Why does a baby's stool color change when the formula is changed?

Characteristic features of artificial chairs

In children who are bottle-fed, the stool differs in color, consistency, and regularity of bowel movements. This is due to the fact that the functioning of the intestines changes. Instead of the usual mother's milk, the baby takes an adapted formula every day.

Formula milk is much less digestible by the immature digestive system than breast milk.

Characteristic features of stool in breastfed children:

• Thick and homogeneous feces with yellow and brown tints are usually observed when artificial infants have liquid feces;
• Infants who consume formula milk are susceptible to frequent constipation, as they have bowel movements once every two days, and sometimes less often.

  

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Artificial formulas are far from the composition of breast milk. Therefore, they may not always be suitable for a child’s body.

Why does my baby have green stool?

In order not to make a mistake with the diagnosis, it is important to study all the factors accompanying the pathology in question. There are several indirect circumstances that matter if a child has green stool - the reasons depend on the following conditions:

• stool consistency;
• the presence of inclusions and impurities;
• additional symptoms;
• baby's age.

Baby has green stool with mucus

When the baby feels great with the specified type of bowel movement, is cheerful, cheerful and not capricious, there is no reason to worry. In an infant, green stool with mucus is normal. The digestive system of babies is just beginning to adapt to the external environment and the new way of eating. The intestines are not yet populated by permanent microflora and its composition is adjusted daily by the body. Sometimes this causes the baby to have green stools with some impurities, including a scanty amount of mucus.

If there are a lot of viscous inclusions and the baby cries, the causes of the problem described may be:

• indigestion;
• dysentery;
• Mom has food poisoning.

Green liquid stool in a child

The consistency of children's stool also changes regularly; it depends on several factors:

• nutrition of a nursing woman;
• microflora composition;
• availability of complementary feeding and supplementation;
• mother's hormonal background.

Dark green loose stools in a child indicate a high concentration of iron in his diet. This is due to the large amount of this element in the mother’s mixture or menu. Other reasons:

• feces quickly oxidize when exposed to air;
• teething;
• introduction of leafy vegetables as complementary foods;
• another change in intestinal microflora;
• There are many coloring foods (zucchini, broccoli and cucumbers) in a woman’s diet.

When a child has loose green stools with mucus, but does not have a high temperature, the symptom in question indicates the development of dysbiosis. This condition is not considered a disease or pathology, especially in infancy. The biocenosis on the intestinal mucosa is gradually normalized. While the baby is getting used to external conditions, the microflora is often out of balance.

Baby's hard green stool

Constipation rarely occurs in breastfed babies; this problem is more common in children fed industrial formulas. If parents notice green stool in their child along with a change in its consistency, the likely cause is inappropriate food. You need to carefully study the composition of the mixture, consult with your pediatrician and change it.

Hard green stools are often observed after antibiotics - the child’s intestinal microflora changes in response to the action of antimicrobial drugs, even if they were not taken by the baby himself, but by the mother feeding him. A similar reaction occurs when using other medications:

• antifungal;
• hormonal;
• anti-inflammatory;
• knitting.

Black-green stool in a child

This variation in the color and consistency of feces is typical for newborn babies. Sticky, dark green stool in a newborn baby is called meconium. It consists of digested remains of the baby’s vital activity in the mother’s womb - epithelial cells, hair, amniotic fluid, bile and other biological waste. Meconium will quickly be replaced by the usual unformed feces.

Baby has yellow-green stools

This shade of stool also refers to normal variants; doctors sometimes call it transitional feces. When all the meconium has passed, the baby will pass green stool with yellow spots. It has an unpleasant sourish smell and the consistency of mush. This indicates the beginning of stabilization of the intestinal microflora and the baby’s adaptation to breast milk.

Other reasons why a newborn baby has green stool with a yellowish tint:

• malnutrition;
• the predominance of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet of a nursing mother;
• changes in a woman’s hormonal levels;
• increased production of bilirubin by the liver.

Green foamy stool in a child

The appearance of bubbles in the contents of the diaper is alarming, but this is not a reason to panic. Slightly foaming green stool in a baby is a sign of incorrect breastfeeding. The milk that accumulates in the front of the breast is watery and thin. It is intended primarily to quench thirst and cause a feeling of fullness. Hind milk is fattier and viscous, rich in nutrients.

If the mother weans the baby from the breast before he stops sucking, or often changes sides, the baby receives only watery biological fluid. This provokes green stool in the child; hindmilk gives the normal brown-yellow color to feces. When there is not enough of it, children not only develop foamy stools, but also slowly gain weight.

Another cause of this pathology may be a rare diagnosis - lactase deficiency. It exists in acquired and innate forms. This disorder is associated with a deficiency or absence of an enzyme that is involved in the breakdown of milk sugar. Sometimes it indicates serious problems in the functioning of the pancreas.

Green stool with blood in a child

Red and pink spots in your baby's stool are also considered a variation of normal feces. The intestinal mucosa is penetrated by thin and still fragile capillaries, which easily burst when straining or passing gas, especially if the baby suffers from flatulence. This explains why an infant has green stools with sparse and small streaks of blood.

If the inclusions described are numerous and voluminous, the baby may have more severe illnesses. Bleeding is caused by:

• infections;
• internal intestinal damage;
• genetic abnormalities of the digestive system;
• acute inflammation.

Vomiting and green stool in a child

It is important for young parents to distinguish typical regurgitation in infants from the pathological release of stomach contents. The first option is the norm, especially up to six months. Green stool and vomiting are obvious symptoms of an intestinal infection, which can be caused by:

• bacteria;
• pathogenic fungi;
• viruses;
• parasites.

Temperature and green stool in a child

Fever and heat are extremely dangerous signs that accompany inflammatory processes in the body. If a baby has green stool and fever, the cause is often severe poisoning. Toxins come not only from food, poison can enter the baby’s bloodstream through the air, mother’s milk, or through low-quality cosmetics applied to the skin.

Green stool in a child in combination with a high temperature indicates other problems:

• intestinal infections;
• virus infection;
• parasitic infestations;
• inflammation of the digestive tract.

When is green stool in an artificial baby considered normal?

There is a certain period when the dark green stool of a baby with a dark tint should not cause concern. This is a natural process that lasts approximately five days after birth. The body is thus freed from amniotic fluid, epithelial tissue and other things. Gradually, the color of the baby’s stool changes:

• white undigested particles of the mixture are found in the stool;
• The color of the stool first becomes yellow-green, then changes to yellow or mustard.

  

However, there are times when the color of the baby's stool remains green. If there is mucus in it, then this indicates that the digestive system is not fully formed. And in order for food to be properly digested, it lacks certain enzymes and beneficial bacteria. Green feces in a formula-fed baby may be the body’s reaction to a product consumed with a high iron content or a side effect from taking medications (for example, antibiotics).

Causes

The appearance of a green color in a baby's stool can be due to several reasons. They can be both normal and pathological. Most often, the appearance of such stool is the body’s reaction to a change in the baby’s diet.

The appearance of an unusual color may be due to the introduction of different complementary foods . A child’s body cannot always cope with the processing of new elements. In addition, in some cases, the child may experience intolerance to certain foods.

Also, such changes in stool may be associated with the composition of the breast milk substitute. For bottle-fed children, adapted milk formulas are used. Their general composition is selected based on medical recommendations. Such products include a set of elements necessary for a child in certain proportions and standards.

However, the compositions of mixtures from different manufacturers are not completely identical. Contents of some items may vary. In this regard, not every breast milk substitute may suit the baby equally well.

In addition, the composition of the formula usually varies depending on the age of the child. In this case, the average indicators of the development of the baby’s gastrointestinal tract are taken as guidelines. However, each organism is individual and slight deviations in the timing of development may be observed.

In this regard, for some babies whose age is already suitable for a formula of a higher level, it, nevertheless, may not be suitable in its composition. This situation can also occur with the introduction of complementary foods. Thus, the main reason for the appearance of a green tint in the stool of an “artificial” baby is feeding with an inappropriate mixture.

Also, children who are on mixed feeding are most susceptible to the appearance of such stool. It is quite difficult for a child’s body to adapt from one composition to another. Based on the above, green stool is quite common and due to natural causes.

However, not all reasons for changes in a child’s stool are so harmless. Some of them are pathological in nature and require additional research and appropriate treatment. Among them are viral infections and dysbacteriosis.

Symptoms of an unhealthy baby

If a child has green bowel movements, but is active, feels great, has a good appetite and sleeps healthy, then there is no need to worry or worry too much. But if green stool is accompanied by symptoms that are not typical for a healthy child, then this is a reason to think about his condition and visit a pediatrician as soon as possible:

• a rash appears on the baby’s body, which can be in one area or spread throughout the body;
• crying for no reason, restless sleep;
• nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain (the child constantly presses his legs to his stomach);

  

• vomits for a long time after eating food;
• feces are foamy, have a pungent odor and a liquid consistency;
• stool with black or red spots.

An unpleasant smell of stool may indicate an internal inflammatory process, and blood impurities may indicate internal bleeding. In any case, if a child has at least one symptom, it is necessary to contact a pediatrician.

What to look for in green stools

If the color of stool is unnatural, parents should be alert to such manifestations of disturbances in the child’s gastrointestinal tract as lethargy, restless behavior, refusal to eat and increased body temperature. In addition, it is important to observe changes in the color and consistency of the excrement. Signs of a dangerous condition are:

• increased frequency of bowel movements over 10-12 times a day;
• frequent and profuse regurgitation;
• green feces with an unpleasant putrid odor;
• stool with mucous and bloody impurities;
• liquid consistency;
• false urge to defecate.

All these symptoms may indicate pathological processes in the newborn’s body. This condition requires contacting a pediatrician to determine the clinical picture.

Serious causes of green stool

The appearance of green stool in a baby can pose a great threat to his health and indicate the presence of a number of pathological changes in the body:

• dysbacteriosis;
• fungal infections, rotaviruses, enteroviruses;
• congenital disorders of the digestive system;
• weakened immune system;
• lactose deficiency;
• allergic reaction to the mixture or its individual components;
• enterocolitis.

After analyzing the presence of symptoms in a child, you should immediately decide on his treatment. However, only a pediatrician can prescribe adequate and effective therapy.

What should parents do?

The smartest decision for every parent would be to go to the doctor. If a child has a fever and severe diarrhea, then urgently call an ambulance, which will take you and the baby to a specialized medical facility.

You should not refuse hospitalization. In the hospital, the child will be provided with qualified first aid and tests will be taken to determine the cause of the severe symptoms.

In the absence of fever and pronounced symptoms, the child should be shown to a pediatrician.

The specialist will order the necessary tests, which will give a complete picture of his health:

Thanks to diagnosis, the doctor will be able to prescribe effective treatment for the baby.

Often, to normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, infants are prescribed dietary supplements (biological food additives) with probiotics and prebiotics (Linox, Acipol, Lactobacterin), which favor the proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the body.

How to treat a child?

All measures that the doctor will take depend on the test results:

1. If the cause of the child’s poor health is an unsuitable formula for feeding, then replacing it will solve the problem. Today, the market for mixtures is replete with a variety of prices and quality. Therefore, choosing the best option for your child will not be difficult.

   

2. Problems with stool caused by the use of medication can be successfully resolved by stopping the medication. For example, antibiotics destroy the intestinal microflora, which is why, after finishing taking them, you should take a course of probiotics.

   

3. The doctor will treat the identified infectious, viral or bacterial disease on an individual basis. Based on the test results, the pediatrician will prescribe effective treatment for the small patient.

The child’s nutrition is of great importance in this matter. It is advisable to transfer him to at least mixed feeding, if possible.

The baby should be fed frequently (every 2-3 hours), but the portions should be small, and do not forget to give plenty of fluids to drink.

Newborn's first stool

First of all, it should be said that it is possible to assess the condition of a child’s stool only after the 5th day of life, since before this time he excretes meconium, and then transitional stool.

Meconium is the name given to the contents of a newborn's intestines, and it is dark olive in color - this is the norm. During the first two days, the baby poops original feces - a thick, viscous, odorless mass of dark green color, close to black. Don’t worry, transitional stool appears on the third day. It also has a green tint, but is closer in color to brown. Lumps of curdled milk are often visible.

And only after the 5th day of a newborn’s life, the stool begins to take shape as permanent. In general, greenish-brown feces in a newborn are observed up to 5-10 days.