Diarrhea in a breastfed baby

How to determine that liquid stools in a baby have diarrhea?

The normal stool for a breastfed baby is the consistency of liquid sour cream, it is not diarrhea.

How is diarrhea in a breastfed baby different from the norm?

• Frequent and abundant stools, sometimes watery stools with greenery more often than 7-10 times or more.
• Occurrence of blood, mucus or foam in the stool, atypical unpleasant smell.
• Green stools in a breastfed baby, or other color changes;
• The abdomen is bloated, weakness, restlessness, crying when touching the belly or just because, the baby’s legs twitch when crying. This is how colic manifests itself.
• The skin around the baby’s anus is red and inflamed, hot to the touch;
• An increase in body temperature;
• watery spots on the diaper.

List of causes of diarrhea in a breastfed baby:

There are physiological and pathological

Physiological:

• Eating large quantities of a product that the mother did not eat during pregnancy, a kind of violation of the nursing mother’s diet;
• The teething of the baby’s teeth, against a background of calcium deficiency, there is loose stools.

pathological:

• Overheating, the body of the newborn is thermolabile, the body temperature depends on the temperature of the environment;
• Food intolerance or allergies;
• Viral or bacterial intestinal infection;
• Medications the mother takes can affect the baby’s body through the milk;
• Adding foods to the baby’s diet that are not age appropriate.

Manifestation of diarrhea in the infant during breastfeeding is caused by the child’s anxiety, fever, mucous dry, feces with impurities and unpleasant odor — in such cases, it is better to call your pediatrician or an ambulance.

What you can do if your baby has diarrhea:

Often infections of the intestines in the infant, lead to intoxication and dehydration. Therefore, when a breastfed baby has diarrhea — you need to contact your pediatrician right away. It is a threat to both the health and the life of the child.

What to do if it is clear that it is diarrhea in a breastfed baby until the doctor arrives?

• Put the baby to the breast — if the mother is healthy, takes no medications, no errors in the diet;
• spoon-feeding with boiled water;
• buy Rehydration Drink from a pharmacy — a drink for rehydration or restoration of body fluids. You can ask your doctor how to make it yourself;
• give the child an enterosorbent, in consultation with the doctor, such as Smecta or Enterosgel;
• If there is irritation in the area covered by the diaper. — Change the baby more often or keep her «bare bottom», use zinc oxide powder, zinc oxide ointment or Desitin diaper dermatitis cream to protect the skin.

What categorically must not be done:

• give medications for diarrhea in nv, antibiotics and any other pills for diarrhea in nv (except enterosorbents) without consulting your doctor;
• Use a diaper or heating pad to warm the baby’s tummy;
• Introducing new foods or drinks into the diet.

After examining the doctor, agree with him on further tactics for feeding and stool recovery of the child. If the doctor identifies an intestinal infection as the cause of the baby’s diarrhea and suggests hospitalization, by all means agree, the risk of a rapid deterioration is too high.

For children, especially the first year of life, it is better to be under the doctor’s supervision. If the doctor does not see any threatening symptoms, he will give recommendations on how to fix the stool at home.