The sight of a baby's chair can scare even seasoned parents. The fact is that bowel movements in newborns are very different. The color and consistency of stool depends on many factors.
Instructions
Step 1
In newborns, the stool consists of meconium - a viscous mass of a black-greenish tint, reminiscent of grease. Meconium contains amniotic fluid, mucus, and dead cells of the placenta. All this the baby could swallow in the womb. Meconium is odorless, so the diaper should be checked more often on the first day of a baby's life.
Step 2
Already on the second day after birth, the appearance of the baby's chair changes. The feces become thinner, grayish-green. This is a transitional stool, indicating that the baby's intestines are working properly.
Step 3
Normal stool in infants is most often mustard (yellow-green) color. It is watery in consistency, does not smell too harsh. Inexperienced moms may confuse it with diarrhea. But diarrhea has a more pronounced odor and a reddish-brown color.
Step 4
Having a brighter green tinge in your stool is not a cause for alarm. The exception is frothy green stools, which occur with an excess of lactose. In this case, you need to feed the baby longer so that he has time to get to the more fatty hind milk. And also to alternate breasts not with every feeding, but after one or two.
Step 5
Artificial babies most often defecate with a thicker mass of a reddish hue. Also, their feces may be greenish brown. Its smell is slightly harsher than that of the feces of breastfed babies.
Step 6
Children who take supplemental iron often have black, granular stools. This is normal and not a cause for concern. But if black feces have arisen in a child who does not receive iron supplements, you need to go to the clinic to rule out intestinal hemorrhage.
Step 7
The appearance of the baby's stool changes most dramatically after the introduction of complementary foods. This is especially noticeable in children who previously ate exclusively breast milk. The feces acquire a darker, brown tint and a pronounced odor. Sometimes the stool is similar in color to vegetable puree. For example, orange after eating carrot gruel, or reddish after beet puree.
Step 8
Deviations from the norm are expressed in too liquid, similar to yellowish-green or brown water, stool. Or in hard lumps, like pebbles.
Step 9
But the real cause for concern is the presence of blood or mucus in the stool. The first can be fresh - red, or overcooked - black. The second is yellowish, mustard-colored. This picture is the reason for going to the doctor.
