Diarrhea in a newborn while breastfeeding: causes, treatment

In the first days and weeks of life, the baby's stool should normally be liquid. But, what is the consistency and how liquid diarrhea in a newborn during breastfeeding - we will analyze in the article. Indeed, often the inability to distinguish true diarrhea from the physiological norm is a reason for serious concern on the part of a young mother and unreasonable visits to a pediatrician.

What happens to the intestines of a newborn in the first days of life?

In every adult, the intestines are normally inhabited by the necessary number of microorganisms (bacteria), which are not harmful, but on the contrary, useful. They actively multiply and form the intestinal microflora, which is the basis for a healthy body.

But in a newborn, there are no bacteria in the intestines, they begin to appear only in the first days of his life, or rather in the first hours. In the uterine cavity, the baby's body was in a sterile state, and, leaving the mother's womb to the outside, with the first portion of inhaled air and contact with it, he receives the first doses of bacteria. They immediately settle on his skin and enter the body with the inhaled air.

Mother's milk contains colostrum, which immediately, penetrating into the baby's gastrointestinal tract, populates it with beneficial bacteria and helps to successfully form the germ of microflora.

Important! In the first days of a child's life, loose stools are completely explained by breastfeeding. The mother produces milk only on the third day, and while the baby sucks colostrum, which has a natural laxative effect. This is necessary in order for the child's body to cleanse itself of the waste accumulated in it during intrauterine growth as quickly as possible. The first black feces are what they are.

After being freed from waste, a period of active formation of digestion begins in the child's life. It is often accompanied by colic and abnormal flatulence. After the microflora is fully formed, all problems go away, and the baby stops suffering from tummy disorders. That is why irregular loose stools in the first weeks of life are more likely the norm, because the body is just learning to digest food and can malfunction. But there are also cases when the help of a specialist is really required - more on that later.

What should be normal bowel movements in a newborn?

The regularity of the change in color and consistency of feces in a newborn child can be presented in the table (however, it is important to understand that some deviations from the norm may be without serious cause for concern - this is due to different diets and characteristics of the body baby). The table is universal for breastfed babies.

Table 1. What should be normal bowel movements in a newborn?

Age	Feces are normal	Feces with diarrhea
1 - 3 days of life	The feces are black-green in color, with a thick sticky consistency.	Liquid, frothy, black and green.
3 - 7 days	Liquid, dark yellow or greenish feces.	Watery, frothy, yellow-green.
7 - 21 days	The masses begin to form, the color is dark yellow.	Unformed, liquid consistency with a greenish tinge. Extraneous inclusions are possible.

As for the frequency of bowel movements, in the first days of life, when intrauterine waste is released, 3-4 "trips to the toilet" per day are considered the norm. When the color of the stool begins to change to light yellow, the number of "cleansing" is reduced to three times, which will be the norm over the next two to three weeks. Further, for the entire period of breastfeeding (before the introduction of complementary foods), the baby should defecate two to three times a day.

Also in the first weeks of life, you can find dark blotches in the stool of a child. This is rather the norm, because the intestines are just learning to digest incoming food, and if the baby as a whole feels good and is active in behavior, then you should not sound the alarm. Another thing is if you find blood clots in the feces - this is a reason to immediately consult a doctor. Blood is an alarming sign.

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Diarrhea symptoms: when to sound the alarm?

In the early stages of life, the child's body is just learning to adapt to the environment, and any pathologies that arise in it develop extremely rapidly. With the following symptoms, a visit to a doctor should be immediate, in order to avoid undesirable consequences.

Symptoms of a pathological condition in a child (diarrhea):

1. Baby's stool is foamy, with impurities of gas, liquid consistency.
2. The kid "goes to the toilet" up to 5 - 10 times a day.
3. The feces give off a stench.
4. The general condition of the child is not the same as usual: he is lethargic, pale, refuses to eat.
5. Vomiting is connected to the symptoms of malaise (it can also be in the form of frequent and profuse regurgitation).
6. There are streaks or blood clots in the stool.
7. Symptoms of dehydration: pallor, dry lips and skin, sunken fontanelle, weakness, bluish skin tone, drowsiness, the baby cries without tears.
8. Lack of urination.
9. The child does not drink.
10. In the normal state of the baby, diarrhea lasts more than a week.
11. Fever appeared (up to 38 ° C).
12. Severe abdominal pain, colic that accompany frequent loose stools.

Call your pediatrician home if you have any of the above symptoms. If it is not possible to meet with him within the next few hours, call an ambulance.

The most important thing that is required from the mother during the hours of waiting for the help of the medical staff is to supply the baby's body with fluid. Try to give your child small amounts of water every 2 to 3 minutes. Or apply to your chest as often as possible.

The reasons for the development of diarrhea in a newborn

The main reasons for the development of diarrhea in a newborn can be:

1. Changes in the diet of a nursing mother.
2. Infections.
3. Mom's taking medication.
4. Antibiotics
5. Poisoning.
6. Surgical reasons.
7. Teething (for older children).
8. Allergies, dysbiosis.

Let's consider each reason separately.

Changes in the mother's diet

It is no secret that the foods that a nursing mother eats are partially transferred to the baby through milk. There are certain nutritional standards for a nursing mother, they exclude a large amount of flour and nuts, so as not to provoke constipation in the child. Eating large quantities of foods such as apples, various juices, plums, lactic acid foods and vegetables can cause diarrhea. The first thing a mother needs to do when she detects diarrhea in a child is to adjust her diet, to include “fixing” foods in it (if possible):

• rice broth and rice;
• nuts;
• flour;
• whole milk (if it does not cause allergies);
• pears, etc.

If the problem was in the mother's incorrect diet, then the child's stool will immediately improve after a few hours. If changes in diet do not have any effect, then the reason lies elsewhere and only a doctor can help.

Infections

Infections can be bacterial or viral. A child can become infected with them if there is insufficient hygiene. The mother should wash her breasts well before feeding, monitor the hygiene of the surrounding objects and the baby's bed, and do not give the baby in the hands of strangers in outerwear in the first weeks. In addition, if the mother herself contracted the infection, then it can be transmitted through milk to the child.

Sterilizing bottles (when feeding with formula) is also an important hygienic operation to prevent unwanted infection.

Mom taking medication

Any medicines through milk enter the baby's body. Especially, this applies to antibiotics - they instantly provoke dysbiosis (imbalance of beneficial bacteria in the intestine) and, of course, provoke diarrhea.

How to treat dysbiosis in infants? What tests do I need to take? Read more in our article.

If antibiotics were prescribed to the child himself, then they are the cause of loose stools. Consult your pediatrician and tell about the unpleasant consequences of taking medications. Perhaps he will make another appointment or prescribe drugs that correct the microflora.

Surgical causes

Surgical reasons include:

• improper intrauterine intestinal development;
• appendicitis (accompanied by severe abdominal pain in a child);
• pathology of the pancreas.

A careful examination by the doctor of the newborn and the use of all available diagnostic tools will help to recognize the cause of the violation in time and eliminate it.

Teething

In children, the first teeth begin to erupt at different ages. The whole range: from three months to eleven. With teething, salivation reflexively increases, and it is this that provokes the development of diarrhea. A large amount of fluid enters the lower gastrointestinal tract and loosens the stool. As a rule, after the tooth comes out, salivation stops and the chair gets better.

One cause of teething diarrhea is contamination by bacteria. The baby begins to pull everything into his mouth, and with insufficient hygiene of the surrounding space, a microbe can get into.

Allergies

Allergies can develop when certain foods are present in the diet of a nursing mother:

1. Citrus.
2. Chocolate, sweets.
3. "Overseas" fruits.
4. Red vegetables, etc.

You should also pay attention to the mixture that the baby eats (with artificial feeding) - it can also give allergic reactions.

Treating diarrhea in newborns

Treatment for diarrhea in newborns can be divided into two stages:

1. First aid at home;
2. Medical intervention.

Help at home should be provided by mom and as soon as possible. Initially, you need to try to find the cause of the development of diarrhea, if it is diagnosed, eliminate it as soon as possible.

First aid for the baby

Helping a child with persistent diarrhea includes several stages:

1. The first thing mom should do is to review her entire diet and switch to a hypoallergenic diet (exclude the above foods that potentially provoke allergies and indigestion), in addition, completely exclude ingredients that have laxatives from the menu action. It is also recommended to use fixing products in increased quantities - they will instantly be passed on to the baby and will have the desired effect.
2. Some pediatricians advise in such cases to take the mother a dose of adsorbents (they are indicated for breastfeeding and do not affect the baby's health in any way). Adsorbents for a short period of time "collect" all toxins and allergens from the mother's body and prevent them from entering the baby's body
3. The next stage of first aid for a child will be the prevention of dehydration, especially if its main symptoms are on the face. In addition to drinking pure water, you can connect oral administration of salt solutions, which are sold in pharmacies: "Regidron", etc. These powders are diluted in boiled water and given to a person in order to prevent dehydration and normalize the water-salt balance. They do not cause any harm, and you can start giving them before the arrival of the pediatrician.

If you have diarrhea, never stop breastfeeding, even if you suspect that the diarrhea is due to your inappropriate diet or other factors. Milk contains antibodies and other beneficial substances that can help your baby cope with the disease faster. And weaning during a serious condition is also additional stress that reduces the immunity of the baby.

Drug treatment

Standard stages of drug treatment:

• preparations of local antimicrobial action: Enterofuril, Stopdiar, etc. They act only in the intestines and do not affect the body as a whole;
  

  Enterofuril

• the appointment of adsorbents - drugs that bind toxins and microbes and remove them outside with feces. In addition, adsorbents thicken feces and prevent the removal of excess fluid from the body;
• drugs that restore the water-salt balance and are the prevention of the development of dehydration: "Regidron", "Enterodez", etc.
  

  Regidron

In case of severe fluid loss in the newborn's body, saline droppers or other medications containing salts will be prescribed. Do not refuse hospitalization, because dehydration is the most serious threat to the life of children in their first year of life.

Folk remedies

Among folk remedies, in addition to correcting the mother's diet, medicinal herbs are very popular. But they should only join the treatment with the permission of a specialist, otherwise the situation can only worsen.

Here are the most popular medicinal herbs for diarrhea (they have natural anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity):

• chamomile;
• St. John's wort;
• sage;
• bird cherry;
• mint, etc.

Prevention of diarrhea in an infant

The best treatment is prevention, so a nursing mother must follow these guidelines:

1. Eat a diet that includes a balanced amount of laxative and fixative ingredients. There should be no predominance of any of these products. In order not to provoke diarrhea in a baby with improper nutrition, you should be careful with the following dishes and individual ingredients (they all have a laxative effect):
   1. juices (especially apple and peach);
   2. legumes (peas, beans);
   3. apples and other fruits;
   4. vegetables;
   5. Strawberry;
   6. chocolate;
   7. all varieties of cabbage.
      

      Cabbage can have a laxative effect

2. Include in the menu products with a light fixing effect:
   1. nuts (especially walnuts);
   2. rice;
   3. flour;
   4. whole milk;
   5. bananas, pears;
   6. meat.
3. Shown is the use of herbal teas for mothers, which include chamomile, sage and other herbs. They have a mild antiseptic effect and are passed on to the child with milk. This is a good prevention of bacteria getting into his gastrointestinal tract.
4. At the slightest suspicion of diarrhea in a baby, include rice water in your diet. It is prepared from 2 tablespoons of rice per liter of water. The mixture is cooked for 30 minutes and consumed three times a day on an empty stomach (boiled cereal can be filtered - it is not needed).

Output

Liquid stool in children of the first year of life is not always a cause for concern, in most cases it is just a natural reaction of adaptation by the body of the environment. But if symptoms appear that indicate the development of pathology, then immediately contact your pediatrician. Sometimes the life of a baby is on the canoe.