity, consistency and color of feces. But in any infant, the intestinal microflora has not yet been formed, this takes time. In addition, dysbacteriosis is not a disease, but a state of imbalance in the intestinal microflora. If the baby was born healthy and is gaining weight well, it is hardly worth looking for dysbacteriosis in him. But to break the already unformed microflora can be quite easy. The chair during breastfeeding changes if the mother makes the following mistakes:

• If the baby is fed not on demand, but according to the regimen;
• If he does not eat;
• If he sucks out only the "front" milk;
• If it is supplemented with water or tea;
• If they begin to feed him with mixtures early;
• Finally, if complementary foods are introduced earlier than six months.

What if there is not enough milk? Of course, it may happen that complementary foods are required ahead of time. We are only talking about the fact that if the baby has enough of the amount of milk that the mother has, you should not rush with complementary foods.

In what cases you need to see a doctor

So, the stool during breastfeeding is quite diverse, and its change is not always a symptom of the disease. But if other changes in the child's condition occur simultaneously with the change in the stool, you need to seek help. This applies to a sharp increase in bowel movements (more than 10-12 times a day), the occurrence of vomiting or bad smell from the mouth, reducing the number of urination. The baby is very quickly dehydrated, so diarrhea in infants is really dangerous. If your child has diarrhea or constipation and is experiencing obvious abdominal pain, call the doctor as soon as possible. The same applies to a change in his state of health: temperature, lethargy, decreased reactions require urgent medical attention. It is better to be safe than not to pay attention to threatening symptoms.

After birth, the baby passes meconium. This is the original chair, which is formed from amniotic fluid swallowed by the child, and desquamated intestinal epithelium. It has a putty-like consistency, black or dark green in color, odorless.

Normally, meconium leaves 1-2 days after birth, which indicates the patency of the gastrointestinal tract. In the early days, the baby's stool occurs only once or twice a day, since the amount of nutrition that he receives from the mother's breast in the form of colostrum is small.

If the baby has no stool within two days of birth, the doctor must be informed.

From 2 to 5 days of life, the baby's intestines begin to be populated by microflora due to microorganisms living in breast milk, air and surrounding objects. Especially importance for the microflora of the newborn, they have the first drops of colostrum, so it is necessary to attach the baby to the chest immediately after birth.

In response to the settlement of the flora, an inflammatory reaction of the intestinal mucosa occurs - transient intestinal catarrh. The stool becomes yellow-green in color, an admixture of white undigested lumps, mucus, leaving watery spots on the diaper, is possible. This physiological state which does not require treatment. From 1 to 2 weeks, the "mature" stool of the newborn is formed.

Baby's stool in the first months of life

There are significant differences between the stools of breast-fed babies and the stool of formula-fed babies.

Babies who are lucky enough to eat their mother's milk have stools from birth almost after each feeding (from 8 to 10 times).

A normal stool in a baby is yellow, of a homogeneous mushy consistency, with a sour-milk smell.

With artificial feeding of a newborn, defecation is less common - from 4 to 6 times a day. At the same time, the consistency of the stool is thicker, it is mushy, with a brown or greenish tint.

A 2-month-old baby's stool may be irregular. Each baby is individual. For some, daily, for others - with regularity once every 1 - 2 days.

Do not panic if your child has a stool frequency of once every 2 days. If at the same time he is active, does not worry, he has a good appetite, there is no vomiting and bloating, there is nothing to worry about.

The chair of a child at 1 month of small volume, about 10 - 15 g. In the future, the frequency of stool becomes less, and the volume of stool increases to 40 - 50 g per bowel movement.

Chair of a child of the second half of life

With the introduction of complementary foods, the baby's stool changes. The frequency of stool becomes less frequent - 1 - 2 times a day. The nature of the feces will depend on the input nutrition. If the child has rare and dense feces, it is better to start introducing complementary foods with fruit and vegetable puree. If the child, on the contrary, had a liquefied stool, it is better to start with cereals.

Learn more about the diet baby, read the article by a children's doctor.

Learn more about when to children's diet, in the material of a pediatrician.

Since the baby is just beginning to learn to chew, fragments of undigested food may be visualized in the stool, and its color may match the color of the food eaten.

If, when adding a new product to the diet, in addition to changes in the stool, the baby has anxiety, bloating, skin rashes, you should stop eating this food. An intolerance to this food product may be caused by an allergy.

If, when semolina or millet porridge is introduced into the child’s diet, a liquid, frothy, light chair, there is a decrease in body weight, it is urgent to consult a doctor. This clinical picture is typical for celiac disease - gluten intolerance.

Child's stool disorders

Changes in the stool in a baby can be both qualitative - changes in the color, nature of the stool, the appearance of pathological impurities, and quantitative - a delay or increase in defecation.

Possible qualitative changes in the child's stool

Characteristics of bowel movements, the appearance of the stool is directly related to the food consumed. At the same time, you should not compare the chair of two different children on the same diet, each baby has an individual character of the chair. The mother of the child will notice even the smallest changes and impurities in the stool. They can be both a variant of the norm and a sign of the onset of the disease.

If a newborn child once had a small admixture of mucus, undigested lumps, greens in the feces, and at the same time general state the baby does not suffer - he is cheerful, mobile, does not worry, sucks actively, assimilates the amount of nutrition completely, there is a positive increase in body weight, do not panic, call ambulance and especially to self-medicate. It is necessary to monitor the dynamics for further changes in the stool.

What changes in the stool should you pay attention to and what can they say?

• the admixture of white curdled lumps in the feces with a positive increase in body weight may indicate overfeeding of the child, when the newborn is very often applied to the breast or the age-related amount of feeding is exceeded. If at the same time there is a decrease in body weight, anxiety of the child, there may be a dysfunction or insufficiency of enzymes that are secreted by the digestive glands;
• rapid stools of liquid consistency, frothy with a sour smell, which leaves a watery stain on the diaper, is a sign of insufficient digestion of carbohydrates. This may simply be lactose intolerance associated with improper organization of breastfeeding, or lactase deficiency - a disease in which there is a lack of an enzyme in the intestine;
• fatty shiny stools, leaving oily marks on the diaper, accompanied by constipation or diarrhea, indicates a violation of the digestion of fats;
• A small admixture of blood in the stool of a formula-fed baby, especially in combination with skin rashes, may be a sign of an allergy to cow's milk protein.

If there is an admixture of scarlet blood in the feces, you should immediately consult a doctor.

There can be many reasons for the appearance of blood in the diaper - from a small crack in the anus to a more serious surgical disease.

When changing the stool of a newborn, it is necessary specific actions:

1. It is necessary to clarify whether changes in the stool are related to the child's nutrition. When breastfeeding, the nurse must follow a strict diet, as changes in the stool may be associated with an error in the mother's diet. In children of the second half of the year, it is necessary to exclude the influence of complementary foods on the nature of the stool.
2. It is necessary to evaluate the weight gain of the child.
3. Contact your doctor for additional examinations. The scatological examination includes microscopic, chemical examination of feces, examination of feces for occult blood, analysis of feces for dysbacteriosis.

Violations can occur in connection not only with a change in the nature of the stool, but also with the frequency of defecation. These include constipation and the opposite condition - diarrhea.

Constipation - the absence of an independent stool for more than two days, accompanied by bloating, anxiety of the child, loss of appetite.

One of the most common problems in the first year of life is constipation. Most often, this is faced by children receiving mixtures.

For more information about why it occurs and how to deal with this problem, read the article by a children's doctor.

First you need to install possible cause the occurrence of constipation. In children, constipation is most often functional in nature due to impaired intestinal motility.

Possible two development options motor activity intestines:

1. Atonic constipation. Occurs with insufficient motor function of the intestine. At the same time, there are long delays in stool, bloating, and when emptying, the volume of feces is very large.
2. Spasmodic constipation. Associated with increased contractile function of the intestine. The act of defecation is accompanied by anxiety of the child, the stool is very dense, in small portions, looks like sheep's feces.

When constipation occurs the following steps are required:

• compliance with the diet of the child. When breastfeeding, strict adherence to the diet is necessary. With artificial feeding, the child should receive a sufficient amount of liquid. From the second half of life, the chair can be corrected by the introduction of complementary foods. With constipation, you can try to introduce a decoction or mashed prunes into the diet;
• tummy massage and gymnastics enhance peristalsis and improve digestion;
• with spastic constipation, the child will be helped to empty candles with glycerin;
• if an independent stool is delayed for more than two days, the child must be helped to poop with the help of cleansing enema, with bloating and flatulence - use a vent tube.

If you are not sure that you can do these procedures yourself, you need to contact a specialist. But also do not forget that stool delays can be associated with organic congenital changes in the intestine.

If constipation persists for a long time, you should consult a doctor. Do not self-medicate and use laxatives without the appointment of a specialist.

Diarrhea (diarrhea)

Frequent liquid stool greenish hue with an admixture of mucus, a streak of blood, combined with vomiting, is a sign of an acute infection.

Children in the first year of life often have intestinal infections, because the protective immune functions intestines are not fully formed. Non-dangerous pathogens that are not clinically manifested in an adult can lead to a serious condition in a newborn.

Diarrhea in a child is dangerous because, in addition to a large loss of fluid, absorption from the body in the intestine is disturbed. This leads to dehydration of the body.

When a child becomes ill, a doctor's consultation is necessary to prescribe treatment. Despite the reduced appetite, it is necessary to continue to feed the child, especially breastfeeding. The protective factors of mother's milk will help to improve bowel function.

For any violations of the stool, first of all, you should consult a doctor. Perhaps your fears are unfounded, and unreasonable treatment can only aggravate the situation.

So many experiences are associated with how a newborn baby "walks big." Mom is worried about the frequency of the stool, its color, consistency. So how do you determine if the crumbs are all right with digestion? Perhaps he needs help?

Many mothers know that it is very important to monitor the baby's stool, and the pediatrician during the examination is always interested in how the baby walks in a big way. This information is one of highlights in diagnosing the state of health of the crumbs.

Unfortunately, quite often mothers mistakenly interpret the completely natural and safe states of the baby. And because of these mistakes, they can start unnecessary treatment and worry about the baby for no good reason.

So let's figure out how a baby's chair should look like and when to worry and when not.

Immediately after childbirth

When the baby is in the mother's tummy, he receives all the necessary substances and trace elements through the umbilical cord. The digestive system of the crumbs does not work, but his stomach is not empty.

The baby sucks his fingers, opens his mouth and thus swallows a small amount amniotic fluid. When the baby is born, this substance will be in his intestines and will gradually come out as the baby is attached to the chest and his digestive system begins to work.

So, the first stool of the crumbs is meconium: dark, plasticine-like feces. So the baby recovers the first day or two. Sometimes it gives him discomfort: the baby worries, cries, pushes, before he manages to go big. However, this is not always the case - many children recover easily, only slightly pushing.

If everything is in order with the baby, he was put to the breast in time and fed on demand, then gradually his stool changes. On the third or fifth day, the baby has the so-called "transitional stool", partly consisting of meconium, which is still in the gastrointestinal tract, partly from digested colostrum and milk. As a rule, streaks appear first in the meconium mass, then the feces gradually turn yellow. By the end of the first week, the baby's stool usually acquires the features of a normal infant: yellow, rather liquid.

When Should You Be Worried?

If the baby did not go down in a big way in the first two days, it is necessary to consult a doctor. There are children with individual characteristics, who will continue to do this less often than most babies. However, the cause of the stool retention should be determined by the doctor. If the crumbs have some kind of problem with intestinal patency, help will be needed immediately, but you should not diagnose your baby without a doctor.

We're home

On the third or fifth day, the mother receives milk, and the baby has a fairly stable stool by the end of the first week. The literature sometimes says that the stool of newborns is "creamy", and this confuses mothers, who begin to suspect that something is not right with the crumbs.

In reality, the stool of a healthy baby is liquid and not always homogeneous. normal color kala - yellow and its shades. You may notice lumps, a little mucus - it's not scary. Do not be afraid if the baby's feces have a greenish tint for up to three months due to the immaturity of the liver enzyme systems and the characteristics of bilirubin metabolism, such a condition has the right to be and also does not require treatment.

Many mothers sometimes have anxiety due to the fact that the baby's stool "suddenly" becomes watery and the child walks in a big way with abundant gases, a sharp sound. Doctors in this case often suspect lactase deficiency.

In reality, things usually go like this.

In the period from 3 weeks to a month and a half, the baby has frequent growth spurts, so at certain moments the baby literally “hangs on the chest” to help the mother produce more milk. Within a day or a few, the baby needs to breastfeed more often and longer than before, and the mother begins to suspect that there is not enough milk. As a result, she often begins to shift the baby from one breast to another, and the baby receives mostly "forward" milk, which comes at the beginning of feeding from each breast. This milk is rich in carbohydrates and proteins, the baby is actively growing from it, however, the stool is liquid and gassy because of this milk (sometimes the “result” looks frothy if the baby is kept on a potty or a basin when he needs to clear himself, and the mother can observe the consistency chair).

In this situation, there is no need to panic - just the baby does not need to be constantly shifted from one breast to another, fearing that he is starving. Give the baby the opportunity to get "hind" milk, rich in fats, which will not cause flatulence and stay longer in the intestines.

In this situation (when the baby suddenly begins to clearly suck up more milk), the mother may feel insecure and start drinking lactogenic teas. From this, more carbohydrates again begin to flow into her milk and the baby's stool becomes more liquid and with gases.

Similar problems due to "front" milk occur in the case of improper attachment to the breast, as a result of which the baby fills the air and interrupts the feeding itself, or simply cannot get “hind” milk. The best way out in this situation is to consult with a breastfeeding specialist to correct the attachment technique and stop panicking that the baby "does not have enough milk."

In a word, you should not worry if the baby has problems with a chair of this nature. Of course, the flora of his intestines is unstable, it is just beginning to establish - it takes at least three to four months. Your task is simply to feed the baby on demand and correctly and not to rush to treat him for imaginary diseases.

stool retention

Mothers worry not only because of appearance chair, but also because of its periodicity.

How often should the baby "do things"?

Normally, the baby walks in a big way several times a day, usually after feeding. However, in some children, the norm may be a chair and once a day, and even once every few days. Typically, these children have an anatomically weak anterior abdominal wall and intestinal motility. Such a periodicity of the stool can be considered the norm, if the baby still walks more regularly, the stool is of normal consistency and, in general, the baby is cheerful and cheerful and does not suffer from colic. It's not worth worrying.

However, if the baby is allergic, then you need to do everything possible so that he goes to the toilet at least once a day. Atopic dermatitis it is much more difficult if the baby does not empty the intestines often enough - consult a doctor on this issue.

Also, children have physiological delays in stool at the age of one and a half to five months. Here it is important to monitor the condition of the baby. If he experiences discomfort, you should consult a doctor.

Children may hold stool and psychological reasons just like adults sometimes can't go to the toilet if they're nervous. Do not panic because of a one-time problem, but if the problem persists or recurs, consult your doctor.

However, babies have not just "delays" of the stool, but also real constipation.

Constipation is called not only when the baby does not go to the toilet at all, but also feces "peas", overdried, when a bowel movement is difficult.

What could be the reason?

Regular constipation is usually due to improper feeding crumbs. However, this condition can also occur if the mother does everything right, but she has her own health problems, for example, with thyroid gland. Medications can also be the cause of constipation.

For example, intestinal weakness is provoked by all kinds of sedative mixtures and medicines, which are often prescribed to children by neurologists in early age. Even cough medicines or tooth gels can cause constipation. In any case, the doctor should deal with this.

Do not give your baby medicines and laxatives on your own, or act on it mechanically with an enema or vent pipe. It is better to discuss feeding issues with the doctor, drug treatment and the baby's lifestyle - so you can figure out the problem.

Feeding time

Of course, when you start to introduce complementary foods, the nature of the baby's stool changes. First of all, you need to remember that the task of the first complementary foods (at 5, 6 months) is not to feed, but to help adapt to new tastes, to new food. Give the baby complementary foods in the amount of "lick" and only gradually move on to doses "with a marigold" or "half a teaspoon".

Recall that you need to introduce one product into the diet of crumbs so that you can understand how and what the baby reacts to. Quite often, as soon as we give the baby “with a fingernail” some food, it is not digested - we find the product in the feces almost in its original form.

Within one or two days, this is normal, the baby's body has not figured out the new component in the stomach, but if this continues on the third day, the product must be removed from the diet, since it is obvious that the baby is not yet ready to accept it. You need to take a break for a week or two, without offering the baby anything but the breast, then try again with another product.

The body of the crumbs can react even more violently, for example, with liquefied stools and abdominal pain, and sometimes with allergies. In this case, you also need to cancel the product and keep the baby breastfed so that the gastrointestinal tract calms down.

When you introduce protein to your baby, he may react with constipation.

To avoid this, you need to remember simple rules:

Proteins require more liquid, so if this is your baby's first food (for example, cottage cheese), give him more breast milk.

If you started introducing proteins when the baby is already drinking liquid, provide him with a drink. Do not worry about the fact that the introduction of new products has to be postponed - nothing terrible will happen to the baby.

And be especially calm about the opinion that at 6-7 months the child needs to be given meat products so that he grows well. Not all children are able to absorb such a protein; for many, even a homogenized meat product at this age will lead to constipation and overload the kidneys.

Let the baby eat longer breast milk and get vegetables and fruits as complementary foods - this way you will avoid many problems with the stool.

In general, mothers' concern about the baby's stool is quite justified: after all, this is an important diagnostic symptom that allows you to understand a lot about the condition of the crumbs. However, it must be remembered that not all situations require intervention, and most problems can be solved simply by correcting feeding mistakes. Do not rush to treat the baby and resort to medication, start with a diet.

Even in the maternity nurses and pediatricians ask mothers during the round how the process of emptying the intestines occurs in a newborn. The fact is that the stool in the baby is one of key indicators the health of the child - moreover, both for those who are breastfed, and for those who are artificially fed.

Why is it important to control stools in babies?

Why is it so important to control the baby's stool:

• it will indicate problems in the work of the gastrointestinal tract;
• it is possible to assess the level of nutritional value of the child;
• by some changes in the stool, it is possible to determine the development of pathologies of organs and systems that are not related to the digestive tract.

A child in infancy poops daily, and even several times a day - this allows even parents without medical education to quickly respond to changes in the stool, pay attention to this moment of the pediatrician or patronage nurse. Of course, for this you will need to master at least minimal knowledge about what a baby’s stool should normally be, what can be considered deviations from the norm, and in what cases it is worth calling a doctor. All this information is laid out in the presented material.

Remember right away - the norm for stool in infants is a relative concept. Someone has a child pooping 3-4 times a day, and the stool is a yellowish slurry, and some children defecate 1 time in 1-2 days and this is the norm for them. How do you determine how well it fits in? normal performance breast stool?

Bowel frequency

On the 2-3rd day of life, the transitional feces begin to pass from the newborn - it has a yellow-green color, it can also be dark green of a semi-liquid consistency, which is absolutely normal.

On the 4th-5th day of a child's life, a bowel movement schedule is already established, and the frequency of stool in children fluctuates in a fairly large amplitude - from 10-12 times a day to 1 time in 2 days. It is noted that most newborns poop either during feeding or after eating.

Note:if a child poops once every 2 days, but at the same time behaves calmly, the act of defecation passes without screaming and strong straining, then such a rhythm of bowel movements can be considered an absolute norm.

As the child grows, the number of bowel movements also changes - for example, if in the first 1-2 months of life the baby pooped 8-10 times a day, then by 4-5 months the number of bowel movements decreases to 5-6 times a day, and by 12 months - 1-2 times a day. It is noteworthy that if a child, still in infancy, pooped 1 time in 2 days, then this frequency of stool persists in the future.

The amount of feces in a bowel movement

This indicator depends only on the diet of the child. For example, in the first 2-3 months of a baby, he will have very little feces - no more than 5 grams per bowel movement, but by 12 months this amount will be increased to 100-200 grams per day (about 60 grams per bowel movement) .

In general, it is considered normal for a baby to have a stool when it is a mass of soft, mushy consistency. But even this indicator can be variable - for example, feces in the form of gruel with a small amount of lumps will also be considered the norm.

As the child grows older, the consistency of feces will also change - it will become more and more dense. But keep in mind - by 6 months of a child's life, the feces will already be completely formed, but will still remain soft.

Yellow with white lumps, dark yellow, yellow-brown, golden yellow and in general all variations yellow color for the feces of the baby will be the norm. But just keep in mind that as soon as the child is transferred to artificial nutrition or vegetable / fruit purees begin to be present in the diet, the color of the feces becomes darker, and by the age of 12 months the baby becomes dark brown.

Do not worry, and in the case of green feces in infants - this is also the norm, and green feces becomes due to the presence in it or biliverdin. You need to know that bilirubin with feces in infants can be excreted up to 6-9 months of age, therefore green tint chair in this age period may be considered the absolute norm. There is no reason to worry even in case of separation yellow stool, which then turns green - this means that bilirubin is released with stool in minimum quantities, in the air it simply acquires a characteristic shade.

If the baby is on an artificial or mixed feeding, then his stool will have a dark yellow or brown shade, the frequency of bowel movements will be less than breastfeeding, constipation or diarrhea, flatulence with difficult gas discharge may occur periodically.

Note:if the baby is fed with mixtures containing iron (this is usually practiced for anemia in newborns), then the color of the feces will be pronounced green. And if the child is fed not with special mixtures, but cow's milk, then the feces will be different oily sheen, bright yellow and "cheesy" smell.

Complementary foods are considered a new type of food for babies, the digestive system will begin to adapt to it and produce specific enzymes for digestion. In the first days of complementary feeding, the mother may pay attention to the fact that undigested pieces of food and an increased amount of mucus appeared in the baby's feces. If such a change in the stool does not lead to a change in the well-being of the baby (the baby does not scream, the feces pass freely), then you need to continue to feed him, carefully monitoring the amount of feces excreted, the frequency of bowel movements and the nature of the stool.

There are some foods that can cause a laxative effect - for example, boiled carrots. Moreover, it is not even digested, but comes out with liquid stool in unchanged form. If the parents did not have the task of correcting the stool, getting rid of constipation in the baby, then with such “complementary foods” it is necessary to cancel the introduction of carrots into the child’s diet and switch to more gentle vegetables - for example, potatoes, zucchini. And if you introduce rice porridge into the baby’s diet, then the stool will certainly be fixed. It is necessary to take into account such features of the influence of various products on work digestive system so as not to worry and not to take any drastic measures at the slightest change in the stool.

In general, the following changes in the stool with the introduction of complementary foods are considered the norm:

• feces become more dense;
• stool color changes from yellow to brown;
• fecal masses become heterogeneous;
• diarrhea or constipation may occur.

Knowing which baby stool can be considered the norm, it will be easy for parents to find out how healthy the baby is. If changes are detected that can hardly be called physiological, it is necessary to call the doctor at home and describe to him the full clinical picture- this will guarantee the timely detection of pathology and appointment effective treatment if necessary.

Tsygankova Yana Alexandrovna, medical observer, therapist of the highest qualification category