Stool in newborns with mixed feeding

Normal stool with artificial and mixed feeding

Pediatricians believe that the criteria for normal stool in infants can be considered in a fairly wide range. For example, it is impossible to unambiguously assess the color and consistency of feces, smell and the presence of impurities, since they can vary depending on different conditions. Therefore, those indicators that would be considered a deviation from the norm in older children are often not symptoms of diseases in infants.

The condition of a baby's stool can change for various reasons, the main of which are related to the type of feeding and the adaptation of the gastrointestinal tract to a new type of nutrition. In addition, with mixed feeding, ongoing changes in bowel movements are influenced by the proportions of breast milk and formula.

It is important for young mothers to know what is included in the concept of normal stool, so as not to have unnecessary worries about the health of their child:

• The color of stool should be brown or yellowish;
• When eating fruit, stool may become liquid, swamp-colored, mixed with lumps;
• Undigested milk mixture appears as white spots in the stool;
• When feeding formula milk, stool smells different than when breastfeeding;
• Loose stools are normal during mixed feeding if the baby receives more mother's milk;
• In a diet where the majority of the food is formula, the stool will be thick and well-shaped;
• The frequency of stool depends on the age of the baby, the proportions of breast milk and formula. In the first month, the newborn defecates from 3 to 10 times a day, later - up to two times.

For your information! Such signs of baby bowel movements are considered normal, since the newborn’s digestive system is still developing.

The presence of impurities in the stool during mixed feeding

Parents should not be alarmed if, during mixed feeding, various impurities appear in the baby’s stool.

Loose stools are considered normal with mixed feeding

The most common and safe impurities are:

• White grains are particles of undigested formula or milk. If there are a lot of them, then this indicates overeating, which means that the baby’s gastrointestinal tract cannot cope with the amount of food offered;
• It is normal to have a small amount of mucus in the stool. However, the volume of mucus may increase with an inappropriate mixture, premature introduction of complementary foods, intestinal infections, dysbacteriosis;
• The appearance of foam is considered a functional disorder, not a pathology. Infants sometimes have foamy stools due to colic or as a reaction to anti-colic drugs;
• The appearance of blood streaks in the stool due to problems with the mother, for example, cracked nipples or due to foods in the diet of a nursing woman: tomatoes, beets.

Important! When various impurities appear, you need to monitor the general condition of the baby. If, in parallel with impurities, the temperature rises, appetite and body weight are lost, you should not delay calling a doctor.

This is interesting: Emergency care for hepatic colic

Stool in newborns with mixed feeding: norm and deviations

Parents should know what kind of stool in newborns with mixed feeding is considered normal, and what changes should be alarming.

• What to look for
• Deviations from the norm

The proportions of breast milk and formula in mixed feeding are determined for each baby individually, and it is on these proportions that his stool will depend.

• Color. Stool in mixed-fed newborns can be of different colors, from yellow to brown.

Feces with white lumps of undigested mixture are normal, since the newborn’s digestive system has not fully formed.

But, if white lumps of a cheesy consistency appear with every bowel movement, you should consult your pediatrician.

You may be overfeeding your baby or diluting the formula incorrectly.

Combined with slow weight gain, this type of stool may indicate digestive problems.

• Smell. With natural feeding, stool does not have a sharp, foul odor, which cannot be said about stool when feeding formula.

Therefore, the more breast milk substitute in the diet, the more distinct the smell.

• Consistency. The mushy consistency, as a rule, does not cause suspicion among parents.

But loose stools are also normal during mixed feeding if the baby receives more mother’s milk.

If the majority of the diet is a mixture, the feces will be thicker and more shaped.

In this case, to avoid constipation, offer your child water more often.

• Frequency. How many times a day should a baby defecate?

It depends on the age and the proportion of mother's milk in the baby's diet.

In the first 2 months of life, a newborn defecates 3 to 10 times a day, and the more time the child spends at the breast, the higher this figure.

In the 3rd month, the frequency of bowel movements is reduced to 1-2 times.

The main indicator of the normal state of the digestive system is not the contents of the diaper, but the baby’s well-being.

If the baby sleeps peacefully, is in an excellent mood, gains weight according to standards and develops according to age, parents should not sound the alarm at minor changes in stool.

However, there are deviations from the norm that should be a reason to consult a doctor.

Deviations from the norm

The color, consistency of stool and the presence of impurities in it can indicate various pathologies of the digestive system, so you should let your pediatrician know about the following signs of abnormality.

Useful tips for mothers: CHILD UNDER 3 YEARS OLD

• Green stool is the norm only for the first days of life. For a baby older than a week, this is a possible symptom of dysbiosis or the result of an incorrectly selected mixture that causes allergies in the baby. Foamy green stool with a sour odor indicates lactose intolerance.

• Bright yellow or orange stool may indicate problems with liver function. Unless, of course, you fed your child carrots or pumpkin the day before.

• Black or dark stool indicates possible blood. Blood in the stool may be the result of microcracks in the anus after constipation, or it may indicate more serious problems, so see a doctor!

Diarrhea in an infant is determined not by how often the baby defecates, but by the consistency of the stool.

If the stool is watery, mixed with mucus or streaked with blood, then we are talking about diarrhea.

In combination with elevated body temperature, diarrhea indicates an intestinal infection.

The condition threatens dehydration, so the first thing parents should do is give the child water and then call an ambulance.

Liquid, foamy green stool is a sign of staphylococcal enterocolitis, green diarrhea in combination with vomiting is a symptom of rotavirus infection.

Constipation during mixed feeding - absence of bowel movements for more than 3 days.

At the same time, it is important to monitor the child’s well-being: if anxiety appears, you should contact the pediatrician earlier, but you should not give an enema to a newborn without a doctor’s prescription.

The best thing a mother can do if her baby is constipated is to give him water to drink and put him to the breast as often as possible.

At the moment of sucking, the intestinal walls contract, peristalsis is stimulated and the sphincter relaxes.

Source: https://PitanieDeti.ru/pitanie-do-3-let/zdorove-malysha/koliki-stul-rebenka/stul-u-novorozhdennyh-pri-smeshannom-vskarmlivanii.html

Why does constipation occur?

The formula that a newborn receives as a substitute for mother's milk is an unfamiliar product for his body. In addition, the innervation of the intestinal walls in most infants is not yet sufficiently developed, so peristalsis is not very active. Since the baby's food comes slowly, there is a risk of constipation. The new product can also contribute to the complete cessation of intestinal motility, which will also provoke stagnation of food and feces.

What does green stool mean?

The green color of a breastfeeding baby may be an indicator of normality. If the baby is breastfed, hormones found in breast milk can give this color. Bilirubin present in the body can also affect the shade. In the air, feces oxidize and gradually turn green. If, in addition to the alarming color, there are mucous lumps and foam, but the smell is normal, then this indicates a lack of fatty hindmilk.

Green stool in a bottle-fed baby can occur when switching to another formula, especially one with a high iron content. Artificial factors also include factors that affect the color of stool, such as bilirubin and oxidation. If green stool is noticed in a mixed-fed baby, then any of these reasons could be the source.

You should consult a doctor if you have at least one of the following symptoms:

• elevated temperature;
• signs of dehydration;
• decreased activity;
• diarrhea with an unpleasant odor, blood;
• frequent and/or profuse regurgitation;
• low weight gain or loss;
• infrequent urination and dark-colored urine with a pungent odor;
• unpleasant smell of waste.

A baby's green stool does not always mean some kind of disease. When assessing the baby’s condition, you first need to pay attention to his well-being. If he is cheerfully active and gaining weight well, then there is no reason to worry.

What kind of stool should a baby have?

In the first days of life, the baby's stools are dark olive or black in color - this is meconium that has accumulated in the intestines while still in the womb. Usually, by the third day, meconium is replaced by transitional stool of a greenish tint.

Before introducing complementary foods, the reference is considered to be baby feces that are golden-yellow in color and have a mushy consistency with small white lumps. Only artificial children can claim such permanence. The composition of breast milk is constantly changing - and depending on it, green stools may appear in the baby.

In general, the nature of baby stool may depend on the following factors:

• type of feeding (artificial, breast or mixed);
• health conditions;
• functioning of the digestive system;
• mom's diet.

Variations in the consistency of infant stool are allowed, from liquid to unformed. The color can be any shade of yellow, greenish or brown.

Causes of constipation

All causes of stool retention are conventionally divided into two groups: organic and physiological.

Organic are deviations in the gastrointestinal tract caused by congenital diseases, the symptoms of which are in no way related to additional complementary foods.

Physiological is the influence of nutrition and food intake. It is these reasons that explain why a baby experiences constipation during mixed feeding.

Therefore, the following factors must be taken into account:

• Incompatibility of breast milk and dry formulas. The little person's digestive system is very sensitive to even small changes in diet. The immature gastrointestinal tract is unable to equally efficiently absorb “various” foods.
  

  Therefore, most of them are deposited in the feces. Insufficient peristalsis is unable to cope with the load, resulting in constipation.

• Frequent mixture changes. Looking at the large assortment of baby food, many young mothers want to diversify their baby’s diet from the first days of life by buying different types of products. This is not recommended.
  

  To avoid negative consequences, you need to choose a formula that is most suitable in composition to breast milk. And do not change it if nothing bothers the baby.

• Improper nutrition of a nursing mother. Often, dry formula is only a catalyst, and the main cause of constipation lies in the composition of breast milk. If the mother prefers high-calorie foods with a lot of proteins and fats, then her milk will be absorbed by the baby’s body with great difficulty.
  

  You should eat more foods containing fiber: porridge, stewed vegetables, boiled meat.

• Fluid deficiency in the child's body. Lack of water contributes to hardening of stool and disruption of intestinal motility. The sharp edges of strong feces damage the walls of the intestines and anus.
  

  Therefore, you need to regularly give your child regular water, especially in hot weather.

• Early complementary feeding also affects the functioning of the newborn’s digestive tract.
  

  It is not recommended to give your baby “adult food” before 6 months, especially if complementary feeding begins with cereals.

What to do if a mixed-fed baby is constipated

"What to do? “He (she) hasn’t pooped for two days now, we need to urgently run to the doctor,” young mothers or overly vigilant grandmothers panic if they suddenly discover that their child has not had bowel movements for two days. It’s good that they don’t call an ambulance (although sometimes they do).

After all, the number of trips to the potty “by and large” is strictly individual for each child. Constipation in a baby, if he is mixed-fed, is by no means a rare phenomenon; according to statistics, it occurs in every fifth child.

If you act correctly, you can normalize intestinal motility very quickly.

How to understand that it is really constipation

A child who eats exclusively mother's milk can poop six times a day or more, after each feeding - this is the norm. But don’t panic if there is no stool for several days; this is also normal. This means that mother’s milk is suitable for the baby and he has no digestive problems. Milk is completely absorbed by the body.

Of course, provided that the child’s stomach is soft and does not hurt, his overall health is excellent. This is precisely the point of view that Dr. Komarovsky, known to all mothers, adheres to. It’s another matter if the child receives additional supplementary feeding with an adapted milk formula. In this case, regular bowel movements are a necessity.

Powdered infant formula contains more protein than breast milk, so it can cause constipation in a mixed-fed newborn. It's time to sound the alarm and take action if your one-month-old baby:

• irregular bowel movements;
• flatulence;
• stool that is thicker than normal or hard in consistency;
• Every bowel movement is accompanied by crying.

These are all signs of constipation. Start prevention immediately, otherwise it will lead to serious treatment in the future. The baby is afraid to poop because it hurts, and will constantly endure it.

The main causes of constipation during mixed feeding

Before starting treatment, figure out what caused constipation; with mixed feeding, there are several significant points.

Formula and milk don't mix well

Difficulties in defecation in infants with mixed feeding arise in the event of incompatibility between mother's milk and formula.

If there is insufficient lactation in a nursing mother, artificial infant formula comes to the rescue.

And although most manufacturers loudly declare super-maximal adaptation of baby food, not a single laboratory has yet managed to achieve 100% similarity of nutrition with mother's milk.

And the baby’s intestines are very sensitive, especially in the first months of life, and the slightest innovation leads to the fact that the gastrointestinal tract will not completely digest such a variety of “dishes.”

If it was not possible to find baby food the first time, the baby is allowed to try all possible mixtures: fermented milk, fortified, and even containing iodine to develop the baby’s intellectual abilities. The undigested mixture turns into very thick, sometimes hard feces, which the baby’s weak peristalsis cannot cope with. Therefore constipation occurs.

Malnutrition of a nursing mother

However, it would be incorrect to assign dry formulas as the main and most important culprit for constipation in babies. Many children, for various reasons, are artificial from birth and, if the mixture is chosen well, they rarely suffer from constipation. The mother herself, or rather what she eats, sometimes causes constipation.

If during lactation you eat foods that cause fasting, eat high-calorie fatty foods, and a lot of proteins, then it will be very difficult for the baby’s tummy to digest mother’s milk.

Sometimes it’s enough just to start following a diet and proper nutrition to save your baby from such torment.

For example, choose light soups, vegetable salads, and generally more foods containing fiber.

Water shortage

If your baby doesn't poop well or doesn't poop at all, keep an eye on how much fluid he drinks. Insufficient drinking regime is also one of the causes of constipation in a newborn. With mixed feeding, dehydration of the body leads to the formation of hard feces, it moves poorly and scratches the intestinal walls, causing discomfort to the child.

And if it is not possible to breastfeed more often, supplement the baby between feedings, for example with clean bottled water. But it is better to offer not water, but an infusion of prunes and raisins; these dried fruits enrich the water with potassium, which gives a wonderful laxative effect.

Early complementary feeding

Supplemental feeding with infant formula can negatively affect intestinal motility in infants. But that's not so bad. In the case of early complementary feeding, the baby’s intestines can also malfunction and cause constipation.

With mixed feeding, many mothers feed babies from 3 to 4 months of age.

And they don’t think at all about the fact that the baby’s stomach does not yet have specific enzymes capable of digesting adult food.

You can upset a baby’s delicate digestive system very quickly, but it will take a long time to get it working again. Therefore, if the baby is not yet six months old, it is best to try to increase lactation and hold him on the chest longer than rush to treat him to an adult treat.

Signs of incorrect complementary feeding

Parents should be aware of the difference between supplementary feeding and complementary feeding. Supplementary feeding after breastfeeding, when there is not enough mother's milk for complete saturation. Complementary feeding is the replacement of one or more breastfeedings with other products.

You can create an imbalance in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract very quickly, but it will take a lot of time to normalize it.

Expert opinion

Morozova Tatyana Evgenievna

Pediatrician. Lactation consultant.

No formula can completely replace the composition of breast milk, but the more adapted it is, the better it will be for the child.

The fact that the selected complementary foods are not suitable for a baby can be determined by the following symptoms:

• The baby cries a lot, writhes his legs, and is constantly in a restless state.
• Too hard feces, shaped like peas.
• Rare stool – once every 2-3 days.
• When trying to defecate, the child strains and strains a lot.
• Worries when eating.
• The abdomen is hard and swollen, and when stroking the baby begins to cry even more.
• Poor appetite.

It is very important to pay attention to the consistency of stool. In infancy, it should be mushy, soft, and yellowish.

If a child is constipated, the stool will be dark, hard, and have an unpleasant odor.

This is interesting: Why can a child have black poop, what should parents do?

Constipation symptoms

Experts say that for normal functioning of the digestive system, a child needs to defecate two to four times a day. Constipation is a painful symptom, expressed in the fact that the newborn’s intestines do not empty for more than two days (for an infant under 30 days old, the absence of bowel movements during the day should be alarming; the norm for him is four to six bowel movements per day).

It should be taken into account that the norm is an average, there are “permissible deviations” from it. It all depends on the characteristics of the individual child’s body. To successfully normalize stool, an individual approach is required. Even with normal digestion, bowel movements may not occur for three to five days.

Important! Pediatricians insist that with normal development and weight gain of the baby, if his sleep pattern is not disturbed and normal activity is observed, and the process of defecation does not cause discomfort, then constipation is a completely normal phenomenon.

Defecation is associated with a large number of other factors:

• specifics of the newborn’s digestive system;
• what type of feeding is carried out;
• Does the baby have any pathologies?
• how the birth went, etc.

The following signs are characteristic of normal stool in a newborn:

1. Frequency of bowel movements. Initially, fecal discharge called meconium leaves the baby's body; it is characterized by a dark greenish or black tint. After 5 days, the newborn establishes a stable bowel movement pattern, ranging from once every two days to ten times a day. Defecation occurs either directly during food intake or after finishing feeding. Less frequent defecation does not necessarily indicate abnormalities if it is observed systematically and is not accompanied by excessive tension or tears. Over time, the number of bowel movements decreases significantly: at two months of age - from three to five times a day, at six months - from two to three times a day, a one-year-old child poops up to two times a day. When a newborn empties the intestines once a day, then in the future the frequency remains the same, the fractional composition and hardness of the stool undergoes changes.
2. Amount of feces. The volume of feces directly depends on how much food the baby ate. For a newborn in the first month of life, this is within 20-30 grams per day. In the second half of the baby's life, the volume of discharge increases to 40-50 grams per day.
3. Consistency of stool. A newborn will have soft, mushy stool. Normal feces include both moderately liquid and moderately thick composition of discharge. The optimal case is moderately liquid and homogeneous feces; it is perfectly absorbed by the diaper, giving it the appropriate shade. For older children - moderately thick feces with a porridge-like consistency. For one-year-old children - formed plastic and soft feces.
4. Discharge color. The color of “normal” baby stool varies widely, from yellow and yellow-green to brownish or greenish. This coloring is characteristic of newborns who consume breast milk; then the discharge acquires dark shades, up to a pronounced black color. Many young mothers, having discovered green or swamp-yellow stool in their diaper, panic. It should be noted that this color is normal for a newborn and is caused by bilirubin. The component is present in the feces of newborns up to eight months of age, during which time green feces are the norm. The reason for panic is the spontaneous appearance of a green tint that has not been observed before. It is likely that this is due to the introduction of a new diet, a lack of maternal milk, or due to various pathologies.
5. Smell of feces. The feces of newborns who consume breast milk are characterized by a specific sour odor. When consuming formula milk, the baby's feces will have a repulsive odor with a hint of rottenness or rottenness.
6. Additional inclusions. Normal fecal discharge of infants, regardless of the type of feeding, may contain various inclusions:

• white fractions - indicate underdevelopment of the digestive system; dairy products are not completely digested;
• undigested food residues - these inclusions are typical after a new complementary food product has been introduced, the reason is the age-related characteristics of the body or the unpreparedness of the newborn’s digestive system to accept the introduced product;
• mucous inclusions - this component helps protect the gastrointestinal tract from negative effects; its presence in the feces of an infant is normal.

Possible reasons

Constipation in a baby is a decrease in the frequency of bowel movements less than once every 36 hours. Characteristic signs of this condition in an infant are strong efforts to defecate, changes in the consistency of the stool to a denser, harder, more shaped one.

Almost 95% of cases of intestinal cleansing disorders are functional in nature. This allows you to influence many of the causes of their occurrence and get rid of them in a timely and effective manner.

Causes of bowel dysfunction in newborns with mixed feeding:

• Wrong mixture chosen.
• Overfeeding or not drinking enough milk.
• Drink a small amount of liquid.
• Incorrect and too early introduction of complementary foods.
• Weakened intestinal motor function, low activity of the child.
• Too hot room or summer period. Constipation is caused by overheating of the baby, which leads to dehydration.

Dangerous consequences

Constipation in a mixed-fed baby is not a harmless problem that will go away on its own. Serious consequences may occur:

• Severe pain in the form of colic, caused by spastic constipation, when the intestines contract unevenly.
• Intoxication of the body. If emptying is not done in a timely manner, toxins are formed that are absorbed into the blood. Poisoning of the body occurs, manifested by lethargy, decreased appetite, and attacks of nausea.
• Weakening of the immune system. Feces prevent the complete absorption of beneficial substances and contribute to the accumulation of harmful ones. The body weakens and becomes susceptible to colds and other diseases.
• Intestinal injury and rupture of blood vessels, accompanied by blood in the stool. In addition, injured areas can become infected.
• Psychological constipation. Because of the pain, the child is afraid to strain, which further aggravates the situation.
• Dysbacteriosis. The ratio of beneficial and opportunistic bacteria is disrupted. The condition is manifested by bloating, nausea, and bad breath.

Sometimes prolonged absence of bowel movements and severe straining leads to prolapse of the rectum due to increased intra-abdominal pressure.

Also, due to difficult emptying, varicose veins and inflammation of the rectal veins occur, which causes hemorrhoids in young children.

Despite the fact that both of these problems are considered to be purely adult problems, it is necessary to remember that:

The longer the duration of constipation, the more compacted the stool becomes and the more difficult it is to remove it from the body without injuring the intestines.

Methods of non-drug help

Faced with the problem of constipation in a baby, parents make every effort to alleviate the baby’s suffering. But before purchasing medications, you should try to help your baby in natural ways.

However, they will be effective at the initial stage of development of defecation retention, when the process has not yet worsened.

If constipation is suspected, the following procedures are effective:

• Massage. Gently stroke your baby's belly around the belly button in a clockwise circular motion. Massage should be done with light pressure, avoiding pain in the baby.
• Gymnastic exercises. A newborn needs physical activity that activates the digestive tract. It will be enough to regularly place the baby on his tummy, as well as perform the “bicycle” exercise. From the age of three months you can exercise on a fitball. Activities on a big ball are very exciting and will bring pleasure to both children and their parents. You should exercise no earlier than 2 hours after feeding.
• Warm baths. The relaxing effect can help combat constipation.
• Enema. An old proven method of colon cleansing.
• Physical activity. If the child has already learned to crawl, allow him to move as much as possible, avoid swaddling and tight clothing.

Massage in a clockwise circular motion

If such measures are ineffective in relieving constipation, you can resort to a gas outlet tube. However, it should not be used daily. Such a procedure can unbalance the bowels so much that emptying without a gas tube becomes impossible.

Complementary feeding, gymnastics and massage

The introduction of complementary foods should be gradual, rational, and deliberate. Children who suffer from frequent constipation should not introduce complementary foods early. You should start with vegetable purees; they are rich in fiber, which stimulates the intestines and cleanses it. It could be zucchini or cabbage puree.

Massage and some gymnastic exercises as treatment will help improve the functioning of the baby's gastrointestinal tract. Such activities are recommended to be carried out in between feedings or immediately before meals:

• Frequently placing the baby on his stomach.
• Laying out on a gymnastic ball.
• Light massage strokes of the baby's tummy in a clockwise direction.
• Gymnastics. Place the baby on his back, lightly press his legs against his tummy one by one, and then straighten him out. You can also do the “bicycle” exercise.
• Swimming and exercise in water are also beneficial for newborns.

• Irritate the intestines with foreign objects not intended for these purposes - thermometer, cotton swabs. This may injure the baby.
• Using an enema and gas tube too often. This can lead to disruptions in the act of defecation. You should definitely seek help from a doctor and under no circumstances self-medicate.
• Give the baby laxatives, especially if they are not intended for the treatment of children. This is strictly prohibited.

Treatment with drugs

When natural methods of combating constipation do not help, drug therapy is used. Modern medications can cope with stool retention and the occurrence of side effects is minimized even in newborns.

There are three main groups of drugs:

• Syrup with lactulose. A product in the form of a sweet syrup, which has an osmotic effect, softens stool and facilitates bowel cleansing. You can buy the drug from both foreign and domestic manufacturers, the price of which is more affordable for consumers, and is in no way inferior in quality and effectiveness. These are medicines such as Duphalac, Normaze, Portalak. The dosage is determined by the pediatrician, focusing on the age and weight of the baby.
• Glycerin suppositories. If, apart from the absence of bowel movements, no other symptoms occur, i.e. the child is not capricious, plays calmly, and the body temperature is normal, then ordinary glycerin suppositories can be used to stimulate the intestines. They act irritatingly on the rectal mucosa and thereby cause the process of emptying, and are also absolutely harmless.
• Preparations containing probiotics. The use of drugs with bacteria improves digestion and has a positive effect on the functioning of the entire gastrointestinal tract.

If the violations cannot be eliminated by the means described above, you should urgently consult a doctor.

Of course, you can buy laxatives recommended by a pharmacist at the pharmacy. But despite his awareness, it is not always possible to make the right choice.

Laxative medications have completely different modes of action.

Some activate peristalsis, which accelerates the movement of feces.

Others retain moisture in the intestines, due to which the volume of feces increases, intestinal receptors are irritated, and as a result, bowel movements occur.

If a baby has difficulty defecating due to a lack of moisture, then drugs that enhance peristalsis will not only not have the desired effect, but can also cause injury to the intestines and anus.

Instead of a positive result, the child will experience severe pain and discomfort.

Therefore, in order not to harm the baby’s health, it is better to visit the clinic and get qualified advice from a local pediatrician.

When to see a doctor

It is necessary to show the child to a pediatrician if the appearance of mucus is accompanied by other symptoms of various diseases, including:

• foul-smelling diarrhea;
• darkening of urine;
• rare urination;
• profuse and frequent regurgitation;
• smell from the mouth;
• heat;
• weight loss;
• loss of appetite;
• sunken fontanel;
• wrinkled and sagging skin.

If one or more of these symptoms are detected, the baby should be shown to a doctor and undergo the necessary examination to identify possible health problems.

An ambulance should be called at the first suspicion of intestinal obstruction, as well as signs of intestinal infections. If a child suddenly has a fever, vomits, has frequent and foamy stools or watery stools mixed with mucus, an examination by an infectious disease specialist is required.

You should consult a doctor if:

• mucus is green and smells unpleasant;
• appetite decreases, baby does not gain weight;
• vomiting occurs (follow this link to learn how to stop your child from vomiting);
• the baby's urine smells unpleasant;
• the temperature rises.

If the baby is less than a year old, it is better not to self-medicate and not to put off visiting a doctor until later. It is better to immediately contact a specialist or call an ambulance.

Possible complications and prevention of diarrhea

Diarrhea in an infant is a fairly common occurrence, causing problems for both the baby and the parents. Therefore, mothers ask pediatricians about what to do to stop diarrhea and why it is dangerous for children.

Experts confirm that diarrhea in a newborn with mixed feeding, caused by serious reasons, is dangerous for babies. Infants tolerate diarrhea much worse than young children. The main problem is dehydration, since a loss of water of 10% of body weight can have serious consequences. Therefore, if frequent and loose stools are accompanied by an increase in temperature, it is necessary to ensure the correct drinking regime.

With prolonged diarrhea, due to a decrease in the amount of mineral salts, cramps, allergies or diseases of the gastrointestinal tract may develop.

If measures are not taken to consolidate loose stools, severe complications such as neurotoxicosis and infectious-toxic shock due to intestinal infections may occur.

Children's specialists will tell the mother what means can be used to treat the child for diarrhea, so as not to harm the health. Under no circumstances should you give medications intended for adults, as they may be contraindicated for children.

Only a doctor will prescribe the correct treatment for frequent and painful bowel movements in an infant.

Important! Before using drugs to treat loose stools in infants, you need to keep in mind that drugs for diarrhea are aimed at different age groups.

Drug treatment of diarrhea in children is always complemented by a gentle diet with water-based porridges and pureed soups. Oatmeal broth and jelly, which have an enveloping effect, are useful. It is very important to provide the child with plenty of fluids, giving him water, weak or herbal tea, or rosehip decoction.

Every mother in the process of raising a child is faced with such an unpleasant phenomenon as uncontrollable loose stools. Therefore, you need to know what is meant by normal stool in an infant, and what is typical for manifestations of diarrhea, which can lead to serious consequences. Such knowledge will help you find the right ways to help children and seek medical help in time.

Symptoms of diarrhea in a newborn with mixed feeding

Any mother should be able to distinguish between loose stools in a mixed-fed baby and diarrhea. This will allow her to take the right steps, for example, getting tested or adjusting her and the baby's nutrition.

Diarrhea in infants has characteristic features

The distinctive symptoms of diarrhea with a mixed diet are:

• Watery stools;
• Increased frequency of bowel movements;
• Unpleasant smell of feces;
• Change in color of stool from yellow to swampy;
• Increased temperature and vomiting;
• Abundant mucus, foam, streaks of blood.

In any case, with loose stools with different symptoms, you need to pay attention to the baby’s condition. If the baby is cheerful, eats well, lives according to a routine, and gains weight correctly, there is no reason to worry. Signs such as poor sleep and appetite, colic and gas, fever, blood streaks, strange smell in stool are a good reason to consult a doctor.

Important! Diarrhea in a mixed-fed newborn is determined not by how many times he defecates, but by the texture and color of the stool. For example, watery stools mixed with mucus indicate diarrhea.

You need to pay attention to the color of stool during diarrhea in order to understand the reasons and consult a specialist in time. For example, a marsh color is normal only in the first week. Foamy green stool with a sour odor indicates lactose intolerance. Dark stools indicate possible presence of blood.

Other types of stool

Deviations of stool from the norm sometimes consist of the following conditions.

• Foamy feces. They usually have a sour odor, are liquid and frequent. This is a consequence of a lack of certain enzymes that digest lactose (milk sugar).
• Fatty feces. The reason is the same - a lack of enzymes that digest fatty elements. There is an association between this condition and allergies.
• Stool with mucus. The reasons may include reactions to the introduction of new products, dysbiosis, or intestinal infectious processes.
• Lumps in stool. Most often they are white. The reason for the appearance is incomplete digestion of food particles. If the baby's weight gain is stable, no intervention is required, since the problem will be solved on its own.

Thus, feces in newborn babies are characterized by several criteria that determine the health of the babies and the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Diarrhea in a newborn

information

Once a month from birth to one year it is necessary to monitor the baby’s weight and growth. If he's not gaining weight well and you notice loose stools when you change diapers, there could be several reasons for this.

• Receipt of a large amount of foremilk
  . It is lower in calories and develops lactase deficiency. In this case, the mother needs to change breasts less often so that the baby reaches mature milk or express a little milk before feeding, then the baby will immediately begin to satisfy his hunger with more high-calorie and nutritious milk.
• The eruption of new teeth, the introduction of complementary foods, the reaction to the adaptation of the gastrointestinal tract to other foods
  . In these cases, no interventions are recommended: these physiological manifestations go away on their own.

Sometimes it may seem that the above is not the cause of diarrhea, in which case it is better to consult a specialist. They will help you to expertly understand the issue.

Modern methods of breastfeeding suggest after six months. Sometimes a reaction to the introduction of a new dish may be a newborn's green stool mixed with mucus. There is no need to worry if the color is restored after a few days and the child does not show unnecessary anxiety. Otherwise, the product must be excluded from the diet for a while and try to introduce it a little later.

Other types of stool

The following describes other possible abnormalities in a newborn's stool.

Foamy stool

One day you may find your little one has watery, foamy stools with a sour smell. Outwardly, it will be thinner and faster. This is a consequence of a deficiency of a certain enzyme that digests milk sugar. This enzyme is called lactase, and its amount can be regulated externally.

information Foamy stools do not require correction if the child is gaining weight and is not restless.

When such a picture is not observed, the doctor determines the amount of enzyme that the baby should receive in a portion of milk before natural feeding. When formula-fed, the pediatrician recommends low-lactose special formulas.

Fat stool

Enzyme deficiency may result in large, fatty stools. In this case, we are talking about enzymes that digest fat, and this may be associated with an allergic disease called celiac disease, which is accompanied by impaired absorption of cereal gluten.

Stool with mucus

A newborn may have stool with mucus for various reasons:

• reaction to the introduction of a new product;
• the result of dysbacteriosis;
• reaction to an intestinal infection. dangerous In the latter case, accompanying symptoms are possible: abdominal pain, fever, vomiting. You can't do without a doctor here.

As for dysbiosis as a disturbance of the normal intestinal microflora, constipation and diarrhea are not excluded: it all depends on the individual reaction of the body.

Chair with lumps

Sometimes there may be white lumps in a newborn's stool. This is the result of incomplete digestion of food. Although if the baby is gaining weight well and is not lagging behind in development, there is no need to worry. This problem should resolve itself, without external intervention.

Stool with cystic fibrosis

From birth, a child may have fatty stools. It leaves greasy stains on diapers, lathers itself while washing, spreads a stench into the room, and is difficult to wash and wash off the toilet. This is a manifestation of rare congenital abnormalities of many glands (including the pancreas), called cystic fibrosis. Here you need to be especially careful, because the problem requires consultation and treatment by specialists.

We must not forget that the color of stool in newborn children and the quality of its composition reflect the state of health of the small organism.

Stool in a mixed-fed baby

Mixed feeding and some violations in the organization of nutrition on the part of the parents can make the baby's bowel movements too frequent or, conversely, rare. What stool is considered normal in a child of the first year of life, what is considered a violation and how to treat it?

Doctors consider it normal for a baby to have bowel movements from 1 to 7 times a day. Stool becomes less frequent with age. And with the introduction of complementary foods, it is no longer much different from “adult”. It becomes more rare - 1-2 times a day, formed and with an unpleasant odor. This is all normal.

In general, daily, not too frequent stools of any consistency can be considered normal. A mixed-fed baby's feces can have any color, with the exception of black (this indicates an admixture of blood). Usually the color of the stool reflects what the child has eaten.

If mom carefully examines the diaper, she may find undigested pieces of food there. White lumps are an undigested mixture, a variant of the norm when mixed feeding of newborns and infants is carried out. Yes, sometimes this happens even with exclusive breastfeeding. Pieces of vegetables in the stool are also normal.

You've probably heard about coarse fiber, but vegetables are excreted from the body in this form. And this is only a blessing. Coarse fiber stimulates soft and regular stools.

Constipation in newborns with mixed feeding

If the baby is already eating solid foods, then often this problem lies in an unbalanced diet. For example, if a mother offers her child a large amount of porridge and few vegetables.

Typically, this situation occurs when porridges are given with milk, sweetened, and with sweet fruits. Then the child no longer wants to eat vegetables.

Therefore, modern pediatricians advise introducing vegetables first and not sweetening food for children in their first year of life.

You need to experiment and still “force” the child to eat vegetables. If he doesn’t want to eat your puree, buy ready-made baby food. It's better than nothing. And don’t forget to add up to one teaspoon of vegetable oil to vegetables. It is very healthy and stimulates the intestines.

Be sure to offer more fluids. Plain water from a bottle or spoon. From time to time you can replace it with decoctions of dried fruits. Raisins are especially appreciated in this regard. You can cook compotes without sugar from apples, pears, apricots, plums and other fruits that are well tolerated by the child.

Give your child room to move. This kind of physical activity helps intestinal motility. Often, for their own convenience, parents keep children who already know how to move around a support and crawl, in playpens and cribs. So this not only slows down their development, but also leads to disruption of the regularity of bowel movements.

If the stool remains rare, dense, causing discomfort to the child, drug therapy cannot be avoided. But, of course, not laxatives, which are usually prescribed to adults.

Children are given lactulose syrup (commercial names - “Duphalac”, “Normaze”, etc.). When properly dosed and used regularly, it will provide daily soft stools.

After a few weeks, when the intestines learn to empty themselves in a timely manner, the dosage of syrup is gradually reduced and reduced to nothing.

Liquid stool in a mixed-fed baby

Both constipation is bad and diarrhea. But loose stools are the absolute norm for children who do not receive complementary foods. After all, their food is only liquid. Parents usually have questions if they notice mucus in their child's stool or its color becomes unusual.

So, if green stool appears in a mixed-fed infant, they usually talk about dysbacteriosis and advise taking a coprogram. If the diagnosis is confirmed, medications are prescribed to normalize the intestinal microflora.

Perhaps the child reacts to the mixture this way; it turned out to be an allergen for him. Then it makes sense to change it.

An intestinal infection is said to occur when a child's stool occurs more than 7-8 times a day; it is completely liquid, like water. Among other things, with an intestinal infection, the baby has a stomach ache and an elevated body temperature.

Then what kind of stool is considered normal in mixed-fed newborns? Mushy, usually yellow in color, but may be slightly greenish.

But the main thing is not the color and consistency of the stool, but the child’s well-being. If nothing hurts, he gains weight normally, sleeps well and develops according to his age, there is no reason to worry.

There is no need to pay too much attention to the contents of the diaper.

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Source: https://www.missfit.ru/mammy/stul-u-grudnichka-na-smeshannom-vskarmlivanii/

Metamorphoses of baby digestion

You've probably heard that in the first couple of days after birth, a baby passes thick, dark meconium - "newborn stool" that has no odor.

After this, the first feces appear, more liquid, produced in the process of independent digestion, with the help of the still poor microflora. In the next couple of weeks it may contain:

• White, yellow, dark inclusions.
• Slime.
• Liquid.

On a note! Bowel movements usually occur frequently - up to 6-8 or even more times a day. This is fine.

As the microflora multiplies and new enzymes are produced, feces:

• gradually becomes homogeneous;
• acquires a characteristic yellow color (read the article Yellow stool in a newborn>>>);
• becomes thicker (not hard, dense, but simply thicker than it was in the first weeks after birth);
• The baby poops less often.

This is where many people begin to panic: how, since the baby is on breastfeeding? And when breastfeeding, the baby should not have thick stools!

As you can see, from a certain period it should. And that's okay. This means that the digestive system is now completely ready to absorb breast milk.

It’s just that the maturation times of microflora and enzymes may vary for different children. For those who are weakened, with hypoxia, or birth injuries, these periods will be longer.

Important! A child older than 1 month can walk “at large” either 2–5 times a day or once every 7 days. This is also a physiological norm, provided that the child is calm and does not show anxiety

The fact that a child has thick stools does NOT mean constipation. Rather, it is confirmation that your milk is mostly being absorbed by your baby's body.

Read the useful article Constipation in infants during breastfeeding>>>

Thick feces should alert you in the following cases:

• On palpation, the tummy is tight, hard, and painful.
• The stool is formed, looks like sausages or “goat balls” (even if bowel movements occur daily).
• It contains streaks of blood.
• It has a pungent putrid odor.
• The baby has a fever.
• He is not gaining weight well and is stunted (read about weight gain in newborns by month>>>).
• The baby practically does not pass gas.

Watery stool in a mixed-fed baby

The digestive system of a newborn baby is adapted by nature to digest breast milk.

During lactation, along with mother's milk, the baby receives beneficial bacteria necessary for the formation of proper intestinal microflora.

When formula is introduced into an infant's diet, parents notice that the appearance and frequency of bowel movements change. It is important to understand why loose stool appears in a mixed-fed baby and what to do about it.

Normal stool during mixed feeding

If the baby is fed only by the mother's breast, the frequency of bowel movements in the first month of life ranges from 4 to 12 times a day. The consistency of stool in this case is quite liquid, because breast milk consists of 90% water.

The digestive organs are still poorly formed, the production of enzymes is not established, the food consumed quickly goes through the digestion process and is excreted naturally. Artificial milk formulas contain proteins that are more difficult for a fragile body to digest.

Loose stools or constipation in a newborn with mixed feeding are a common occurrence.

Any changes in the infant’s diet (introduction of complementary foods or replacement of breastfeeding with artificial formula) will result in a change in the appearance of feces. The normal frequency of bowel movements is half that of breastfeeding, from 2 to 6 times a day, and the consistency becomes denser, resembling a thick ointment or paste.

Causes of diarrhea during mixed feeding

The causes of diarrhea in a mixed-fed baby are quite varied and depend on several factors:

1. Unbalanced nutrition of a nursing mother. Remember: everything that a mother eats, her baby also receives with milk. Fatty, fried, smoked foods should be excluded from the menu during breastfeeding.
2. Infant overeating. It's no secret that breastfeeding is a more labor-intensive process than absorbing formula from a bottle. The hole in the nipple has a larger diameter than the breast ducts; through it it is easier and faster to obtain a volume of milk exceeding a single dose. The baby's digestive system is not adapted to large portions, and malfunctions in the absorption of food can often be observed. Don't try to fit your feeding schedule to any specific schedule. Feed your baby on demand, let him get hungry - then you will be sure that the entire volume of milk received earlier has been completely absorbed.
3. Individual intolerance to the mixture. The composition of artificial nutrition may differ from one manufacturer to another. Some ingredients can cause allergic reactions in the baby, manifested by diarrhea.
4. Period of tooth growth. Teething becomes a common cause of diarrhea in infants. The child tries to scratch the itchy gums and puts everything that comes to hand into his mouth. Many objects contain pathogenic bacteria that disrupt the composition of the intestinal microflora. Loose stool lasts 3-5 days and is accompanied by obvious symptoms - restlessness, sudden crying, profuse drooling.
5. Intestinal infections. Pathogenic bacteria, entering the body, begin to actively multiply and release toxins. Green stools appear more frequently, with inclusions of mucus, and the temperature rises. Such conditions require contacting a doctor for qualified help.

Treatment methods for the condition

Diarrhea that occurs in a baby during mixed feeding provokes fluid loss. Methods of providing assistance for such disorders come down to stopping diarrhea and replenishing the water-salt balance of the body:

1. If possible, put the baby to the breast more often - mother's milk can replenish lost fluid, maintains the necessary microflora in the digestive tract, and contains beneficial lactic acid bacteria that suppress the growth of pathogens.
2. Provide your baby with plenty of fluids - boiled water in frequent small doses, as well as pharmaceutical saline solutions (Regidron, Oralit, Glucosolan). In emergency cases, when it is not possible to purchase medications, it is not difficult to make an analogue of a pharmaceutical saline solution at home. To one liter of warm boiled water add 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, one teaspoon each of regular table salt and baking soda, mix thoroughly until the dry ingredients are completely dissolved. Cool the finished solution to a temperature of 37 degrees - this way the product will be absorbed faster.
3. The drug “Smecta” is successfully used to treat diarrhea. It adsorbs and removes toxins from the body, coats the intestinal walls, and reduces irritation of the mucous membrane. Available in powder form, packaged in sachets. The contents of 1-2 sachets are dissolved in any liquid product in a bottle and given in several doses throughout the day.
4. Until a mixed-fed baby stops diarrhea, vegetable complementary foods are excluded from his diet. During this period, it is necessary to balance the diet of the nursing mother and remove all irritating, gas-forming foods from the menu. Frequent changes of milk formula are not recommended - a fragile body does not tolerate new types of food well.
5. Elevated body temperature aggravates dehydration and requires the use of antipyretic drugs. In severe cases, antibiotic therapy is carried out. But remember that not all medications are approved for young children. Only a doctor should prescribe medications and determine dosages!

Source: https://morewomen.ru/info/vodjanistyj-stul-u-grudnichka-na-smeshannom/

Massage and gymnastics as a means of treating constipation

Gymnastic exercises and abdominal massage will help improve the functioning of the digestive tract, strengthen intestinal motility, and speed up the movement of feces. The procedures are carried out during periods when the baby is awake between meals or before feeding. The duration of such gymnastics is no more than 10 minutes. Exercises can be the following:

• placing the baby on his stomach;
• riding a gymnastic ball while lying on your stomach or back;
• swimming in a filled bath;
• performing the “bicycle” exercise;
• alternating stretching of the legs with pressing them to the stomach in a bent position.

A tummy massage involves stroking clockwise around the navel with light pressure. It is useful to alternate such movements with pressing your knees to your stomach.

How to determine the amount of milk depending on weight

Each baby is individual, he has his own height, weight, and health status. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out calculations to understand how much milk he needs. We note right away that the calculations are based on full-term newborns.

For premature babies, the Rommel formula is used: 10 is added to the age in days, which is equal to the volume of milk for every 100 g of the child’s weight.

First 7-10 days

To determine the amount of milk for newborns in the first week and a half of life, the following formulas are used:

• Finkelstein (modification by A.F. Tour);
• N.F. Filatova (modification by G.I. Zaitseva);
• N.L. Shabalova.

The first 2 formulas are used to determine the amount of milk per day.

Finkelstein formula: if the baby’s weight is more than 3 kg 200 g, then the child’s days of life are multiplied by 70. If the weight is more than 3 kg 200 g, then the days of life are multiplied by 80.

N.F. Filatov identified the following formula: select 2% of the child’s weight and multiply by the number of days of his life.

Formula N.L. Shabalova: 3 multiplied by the number of days of life of the baby and multiplied by the baby’s weight in kg. This way you can determine how much a newborn should eat at one feeding.

From 10 days to a year

For children from 10 days to 12 months, the Genbert-Czerny method is used to determine the amount of milk.

The method is that the baby needs milk:

• 10 days – 2 months – 1/5 of the baby’s weight;
• 2-4 months – 1/6 of the weight;
• 4-6 months – 1/7 of the weight;
• 6-9 months – 1/8 of the weight;
• 9-12 months – 1/9 of the weight.

Using the mixture

To avoid constipation in a newborn when artificially feeding, you need to choose the right formula. A consultation with a pediatrician is required, who monitors the baby from the first days of life. A bottle-fed baby needs to be given extra water between feedings and follow a nutritional schedule. It is better to offer a bottle every 3-3.5 hours, but you should not specifically wake up the baby to feed it.

For a newborn, you can choose any artificial formula labeled “1”, “initial milk”. These are the most adapted mixtures that are well digested by the immature digestive system. This diet contains a small amount of protein so as not to overload the kidneys, and also contains all the necessary vitamins (C, D, E, A and others).

The best mixtures for constipation in newborns are foods with beneficial lactic acid bacteria, that is, probiotics that stimulate the child’s body’s defenses. For premature babies, nutrition enriched with LC-PUFA fatty acids is suitable. If regurgitation occurs frequently, your pediatrician will prescribe a formula labeled AR. Typically, this food contains carob extract, rice or potato starch.

It is considered normal if a child has bowel movements 1 to 8 times per day. It is worth sounding the alarm if he cannot do this for more than a day. Constipation causes great discomfort to the baby, and attentive parents will notice that the baby is straining his facial muscles, while blushing, crying and straining.

Many mothers face this problem in the first year of a newborn’s life. The baby's stool becomes dry and hard, or he cannot relieve himself at all. You need to call a pediatrician. A specialist will examine the baby and tell you how to act correctly.

We suggest you read: When and how long can you walk with your newborn after the hospital?

Mixed feeding is carried out after consultation with a pediatrician. Using the mixture should not harm your health; find out if the baby has allergies.

Blend selection

When choosing a formula for feeding, you need to pay attention to its composition. His health depends on how the baby digests it. Main criteria for selection:

• Depending on the age, the baby’s adaptation to formula changes. You need to choose a mixture with age-appropriate adaptation.
• Individuality of the infant's digestive system. What is good for one child may cause constipation and abdominal discomfort in another.
• Lactose digestibility.
• Child's health.

To prevent constipation in a baby, you should correctly calculate the volume of milk and formula:

• up to 30 days of age, give the baby no more than 50 ml of artificial formula;
• up to 2 months – no more than 120 ml;
• up to 6 months – no more than 180 ml;
• over six months of age - up to 230 ml.

After 6 months of age, the child’s diet should include meat and vegetable purees, as well as juices and cereals. Gradually replace the mixture with this diet.

Constipation in a newborn

Any anxiety will be justified if suddenly the newborn’s stool appears in the form or is accompanied by crying as a reaction to the pain from the process of defecation. The reason for this is a violation of the motor capabilities of the gastrointestinal tract. However, you should not panic too much, since more often than not it is enough to increase the flow of fluid for the stool to become normal.

important

It is necessary to solve problems with stool in a newborn under the supervision of pediatricians. They may recommend relieving constipation by massaging the abdomen in a clockwise direction or by laying it on the stomach.

• If this is not enough, after 4 months you can add apple or plum juice to your diet, and after 3 months, prune compote diluted with water is allowed.
• It is recommended to switch a bottle-fed child to fermented milk formulas or add formulas for children suffering from constipation.

In some cases, children's suppositories may be prescribed using glycerin or with cool water at a temperature of 20-22° C:

• For children up to – within 30 ml;
• up to - 30-40 ml;
• 3-6 months - 90 ml;
• 6-12 months -120-180 ml.

However, frequent use of an enema is not advisable.