Green chair in the baby. Norm or cause for concern?

As soon as a woman becomes a mother, she immerses herself in caring for her baby. Carefully she notes every change of the crumbs. The newly mum keeps a close eye on the baby's health , skin and even his chair. In turn, the characteristic features of the stool may change: the color or smell may change, blood or mucus may appear. All this is very troubling mom, and she is trying to find the reasons for such changes.

To begin with, it is necessary to say that assessing the state of feces and on the basis of its appearance to draw any conclusions about the state of health of the newborn can only be on the 6th day of life. This is explained by the fact that in the first 3 days the baby is given meconium, and the next two days there is a transition of the stool from meconium to ordinary feces. Meconium is the initial contents of the intestine of the newborn. It has a dark olive color, which during this period is considered the norm. During the first two or three days, the newborn babies just this original feces: a thicker viscous mass that is odorless and has a dark green, almost black color. On 3-4 days begins to appear a transitional green stool. Its color gradually approaches the brown one. Sometimes you can see curdled lumps of milk. And only after 5 days after the birth of the baby, his chair is made out in a permanent, yellow-brown color.

A green stool in a newborn can be quite normal. For example, along with feces from the baby's body, bilirubin is released, which can cause a greenish hue.

If the newborn baby is breastfed, the color and consistency of the stool may change due to hormones found in breast milk. The content of these hormones constantly fluctuates. This process does not depend on the mother, nor, especially, on the baby, so it can not be controlled.

Also, the baby can have a green stool as a result of the oxidation of the feces. It should also be borne in mind that the liver of a newborn child can not immediately produce all the necessary enzymes. Also, the intestine at the beginning of life is not yet populated with various necessary bacteria.

Even a frothy green stool with small mucous impregnations can be considered the norm, unless it has a sharp odor, and the child is not disturbed by pain. This type of stool can be manifested if the baby is not breastfed correctly, i.e. If the child receives only the upper, sweeter, liquid and less nutritious milk. The lower milk in the breast is more fatty and nutritious, it gives the faeces a golden brown color.

That is why it is necessary to monitor not only the color of the stool, its smell and appearance, but also the general condition of the child. If he sleeps well, does not fuss without reason, does not suffer from colic in the abdomen, does not regurgitate, regularly swings and normally arrives in weight, then there is no reason for excitement. The only thing that my mother must do at the same time is to carefully monitor her nutrition. All that she eats, a child with breast milk will get directly.

In principle, the same can be said about babies who are on artificial feeding. They have a green stool may appear due to the high iron content of the mixture. Parents can just try changing the infant formula. Often the problem disappears.

However, sometimes a green chair in a child becomes a real cause for concern, because Manifests itself as one of the symptoms of a disease or disorder in the body of a baby. The baby begins to be capricious and does not sleep well, becomes irritable and restless. In this case, the green stool may indicate lactase deficiency or the development of dysbacteriosis. In order to determine the exact cause, it is necessary to pay a visit to the doctor.