The green stool of a breastfed woman on breastfeeding can be caused by many reasons that do not threaten the health of the child at all. It is important to pay attention to the frequency, duration, consistency of the stool, the presence in it of various impurities. In case of any doubts, the correct decision will be to consult a pediatrician and not to use medications alone.
- Reasons for
- What to do
Reasons for
The first chair of a newborn is called - meconium, it comes out immediately after birth and in the first 3 days of the baby's life. Meconium is usually dark green or black, mucous and viscous, but odorless.
On the third day after birth, the baby's chair is called transitional, the feces change color and become green, close to brown. Also in it you can find white lumps, but this should not be frightened, since this is curdled milk. A brown-green stool in a child can last up to 10 days and this is the norm, then it forms a constant kind of feces.
For a baby breastfed, the light green color of the feces is normal, as the reasons for this color are:
- Mother hormones that stand out with breast milk.
- Mom's nutrition( yellow and green stools can cause foods such as broccoli, zucchini, greens).
- Taking medication( sometimes a green shade appears due to taking some medicines for a woman who is breastfeeding, for example, the microflora of the intestines is broken from antibiotics, and, consequently, the color of the feces changes).
- Isolation of bilirubin together with feces.
- Oxidation( after some time the child's feces become oxidized, and their shade becomes green).
- Enzyme insufficiency of the intestine. It appears with an increase in the amount of breast milk consumed at 3-6 weeks of the baby's life. The primary failure of the enzyme lactase, which splits lactose into galactose and glucose, is most often observed. The baby at this time may appear increased gassing, frothiness, liquefaction and green stool color. Provided that the enzymatic deficiency is not genetically inherited, then this state passes by itself by the 5-6th month of life. Teething. Teething.
- Imbalance of the rear and front milk. The front milk is watery and more liquid, and the back is thick, fat and saturated with the necessary nutrients. When the baby does not get enough of back milk, it does not only change the color of the stool( it becomes green frothy, sometimes with mucus), but a bad weight gain also occurs.
The listed reasons for the appearance of a green stool do not pose a threat to the health and life of the child and are amenable to self-adjustment. The danger is if the young woman has a liquid green stool, and it lasts for several days, its frequency increases, and the child behaves restlessly.
This condition can be caused by one of the following reasons:
- Intestinal infection. Pathogens can be fungi, viruses, bacteria, microbes. In severe forms of such infection, not only liquid stenchous green stool accompanies, but also vomiting, fever, colic, moodiness, lethargy, refusal of food.
- Dysbacteriosis. This diagnosis is often set. In addition to a loose stool, the baby has swelling, colic, skin rashes, redness and irritation around the anus. Violation of the qualitative and quantitative composition of microflora leads to malfunctions in the digestive tract.
- Viral infection. A common cold can cause a frequent loose stool with a smell. The infant's immune system is immature, is at the stage of formation and depends on the state of the intestinal microflora. When the infant is breastfed, it is protected by breast milk with an antibody content. Children artificial or mixed nutrition is more difficult: no matter how good the mixtures, they are not able to give such immune protection.
- Allergic reaction. The child could react, for example, to taking medicines. There are cases when such small children are prescribed antibiotic therapy, which often causes diarrhea. Also, a green stool may appear as a result of the introduction of complementary foods.
When on mixed or artificial feeding, the baby may have a hard green feces. The main reason for this is the use of an adapted mixture with a high iron content, for example, Nestozhen. Also, a change in color can occur at the very beginning of the introduction of the mixture - the baby needs to get used to the new lure.
What to do
To maintain normal digestion in infants, mom should follow the following rules:
- Try to use low-fat meat, preferably in a boiled or cooked for a couple of kinds.
- In addition to meat, protein must also come with dairy products in the form of cheese and cottage cheese.
- Refuse the consumption of cow's milk, since it can provoke an allergy in the first year of the baby's life, it is better to replace it with yogurt without additives or kefir.
- The food should contain enough fiber that comes with fruits and vegetables. It is forbidden to eat red and orange fruits, and also exotic foods.
- Very carefully add foods that are capable of provoking the development of allergies, for example, chocolate, tomatoes, peanuts, strawberries, etc.
- To prevent the appearance of frothy feces in a child, it is necessary to limit foods that cause fermentation in the intestine. These include: grapes, confectionery, pickles, smoked meats, highly concentrated broths, sweet drinks and all foods high in sugar.
If the cause of the change in the color of the feces is the imbalance of the rear and front milk, then it can be corrected:
- It is impossible at first complications for the baby to change breasts in sucking so he will not get rear fat milk.
- To increase milk in the back chamber, it is necessary to give breasts a breast on demand, and not on a schedule.
- It is necessary to monitor the correct position of the child during sucking. If the baby is uncomfortable, he will often throw his chest.
- It is not recommended to give the baby juices or water until 6-7 months, as this can reduce the baby's desire to suckle.
- For good lactation, feeding should take place in a quiet environment and on a full stomach.
With dysbacteriosis, pediatricians often recommend drugs designed to regulate intestinal microflora. These include: Bifidumbacterin, Lactobacterin, Hilak Forte, etc.
In the case of enzyme deficiency, additional sources of lactase enzyme can be prescribed, for example, BAC Lactazar. The use of such a food supplement helps to digest breast milk more efficiently, without interrupting lactation, and allows the full use of dairy products in breastfeeding.
If the cause of the discoloration of the stool is intestinal or viral infection, then parents should immediately contact the medical institution for help. Such infections are fraught with severe intoxication and dehydration of the body, which is a great threat to the life of the baby.