Until six months, infants almost always experience loose, unformed stools. This is a normal physiological process; healthy stools should be mushy and light yellow in color, sometimes with white patches. But what to do when a mother begins to suspect that her baby has diarrhea?

When should a mother be wary?

The baby has breastfeeding there may be stool after each feeding or four to five times a day, a slight appearance of mucus or greenery also does not indicate illness. The baby feels well, the weight remains normal, the appetite is preserved, this means that the breastfed newborn is healthy. No diarrhea, no treatment required!

The reasons for changes in stool consistency can be different; if a baby is breastfed, then it is completely dependent on the mother’s diet, so any changes in maternal nutrition will affect the baby’s bowel movements.

You should start to worry if:

• stool changes color and consistency;
• the smell of the stool becomes putrid;
• defecation is more intense and abundant;
• a large amount of mucus appears;
• the newborn begins to be capricious.

Any deviations from the norm require careful attention; not all symptoms may indicate the onset of a disease, but the possibility that the baby has become ill cannot be ruled out.

Only a pediatrician can know all the signs of incipient diarrhea. Only he can distinguish diarrhea from the baby’s normal physiological stool with 100% probability.

Causes of diarrhea in a baby

A newborn's stool depends on many factors; at the age of several months, bowel movements can occur up to 6 times a day, especially if the baby is breastfed. In the process of growing up, the introduction of complementary foods, bowel movements become less frequent, and with a complete transition to artificial nutrition, bowel movements occurring once a day are considered the norm.

These phenomena do not pose any danger, as the baby’s body adapts to external influences, and there is no need to do anything about it.

If there are no associated factors, and the child begins to defecate watery masses, this symptom indicates the onset of diarrhea.

When diarrhea begins, it is necessary to take immediate action; the danger of this condition is dehydration of the newborn. Constant loss of fluid leads to deficiency useful microelements, loss of electrolytes and can lead to seizures.

There are many reasons for diarrhea in infants:

When diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting, body temperature rises above 38 degrees, colic appears, these are symptoms of the presence of infection in the body.

The appearance of foam in the stool is a dangerous sign; the baby lacks useful microelements; this can occur due to improper use of antibiotics.

E. coli contributes to an increase in temperature, constant bowel movements, watery stools, vomiting, and the newborn’s abdomen swells and becomes hard to the touch.

Blood in the stool indicates the appearance of infectious bacteria in the intestines; such symptoms can indicate very dangerous diseases, dysentery and salmonellosis.

Dangerous manifestations of intestinal disorder

In an infant, even minor changes in condition are manifested in changes in stool, ranging from reduced immunity to a reaction to the introduction of a new one during feeding. Diarrhea can also begin due to nervous disorders and teething.

The danger lies in the fact that disruption of the gastric microflora during diarrhea leads to the rejection of beneficial substances by the newborn’s body.

Whatever the reason for loose stools, it is necessary to intensively replenish the loss of fluid in the body of children, and treatment of the infant should be started as soon as possible.

Teething

Diarrhea can occur during teething in children, and an increase in temperature is also a concomitant phenomenon.

This is a rather painful process, but it does not pose a danger to babies. In many children under one year of age, when teething, diarrhea begins and the temperature rises; a feverish state may appear; the symptoms that appear must be treated.

This is due to the fact that when teething occurs, the baby’s immunity is greatly reduced. The child is worried, he is uncomfortable, everything that comes to hand goes into his mouth. It is no wonder that any pathogenic bacteria easily enters the body.

Also, when teething, babies under one year old experience abundant salivation, which also leads to more frequent and loose stools.

Specific treatment in in this case not required:

• try to alleviate the baby’s condition with the help of special cooling gels;
• replenish fluid lost by the body to avoid dehydration;
• try to limit visits to crowded places so that another infection does not occur.

You can check whether frequent bowel movements and elevated temperature are associated with the appearance of teeth by looking at the condition of the baby’s gums. Even before the first teeth appear, the gums swell and a lump appears - this is a completely normal factor, there is no reason for concern.

Usually, when teething, diarrhea does not last long. The body adapts within a few days.

If this problem persists for a longer period of time, you see that the baby is getting worse, there is no positive dynamics, consult a doctor immediately. Perhaps the baby needs to be treated in a hospital setting.

There is a tendency to attribute any ailment in a child under one year of age during teething to these physiological changes in the body. This should not be done under any circumstances; it is better to play it safe and show the baby to a pediatrician.

Food intolerance

If there is a deficiency of enzymes, a child under one year of age cannot quickly adapt to any introduction of new complementary foods, the digestive function of the body is impaired, and the absorption of beneficial elements by the walls of the stomach is impaired.

Malabsorption (enzyme deficiency) is a congenital pathology, occurs in three types:

1. lactose intolerance, poor digestion of dairy products by the stomach;
2. celiac disease, damage to the intestinal walls by gluten, cereal intolerance;
3. cystic fibrosis, a dangerous, incurable disease, expressed in the disruption of the functioning of chlorine ions; during the disease, the secretions of all body systems thicken.

Lactose intolerance is most common in infants; in order to alleviate the condition of a breastfed baby, the mother should exclude dairy products from her diet.

Gluten intolerance requires the refusal of cereal products in the complementary feeding of a child of one year - semolina porridge, soy, any products made from wheat flour.

Cystic fibrosis requires constant medical monitoring, so regular diets will not play a role here.

Before you do anything you need to do medical examination, get tested, only then will the real cause of diarrhea become clear.

Infection with intestinal infections

The baby is especially susceptible to harmful microbes, such as E. coli, dysentery, salmonella, and typhoid bacilli.

Intestinal infections often occur in children under one year of age, this is very dangerous, the disease can interfere with normal development important functions and have consequences for the development of the entire organism.

Signs of intestinal infections are:

• constant vomiting;
• diarrhea;
• temperature increase;
• the skin changes its natural color, the child becomes pale;
• gas formation increases;
• the baby refuses to eat.

With such symptoms, urgent hospitalization is required; small children find it difficult to tolerate infectious diseases without professional intervention; treatment at home is impossible.

To urgently alleviate the baby’s condition and prevent negative consequences, before the doctor arrives, you should take medications like , it will reduce the effect of pathogenic bacteria, help the baby’s body fight infection and replenish the water-salt balance in the body.

Intestinal upset due to antibiotic use

If treatment with antibiotics was carried out before the appearance of loose stools, then diarrhea in the baby is a natural reaction to the medication.

When taking antibiotics, even an adult needs to adjust digestive system, in young children everything happens much more seriously.

When taking antibiotics, not only harmful bacteria are destroyed, beneficial elements can also be destroyed, therefore, when taking antibiotics, specialists always prescribe accompanying medications that normalize the intestinal microflora -,.

There is nothing wrong with a reaction to antibiotics; you just need to normalize the intestinal microflora and give the baby plenty of water to prevent dehydration.

Diseases of various anamnesis

Children under the age of one year do not have stable immunity, so all diseases entail intestinal disorders, this can be a cold, bronchitis and even otitis media. Any dysfunction in a baby is first expressed in changes in feces.

Abnormal bowel movements can cause overheating, hypothermia, fatigue or nervous shock. Therefore, examination and consultation with a specialist is required to find out the real causes of the disease.

All parents can do is treat the baby for dehydration; drinking plenty of fluids with added electrolytes will help avoid depletion.

Dysbacteriosis

Intestinal dysbiosis is a deficiency of beneficial bacteria that contribute to the digestion of food, a microbial imbalance. Dysbiosis itself is not a disease, it is only a concomitant factor; in fact, dysbiosis is a violation of the normal function of the stomach - diarrhea.

It is easy to treat children with special medications that replace the necessary enzymes for the digestive reaction, as well as medications that promote the development of beneficial microflora.

To prevent possible poisoning, the newborn is prescribed enterosorbents, activated carbon, Enterol, Smecta. These drugs normalize the intestinal microflora and suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria.

Pediatrician Komarovsky says that for a breastfed baby, the best medicine is mother's milk; it itself is nutrition, a drug for simulating the immune system and a microflora stabilizer.

It is especially important for a nursing mother to follow a diet so that irritating substances do not penetrate through the milk into the baby’s body.

The absence of fever is a positive factor, which means that pathogenic bacteria are not present, and diarrhea is caused by a reaction to normal physiological processes during teething or a change in diet.

Dr. Komarovsky advises not to panic in such cases, but to urgently take measures to restore the water-salt balance in the body.

In the intestines of children, like adults, special mucus is produced; this mucus performs a protective function, preventing the negative effects of pathogenic microorganisms and toxins, which are found in sufficient quantities in the surrounding atmosphere.

Any viruses that enter the body destroy the process of formation of beneficial mucus by cells; the destruction of mucus leads to the formation of unprotected areas in the intestinal wall, and toxic substances released by harmful bacteria enter these unprotected areas.

When the walls of the stomach are irritated by toxins, production begins large quantity liquid, this is how the inflammatory process begins, which is the cause of prolonged diarrhea.

First health care- This is the restoration of the gastric mucosa.

A young mother has many questions about the health of her newborn baby, and she often faces the problem of diarrhea while breastfeeding.

A newborn has a consultation with a pediatrician
Diarrhea in the intestines Great happiness
during childbirth

Young women are interested in how to distinguish diarrhea from normal stool, how it can be dangerous, and how to treat this condition.

Reasons for the development of the disease

Sometimes the cause of diarrhea is intolerance to certain food components

Let's look at why diarrhea occurs in a small child:

• mother's poor diet;
• intolerance to some components of breast milk;
• feeding the baby with the wrong formula;
• improper introduction of complementary foods;
• pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract;
• various infections.

Another cause of diarrhea in one month old baby During breastfeeding, improper feeding can occur, when the baby sucks only the “front” milk, but does not receive the “hind” milk, which is fattier and more nutritious.

A pediatrician will be able to identify the cause of diarrhea and, if necessary, prescribe appropriate treatment.

First of all, a new mother needs to learn to recognize diarrhea in a baby and know its signs.

1. Chair at healthy child It has yellow, mushy or even liquid consistency.
2. Your baby may have a bowel movement after each feeding - this is completely normal.

All this makes it difficult for an inexperienced woman to identify the problem; she often tries to understand whether a newborn has diarrhea from a photo or the advice of other mothers.

To determine that your baby has problems, you need to carefully monitor his behavior. Diarrhea is usually accompanied by:

• bloating;
• change in stool color;
• significant increase in bowel movements;
• restless behavior;
• cry;
• rising temperatures are a definite cause for concern.

For proper treatment it is necessary to find out the cause of intolerance

Reasons for a nursing mother

Such a delicate problem as diarrhea and indigestion during breastfeeding can also occur in a young mother. This condition can be caused.

1. Food poisoning. It is usually accompanied by vomiting, weakness, and fever.
2. Irritable bowel syndrome occurs in breastfeeding women. This disease occurs against a background of frequent stress and anxiety. Treated with sedatives. In this case, diarrhea is not accompanied by vomiting and stomach pain, and also does not appear during night sleep.
3. If pathogenic bacteria enter the mother’s body, for example, with unwashed fruits, vegetables or poor-quality water, she may become infected with an intestinal infection. In this case, you will need drugs that restore the intestinal microflora. The infection is not transmitted through milk, so there is no need to stop feeding. The main thing is to follow the rules of hygiene, do not forget to wash your hands before contacting the child.
4. Diarrhea can be caused by a food allergy; in such cases, it is enough to exclude the allergenic product from the diet.
   It is important to know that diarrhea that occurs in a nursing mother rarely harms the baby, but is dangerous for the woman herself. It can lead to dehydration, exhaustion and other more serious problems requiring hospitalization and intensive treatment.

A remedy for diarrhea during lactation should be prescribed by a doctor. He will select medications that will help the woman and not harm the baby.

Methods of treating the disease

For proper treatment of diarrhea, it is necessary to consult a pediatrician. It is especially important to immediately consult a doctor if we are talking about a child in the first month of life, because in this case the disease develops rapidly and can very quickly lead to a critical condition of the newborn.

1. Only a doctor can confidently identify the cause of diarrhea and prescribe the appropriate medicine for diarrhea for the baby.
2. You should not give any medications before the specialist arrives; you just need to supplement the child with water.
3. After examining the baby, the doctor may prescribe urine, blood, stool tests and bacteriological examination.
4. Based on the test results, the pediatrician will select the optimal treatment method and tell you what can be given for diarrhea while breastfeeding.
5. He may recommend drugs to restore intestinal microflora, antiviral, antibacterial agents or sorbents, for example, activated carbon or smecta.

Consultation with a pediatrician is required to prescribe treatment.

Application folk recipes

In some cases, parents prefer to treat diarrhea in a newborn baby while breastfeeding folk ways. To avoid serious consequences, any folk recipes should be used only in consultation with a doctor.

The most common ways to combat diarrhea are as follows.

1. Linden tea: 1 teaspoon several times a day.
2. Rice water: give every two hours instead of drinking.
3. Give your baby a compote of dried fruits.
4. Give a light pink solution of potassium permanganate in the morning and before bed (1-2 crystals per liter of water).

Decoctions of some herbs are also good for strengthening stool. For prolonged diarrhea, you can give your child a decoction of aspenberry:

• take 1 tablespoon of oslinnik, 300 ml of water;
• to boil water;
• pour boiled water over the grass;
• cook the mixture over low heat for about 3 minutes;
• strain;
• cool.

Application.

1. Course duration – 3 days.

Another fast-acting remedy for diarrhea in a breastfeeding baby is a decoction of oak bark:

• take 1 tablespoon of oak bark, 200 ml of water;
• to boil water;
• pour boiling water over the bark;
• cook for half an hour in a water bath;
• let it brew under the lid for about an hour;
• strain;
• bring to original volume.

Application.

1. Give the baby 1 teaspoon 3 times a day.
2. Course duration – 3 days.

The phenomenon is common, there are many reasons for it, and they are not always due to health problems

The danger of this disease during lactation.

1. Diarrhea in a breastfed baby very quickly leads to loss of moisture. Dehydration is the main danger of this condition. Its signs are dry skin, crying without tears, weakening of the cry, sunken eyes and fontanel.
2. If diarrhea occurs, you should immediately call a doctor, and before his arrival, put the baby to the breast more often or supplement with water.
3. In severe cases, dehydration can be fatal.
4. Loss of moisture from diarrhea can also lead to kidney failure, an extremely dangerous condition.
5. You should definitely consult your pediatrician if there is blood in your baby's stool. This symptom may indicate a serious medical condition, such as volvulus, polyps, or ulceration of the stomach or intestines. If there is blood, you should call a doctor immediately!
6. Diarrhea can be a symptom of a disease such as staphylococcal infection of the gastrointestinal tract. In this case, it is accompanied by abdominal pain, colic, and frequent vomiting. The stool is watery, mixed with mucus. Staphylococcal diarrhea in an infant can be recognized from the photo below.
7. Diarrhea in a newborn, according to O.E. Komarovsky, may indicate a congenital pathology of the digestive organs, which requires surgical intervention. Such pathologies cannot be treated with traditional methods and medications, and only a doctor can identify them.

Diarrhea that occurs during breastfeeding in a baby is an alarming symptom that signals problems in the body. Before giving it to your baby medicines, you need to make sure that there is a pathological process, because the signs of diarrhea in children are similar to ordinary loose stools. Today we will talk about the signs and causes of diarrhea in infants, we will tell you how to identify the disease, and what to do to help your baby as quickly as possible.

Features of stool in infants

Folk remedies

If your breastfed baby has diarrhea, you can try folk remedies treatment, but after consultation with a doctor. Lingonberry berries and leaves occupy a special place in the collection of folk recipes. A handful of leaves is poured into a glass of boiling water, after which the composition must be infused and, after cooling, given to the baby a teaspoon every 60 minutes.

If lingonberries are used, they are mashed to release the juice, then the resulting amount is diluted with water and the baby is also given 5 ml once an hour. Pomegranate peel has a good effect against diarrhea - it is dried, crushed in a mortar and poured with 250 ml of boiling water. Then boil for a quarter of an hour and filter, before each feeding the baby is given a teaspoon of the product to drink.

Mother's diet for baby's diarrhea

During the treatment of diarrhea in a child, the mother must follow the principles of a hypoallergenic diet - give up citrus fruits, cow and chicken protein, cereals with a lot of gluten, sweets and soda. You should not give up breastfeeding, even if the doctor suggests that the baby’s diarrhea is caused by pathogenic flora in breast milk. This problem is easily eliminated by the introduction of bacteriophage drugs and probiotics.

Features of complementary feeding for diarrhea

Children should not fast during illness, unlike adults, whom doctors advise not to eat during the first 24 hours from the onset of diarrhea. It is imperative to restore feeding - offer infants the breast at every opportunity, even if the break between feedings is 20-30 minutes. In between breastfeedings, the baby is given a rehydration solution.

Artificial babies need complementary feeding already 6 hours after the first dose of rehydrant; during the first day, the mixture is diluted with boiled water 1:3 or 1:2, the usual diet is restored only after 48-72 hours. In case of mild diarrhea in a baby older than 6 months, the feeding regimen is not changed, rehydrants are not used - you can feed the baby with water and dried fruit compote.

Signs and treatment of dehydration in an infant with diarrhea

Dehydration with diarrhea in a child is a dangerous condition that requires immediate medical intervention; it occurs when fluid is washed out and its reserves in the body are insufficiently replenished. Dehydration can be recognized by the following symptoms:

• darkening of urine and its discharge less frequently than once every 6-8 hours;
• signs of weight loss;
• bluish skin, peeling, appearance of dark circles around the eyes;
• drowsiness, lethargy;
• retraction of the fontanel.

When water-salt metabolism is sharply disrupted in a child’s body, a decrease in protective forces occurs, and irreversible changes are noted in the hematopoietic and nervous systems. It is necessary to give your baby liquid on your own to replenish water reserves and restore vitality. The algorithm of actions is as follows:

• breastfeeding on demand, if diarrhea is not caused by a food allergy to breast milk or overfeeding;
• unsoldering the child saline solutions(listed above) and boiled water;
• use granulated baby teas, rice water and clean water after each bowel movement - this will replenish the volume of fluid.

Remember! Signs of dehydration require immediate treatment measures, since the condition of infants with diarrhea quickly becomes severe. Sometimes the count is not in hours, but in minutes.

Diarrhea in a child is not a joke problem that requires timely diagnosis and proper treatment. Parents who know the differences between liquefied and pathological stools will be able to seek help from a doctor in time and independently provide first aid to the baby. The development of diarrhea in newborns is dangerous - the disease causes dehydration and intoxication of the body, therefore, if there are symptoms of water-electrolyte imbalance and an intestinal infection, hospitalization should not be delayed.

Moms are always concerned if their baby has diarrhea (diarrhea), no matter how old the baby is - a month or a year. Diarrhea is different from diarrhea, and in each specific case the actions of parents should be different. For example, care for diarrhea after antibiotics is different from that for an intestinal infection. First you need to understand the etiology of the disease.

It should also be taken into account that in infants up to about 6 months, while he is exclusively on natural feeding, stool with the consistency of “liquid mush.” Its color is yellow, without pathological impurities. A small amount of white speckling is acceptable and is normal.

What to do if you have diarrhea, what medications to take - only a doctor who understands diseases that occur with diarrhea will tell you. But parents should know the most common causes and complications of diarrhea in infants.

• dysbacteriosis;
• intestinal infection;
• errors in diet;
• food intolerance;
• acute surgical pathology;
• “physiological” diarrhea during teething;
• diarrhea in a newborn (in children under 1 month).

Dysbacteriosis

Dysbacteriosis – common reason the occurrence of diarrhea in children. Diarrhea occurs after antibiotics. The consistency of the stool varies.

Treatment of diarrhea due to dysbacteriosis involves the use of prebiotics and probiotics in age-specific dosages. The pediatrician will tell you what medications to give the baby.

Intestinal infection

With an infection caused by viruses or bacteria, infants may have other symptoms in addition to loose stools: abdominal pain, vomiting, fever. With different pathogens, symptoms are expressed differently. The nature of diarrhea varies, depending on which parts of the gastrointestinal tract are inflamed. OCI is especially difficult when the child is a month old or less.

With inflammation of the small intestine (shigellosis), diarrhea is profuse, mixed with greens, mucus, and blood. There may be a false call to defecate (tenesmus). With gastroenteritis (rotavirus infection), the stool is watery Green colour, vomiting, there may be a fever. If the diarrhea is foamy, then the child may have staphylococcal enterocolitis.

The most dangerous complication OKI is dehydration. Signs of dehydration: dry skin and mucous membranes, decreased elasticity skin, decreased amount and darkening of urine, loss of body weight. In a newborn and a child up to one year old, a large fontanel may become sunken.

To determine the causative agent of the infection and then treat etiologically, you need to take flora tests. Based on the test results, an antimicrobial drug is selected. To treat dehydration syndrome, you need to give your child more fluids.

Errors in diet

An error in the diet can cause diarrhea in a baby in two cases: when the diet is violated by the mother or the child.

In the first case, the appearance of diarrhea is facilitated by the nursing mother’s consumption of foods that cause loose stool (cucumbers, beets, pears, apples, etc.)

When these products are introduced into the infant's complementary foods, the nature of the stool changes. So that there is no side effect» from the introduction of complementary foods, you need to be very careful about it. After all, over time there is a risk of developing dehydration syndrome.

There is no need to start feeding infants everything at once on the same day. First, the baby needs to get used to one food, after 1-2 weeks you can try another.

The mother should also monitor her diet when the baby is breastfed: if you eat new foods that are unfamiliar to the baby, then carefully monitor his reaction.

Food intolerance

Here, the children’s body’s congenital intolerance to a certain substance plays a role. It all happens due to a hostile pathology, such as enzyme deficiency, which causes disruption of the digestion and absorption processes in the intestines. In medicine, the process is called malabsorption syndrome.

The most common are 3 types of syndrome.

• Lactase deficiency (milk lactose intolerance) - manifests itself in babies from the 1st day of life who are breast-fed (or bottle-fed, receiving whole milk) with diarrhea with foam, greens, and a sour smell. Then colic and vomiting follow. The disease progresses severely with dehydration and toxicosis syndromes.

With timely diagnosis and transfer to artificial feeding With the lactose-free mixture, the children’s condition returns to normal within a month.

• Celiac disease is a disease in which the mucous membrane of the small intestine is damaged by gluten (a protein from cereals - wheat, oats, rye, barley).

The clinical picture begins to appear 1–4 months after the introduction of gluten-containing products into the diet.

Foamy, greasy, profuse and foul-smelling diarrhea appears. Abdominal circumference increases, deficiency states develop: malnutrition (pictured appearance child with celiac disease).

After switching to gluten-free products, the condition completely normalizes within a year.

• Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disease in children with impaired transport of chlorine ions, manifested by thickening of the secretions of the respiratory, digestive, and genitourinary systems.

From the gastrointestinal tract, the disease manifests itself at 2–3 weeks of life with copious, viscous, shiny (due to undigested fat) stool with a frequency exceeding the norm by 2–8 times, with a fetid odor.

Help with diarrhea includes reducing the amount of fat in the diet, enzyme therapy, and vitamins.

Acute surgical pathology

Pathology accompanied by diarrhea always poses a great threat to the life of a child, especially a newborn. The group includes 4 diseases that occur in infancy: intestinal obstruction (intussusception, volvulus), acute appendicitis, peritonitis.

In addition to diarrhea, during surgical conditions, abdominal pain (constant or periodic), vomiting, and fever are disturbing. Treatment of pathology is only surgical. Treat medications, folk remedies are simply unacceptable.

Teething

A completely different treatment tactic for diarrhea during teething in infancy. It begins approximately after 6 months of age. Some people may have it earlier – at 4 or even 3 months.

The stool is copious and liquid. If it contains foam, blood or mucus, or there is heat and vomiting, then an infection joined.

Treatment of infants with teething diarrhea involves drinking plenty of fluids.

Diarrhea in newborns

The first month of a child’s life is a time of adaptation. A newborn's organs are not yet fully formed. This means that the functioning is “imperfect”. Any “wrong” external influence in the first month leads to disruption.

What causes diarrhea in a newborn? When breastfeeding, when the mother constantly changes breasts (which cannot be done), the baby receives only foremilk (more liquid and rich in lactose). This leads to colic loose stools with foam. The color of the chair looks like “swamp mud”. Sometimes there is vomiting.

What to do? Sometimes the child is treated with drugs that restore microflora and enzymes, because diarrhea looks like dysbacteriosis. And no treatment is required - you just need to adjust your diet.

Taking care of the health of your baby is the direct responsibility of every parent. Therefore, at the slightest ailment, young mothers and fathers become truly horrified, because they do not know how to correctly approach the solution to the problem. Diarrhea in infants is a very common phenomenon and occurs quite often. How to deal with it? Is it normal or a symptom of a serious illness? How to determine the root cause? There are a lot of questions. And the correct answer to most of them can be given by a good pediatrician, whom you should contact at the first signs of illness. Sometimes, parents may mistake an ordinary normal bowel movement for diarrhea in a baby. But, in this case, it is better to play it safe and consult with a specialist than to risk the health of your baby.

Few parents ask the question: “What does diarrhea look like in a baby?”, since they know its appearance very well. Liquid, with impurities, a large proportion of water, sometimes interspersed and quite frequent. The usual mushy consistency undergoes visible changes. Sometimes the color varies from bright yellow to green or even black. Diarrhea in infants varies. But the main thing is that it is not the result of pathogenic changes. If called ambulance, then it would be a good idea to save one of the diapers for a more detailed acquaintance with the problem.

My baby has diarrhea, what should I do?

Almost every parent faces this question. After all, as soon as defecation takes in unnatural liquid, the number of bowel movements increases, the baby’s condition worsens, then it immediately becomes clear that the baby’s diarrhea will not go away on its own. It is necessary to find out what caused this condition. Often the problems lie in nutrition, bacteria, infections or congenital characteristics of the body. More precisely, the pediatrician or emergency doctor must say.

The first thing to do in this case: strengthen drinking regime, exclude from the diet foods that can cause diarrhea, measure the temperature. If necessary, before the ambulance arrives, start taking rehydration solutions that can retain fluid in the body. The most difficult thing is to give them to a child, since few people will like the salty taste. And then you need to wait for the arrival of a specialist, since independent treatment can provoke a worsening of the condition and the baby’s diarrhea will intensify.

Diarrhea and fever in infants

Particular care must be taken when the baby's diarrhea and fever become more severe. The number of bowel movements increases, and the temperature can reach 39 degrees. At the same time, the baby does not have enough fluid in the body. And the water balance should be stabilized. Even if a child refuses to take Regidron or Smecta, ordinary water can temporarily improve the situation. Although, it is already clear that the cause of this condition was viruses, bacteria or infections. Whatever the nature of this condition, the baby needs the help of a specialist, and possibly hospitalization.

Vomiting and diarrhea in infants

Many parents have encountered the fact that vomiting and diarrhea in their infant appeared suddenly for no apparent reason. It is almost impossible to stop the process. Often the provocateur of this condition is rotavirus infection, which affects children under the age of 5 years. An additional symptom is fever, severe weakness, and dry skin. The child can't even scream. Dehydration can set in quite quickly. This means that it is necessary to “fix” the contents of the stomach with the help of Smecta and saline solutions. The main pathogen has already been released along with the first stool, and now there is mostly water on the diaper. In case of such ailment, it is necessary to be admitted to the infectious diseases department of the hospital and undergo appropriate tests. After all, the cause may be a more global infectious disease and fighting it with improvised means will not be effective.

Diarrhea after antibiotics in infants

When taking antibiotics, children develop diarrhea in 90% of cases. In order to prevent diarrhea after antibiotics, infants are prescribed lactobacilli. They are used together with medications to prevent the complete destruction of beneficial microorganisms in the child’s gastric tract. Moreover, given his tender age and the instability of the flora, the number of beneficial bacteria should be increased. Taking into account the fact that antibiotic treatment is prescribed exclusively by a specialist, he should be the first to be aware of such deviations in the child’s health and, if necessary, change the drug or replace it with a more advanced and effective one.

Diarrhea with mucus in infants

Given the infectious nature of the disease and viral pathogens, diarrhea with mucus in infants is the norm. It may not be frequent, but obvious signs of mucus or other viscous inclusions are present. Perhaps the disease that was the root cause of diarrhea is in its infancy and its further development can be prevented. Although an accurate diagnosis can only be made by an infectious disease specialist and a pediatrician, since mucus is not a favorable sign and only indicates a worsening of the situation.

Green diarrhea in infants

A change not only in consistency, but also color range bowel movements indicates active processes of an infectious nature occurring in the child’s body. Green diarrhea in a baby is a clear confirmation of this. Acidity increases, enzyme function deteriorates, and feces are expelled involuntarily. Without a carpogram and a blood test, it is difficult to make an accurate diagnosis. Often it is green diarrhea accompanied by dysentery.

Baby has diarrhea with foam

Fermentation processes in the child’s body have intensified, the temperature rises, general malaise increases and the baby has diarrhea with foam. This is a clear sign that hospitalization is urgently needed. Viral infection spreads very quickly, and the baby loses water and becomes exhausted. Without IVs, drug treatment and removing viruses from the body, there is no need to talk about a positive solution to the problem. As soon as foamy impurities appear in the stool, an ambulance should be called immediately.

Treatment of diarrhea in infants

Only after consultation with a specialist can treatment of diarrhea in an infant be carried out at home. It includes:

• Abundant drinking regime.
• Introduction of saline solutions.
• Absorbent drugs.
• Changing the diet and eliminating various foods that can lead to increased bowel movements.
• Application of lactobacilli.

Additional medications will be prescribed by your pediatrician if necessary. It is worth remembering that their abuse can negatively affect the child’s health, so treatment of diarrhea in infants should be carried out with extreme caution.

How to treat diarrhea in a baby?

You should not rely solely on yourself and be guided personal experience. Your doctor will prescribe how to treat diarrhea in a baby in each specific case. There is no single recipe that helps all children. The nature of liquid bowel movements is very diverse and, depending on it, you need to choose medications capable of relieving the condition. But, in any case, it is necessary to remember that their abuse can negatively affect general condition baby. If the cause of the illness is chronic pathologies, then treatment must be carried out exclusively in a hospital under the supervision of neonatologists or pediatricians.

Diarrhea in a baby, how to treat it?

When diarrhea appears in a baby, the pediatrician will tell you how to treat it. These can be both medications and folk remedies. Much depends on age individual characteristics, degree of tolerance, existing pathologies and other characteristics of the child. Under no circumstances should you be guided by the opinions of your friends and risk your child’s health. Diarrhea in an infant, if it does not stop on the first day and is accompanied by other symptoms, must be treated exclusively under the supervision of a doctor and according to his recommendations.

Remedies for diarrhea in infants

"Smecta" for diarrhea in infants

Almost all specialists can tell you how effective Smecta is for diarrhea in infants. Thanks to its composition, it secures the contents of the stomach and prevents it from being actively excreted. Its advantage over other drugs is that harmful bacteria and viruses have already been eliminated with the first stool. And now, when it is necessary to maintain water balance and prevent the number of bowel movements from growing exponentially, it comes to the rescue.

Folk remedies for diarrhea in infants

It must be remembered that not all folk remedies are equally effective for young children. They are mainly intended for adults, and they are absolutely not suitable for children who are not able to cope with most of the options offered. If we consider folk remedies for diarrhea in infants, we can highlight:

• rice water;
• jelly with a little added sugar;
• weak solution of manganese.

It is impossible to conduct more experiments on the child’s body, since other means are not so effective and are even slightly dangerous for the child’s health.

Diarrhea in infants can be overcome. But, for this purpose, it is better to turn to specialists who can prescribe the correct course of treatment and determine the true nature of the disease. In a couple of days the situation will improve and the charming child will once again smile radiantly at his caring parents.