Mucus in feces in infants: causes, diagnosis, treatment

The arrival of a new family member is always a hassle. Feeding, caring for and supervising a baby is an integral part of the life of new parents. Mucus in the feces of babies can occur for a variety of reasons. Treatment is not always required in this situation, but there is a reason to think about nutrition and go to the doctor.

Possible causes of mucus in stool

Small amounts of mucus in the stool may be a sign of normalcy. A kind of protection of the body against various substances that the baby is not able to digest due to the weakness of digestive enzymes.

In the first month. life in a newborn, not only a sucking reflex is formed, but also, importantly, a chair. There are several stages of stool change, in just 3-4 weeks from the moment of birth. First, meconium (original stool) appears, black in color. After 2, maximum 3 days, the stool goes first to a green, then a yellow tint.

The consistency also changes. Meconium is similar to thick sour cream. In the future, the feces should acquire the consistency of gruel.

At birth, the baby's intestines are sterile and therefore any inaccuracies in the mother's nutrition or use inappropriate milk formula can lead to an imbalance in the microflora of the digestive tract baby. The stronger this violation, the faster the body can react with the appearance of mucus in the feces and other changes in nutrition.

The mucus looks like jelly, closer to transparent in color. It happens in the form of small veins or large strands. The quantity, color, shape depends on the cause of the occurrence.

There are several leading causes that can lead to the appearance of mucus in the baby's stool:

Cause	Explanation	Demonstration
Mother's nutrition	The nutrition of a nursing mother directly affects the state of the baby's intestines. Excess milk, vegetables and fruits causes mucus to appear.	Dairy products are essential for milk production, but eating them in large quantities contributes to the development of digestive imbalances in babies.
Lactase deficiency	It is quite difficult for a small body to immediately learn how to break down dairy products. And with an excessive intake of milk or with an incorrectly selected mixture, a deficiency of lactose occurs. Lactose is an enzyme that breaks down milk carbohydrates into sugars. Unprocessed milk deprives the baby of many nutrients.	Fragments of unsplit dairy products may appear whitish in the feces.
Lure	Introducing any new baby food is stressful. Therefore, the reaction to each food should be recorded in the food diary. All purees are introduced strictly according to age. Mucus often occurs on vegetables and fruits. Complementary feeding can be started from 4 months. However, if a child has problems with stool from birth, it is better to postpone the introduction of meals until 5-6 months and start with cereals.	The choice of baby puree should be based on the age of the baby and the susceptibility of the body.
Dysbacteriosis	A general concept that denotes a disorder of the functions of the digestive tract against the background of an imbalance of microflora. At birth, the intestines of the newborn are sterile. Only after 1 feeding, microorganisms begin to populate it. Within 1 month. a balance is established between the microbial ratio, which is represented by the following microflora: useful (lacto- and bifidobacteria), saprophytic, opportunistic and pathogenic. Normally, beneficial microorganisms should prevail. It is on how the microbial biocenosis was formed in 3-4 weeks from birth that the level of the intestine and its susceptibility to pathogenic agents will depend.	To assess the imbalance of microflora, feces are analyzed for dysbiosis by sowing on microflora.
Acute intestinal infections of a bacterial and viral nature	Infection is often always combined with the appearance of mucus in the body. Concomitant symptoms: cough, runny nose, high fever, vomiting, nausea. A blood test helps to differentiate the bacterial and viral nature of infection. With bacterial infection, high leukocyte counts, with viral infection - lymphocytes. Bacterial diseases are often met: dysentery (disease of unwashed hands) and salmonellosis. From viral roto-viral infection.	Leading in the diagnosis of bacterial and viral infection is the delivery of a blood and feces test for dysbiosis and rotovirus.
Intestinal invaginitis	An extremely dangerous condition in which one part of the intestine squeezes the other, thereby forming a partial obstruction. Symptoms: abdominal pain during and immediately after eating, child's moodiness, indomitable vomiting. The stool is of a transitional nature: from liquid with mucus, it gradually changes to thick, sparse, streaked with blood and mucus. Treatment requires emergency intervention and is performed by a pediatric surgeon in the operating room.	Intestinal intussusception is a dangerous condition that, in the absence of intervention, can lead to the death of the baby.
Gluten deficiency	Celiac disease is different. A shortage of certain digestive enzymes is formed, against the background of which the body cannot break down the products, containing gluten (oats, wheat, rye, pasta, baked goods, canned food, dairy products with stabilizers other).	Lack of enzymes to break down gluten can significantly affect the overall health of the baby.
Allergy	It is mainly manifested by skin changes in response to the introduction of various allergens (food, medicinal, household). In a baby, along with mucus in the stool, a rash, redness, and peeling of the skin appear.	Skin changes in specific parts or throughout the body is an indicator of allergies.
Lingering rhinitis	In infants, the patency of the nasal passages is an order of magnitude lower than in children after 1 year. In some cases, the baby may have original mucus in the nasal cavity, which significantly narrows the lumen of the passages. In the absence of proper care for the baby, in case of nasal congestion, all snot during sleep begin to leak not only into the lumen of the larynx, but also into the esophagus, reaching in advanced cases even intestines. Lack of treatment in this case is dangerous for the baby.	The appearance of snot in a baby may indicate the presence of a more frequent viral infection, which must be treated.
Medications	More often mucus occurs when taking carminative agents. "Espumisan", "Bobotik" and other drugs used to eliminate bloating.	Bloating medicine that can be used from the first days of life.

As you can see from the table, mucus in the feces of a baby can occur for a variety of reasons. There are some differences in the appearance of mucus with different types of feeding and infection with intestinal infections.

Mucus in a breastfed baby

In infants who are naturally fed, mucus can appear in the stool mainly as a result of a malnutrition of the mother. In 1 month of life, the digestive tract is most susceptible to foods that come in processed form with mother's milk.

A large intake of fatty dairy and sour-milk products, fruits, vegetables (especially those with a high water content in the composition) contributes to the appearance of mucus. Sometimes breast milk initially contains microorganisms. To identify pathology, an analysis of breast milk and diet is carried out.

Another equally important cause of mucus can be lactose deficiency. Mothers are advised to follow a diet in which the consumption of milk and fermented milk products should be kept to a certain extent.

Recommended daily rates:

• cheese: 1-2 slices;
• butter: 1 slice;
• milk or kefir: 200 ml;
• low fat cottage cheese: 100 gr.

If the newly-made mother does not follow simple recommendations and focuses on the use of milk, with the aim of secreting milk, then there is a high load on the baby's pancreas. This is due to the fact. That the mother begins to produce milk with a high degree of fat content. An imbalance occurs that leads to a lactose deficiency. Lactose deficiency can be congenital, but it can also be acquired in case of malnutrition of the mother.

Bottle-fed mucus

On artificial feeding, mucus can often occur when the mixture is incorrectly introduced, or during complementary feeding. Large consumption of fruits, vegetables, quickly upsets the intestines.

Against the background of such factors, dysbiosis occurs. To normalize the baby's condition, in this case, it is better to use lactose-free mixtures with a low degree of allergy and keep a food diary.

Leukocytes and mucus in feces

We should also mention the appearance of mucus in the feces with leukocytes. In general, there should be no leukocytes in the feces. Their presence indicates inflammation in the intestines. To assess the nature of the infection, a blood test is performed, which identifies the cause, which may be a bacterium, virus or, less often, a fungus. The inflammatory process can be accompanied by intestinal invaginitis.

The child has signs of an acute intestinal infection. Fever, general weakness, signs of nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, foam, and many other symptoms that can lead to intestinal inflammation. With such signs, you can not hesitate, and you should urgently consult a doctor.

Treatment

What to do if mucus appears in the feces of a baby? First of all, do not panic and consult a pediatrician. The doctor will take an anamnesis (an approximate story from the parents' words about the appearance and possible causative mucus), perform an examination and prescribe a test.

Be sure to donate feces for a general analysis, if necessary, supplement it with an analysis of feces for worm eggs and scraping for enterobiasis. If there is a suspicion of an intestinal infection, feces are cultured for microflora. With a larger clinic of viral lesions (vomiting, diarrhea, the possible appearance of temperature), an analysis for a roto-viral infection. Of course, it is necessary to carry out the delivery of standard tests: a general blood test (from a finger) and urine.

Sorbents, in the form of "Smekta", "Adiarin" and other drugs, are given to babies only with the permission of the pediatrician and in the presence of loose stools with mucus. The use of "Smekta" for more than 3 days is unacceptable, since the medicine washes out calcium from the body. In this case, it is better to use "Adiarin intestinal protection", which is absolutely safe for long-term use.

Now for the mothers. If the baby is breastfed, the mother should also undergo a comprehensive examination. If mucus appears in the child's feces, but there are no other signs of a disorder in the baby's condition, then an analysis of breast milk for sterility is performed.

It must be remembered that the collection of analysis is performed immediately before delivery. The nipple of the mammary gland should be well washed and treated with an antiseptic. These measures are necessary, since the mammary gland itself is almost always in seeding with various microorganisms. When confirming the presence of microflora in milk (staphylococcus is more often detected), feeding is not stops, however, it is required to correct the condition in the form of prescribing antimicrobial drugs.

The mother's nutrition should be complete according to the BZHU. For the first time, the consumption of fatty dairy and fermented milk products should be reduced. It is advisable to conduct a multiple allergic sorbent test (MAST), based on a blood test. Keeping a food diary is also mandatory.

In case of lactose deficiency in infants, it is necessary to prescribe drugs for the assimilation of lactose ("Lactosar"). These drugs allow the breakdown and assimilation of milk from the mother. It is necessary to use "Lactosar" 1 capsule, before each feeding, diluting the contents in 1 tbsp. spoon with breast milk. 5-8 capsules are usually required per day.

If the child is older than 4-6 months. and complementary foods were started, against which streaks of mucus appeared, it is recommended to remove this product from the diet for several days. However, it is worth remembering that food allergies are often combined with skin changes (rash, redness, flaking). Also, a rash on the face is a direct sign of intestinal dysfunction, and therefore, it is not always worth suspecting food allergies.

Mucus as a variant of dysbiosis does not require treatment. Up to 1 month living a variable state in the stool can be considered a sign of the norm. In some cases, probiotics may be needed to correct the condition (Primadophilus, Linnex, Bifidumbacterin and others).

You can learn more about childhood dysbiosis here.

Intestinal infections confirmed by test results require treatment:

• antibiotics: with the bacterial nature of infection (staphylococci, streptococci, Klebsiella, Escherichia coli and others);
• antiviral agents: with rotavirus, herpes virus and other microbes that can cause intestinal motility disorders;
• probitiki: for the correction of dysbiosis, when using antibiotics without fail;
• enzymes: only with a pronounced change in stool (a large amount of mucus). The enzymes of the child's pancreas do not work at full strength and in this case it is possible to help with the breakdown of food with the help of drugs ("Creon"). Usually prescribed for 3-4 weeks in a dosage prescribed by age, together with a meal.

Prolonged rhinitis, against the background of which snot flows into the digestive tract, requires treatment primarily of the respiratory system. Use of vasoconstrictors (Nazivin), hypertonic solutions (Aqualor, NaCl solution), suction of mucus with irrigation using an aspirator. When combined with sore throat and difficulty breathing, add inhalation to therapy (Pulmicort, Berodual; both together with saline NaCl).

It is extremely rare that mucus may occur while taking medications from a series of carminative agents (Espumisan, Bobotik and others). Replacing the drug (if necessary to eliminate flatulence) allows you to level the general condition of the intestines and eliminate mucus.

Mucus in the feces of a baby can appear for a variety of reasons. It should be understood that a small amount can be a sign of the norm and a response to the mother's feeding behavior or the introduction of complementary foods. However, when combined with fever, vomiting, nausea, severe abdominal pain, and blood streaks, all of these signs may indicate severe inflammation. In any case, it is necessary to consult a pediatrician and perform treatment.