Diarrhea in a 7 month old child: how to treat

Stool disorder in children under one year old may indicate a reaction to foods introduced with complementary foods, or teething.

However, if diarrhea in a child of 7 months is observed more often 4 times a day, the feces have a liquid heterogeneous consistency, the baby becomes lethargic, whiny, this may be a sign of a developing pathology of the digestive tract or acute intestinal infections.

Parents of a 7 month old child should not self-medicate, as dehydration can become a dangerous complication of diarrhea.

If a change in color, odor, consistency of feces, frequency of bowel movements is detected, an urgent need to consult a doctor.

Normal stool in a child under one year old

The digestive system of newborns is not well developed. This explains the change in the properties of feces during the first year of life.

It is important to remember that the number of bowel movements and the appearance of the stool depend on the age and type of nutrition of the baby.

In the first three days after birth, meconium acts as a child's feces - a product of intrauterine processing of amniotic fluid, epithelial cells and other substances of a dark green color.

The next 4 to 5 days, feces have a watery consistency with a sour odor.

Before the age of six months, the properties of feces and the frequency of bowel movements depend on the type of feeding. Babies up to a month, receiving mother's milk, poop up to 15 times a day, the feces are creamy, golden yellow.

Over time, the number of acts of defecation becomes less, already after reaching 6 months, the child's stool is observed 1 - 2 times a day.

Often, a child who is breastfed has false diarrhea.

Parents are worried about the baby's liquid stool, which has been observed for several weeks and does not respond to treatment with medications.

Experts note that mother's milk, rich in nutrients, is almost completely absorbed by the child's body, as a result of which the feces have a liquid consistency.

It is not recommended to treat such diarrhea; it will spontaneously pass after the final formation of the intestinal microflora.

With breastfeeding, a child under 7 months of age may have bowel movements less than once a day.

If at the same time the baby eats normally, does not lose weight, there is no need to worry. The cause of the condition is also the complete absorption of milk.

If the baby uses liquid mixtures, his feces have a light brown tint, pasty consistency and an unpleasant, sometimes putrid odor.

With the introduction of complementary foods, feces change color, acquire a natural odor.

Causes of diarrhea in a child of 7 months

In the case when the baby's feces have a watery consistency, they contain foam, mucus, clots blood or foam, and the number of bowel movements exceeds 3 times a day, urgent consultation is needed doctor.

The causes of diarrhea can be pathologies of an infectious or non-infectious nature.

In the case when diarrhea in a 7-month-old child passes without an increase in body temperature, it is necessary to undergo an examination and identify the cause of functional disorders of the digestive system.

These pathologies include:

• alimentary dyspepsia;
• congenital hypoplasia of the pancreas resulting from fetal developmental disorders in the first trimester of pregnancy;
• Brandt's syndrome;
• celiac or allergic enteropathy;
• lactase deficiency.

Dyspepsia, the most common disease associated with a violation of the process of digestion in the upper gastrointestinal tract.

The causes of alimentary dyspepsia are called a violation of the diet of a baby up to 7 months, overfeeding, the introduction of new products as complementary foods, a sudden transition to artificial feeding.

Overheating is one of the reasons for the disruption of the digestive process in a 7 month old child. The body loses a lot of fluid excreted in sweat, as a result of which the acidity of the gastric juice increases.

As a result of a violation of the production of enzymes, food enters the intestine in its original form, where the process of fermentation and decay begins.

The characteristic symptoms of dyspepsia are called:

• diarrhea with a frequency of bowel movements up to 7 times every 24 hours;
• frequent regurgitation and belching;
• vomiting;
• pain and colic in the abdomen, which the baby reports with loud crying;
• lack of appetite, which leads to weight loss.

Treatment of pathology consists in taking absorbents, enzyme preparations, antispasmodics. In order to restore the intestinal microflora, probiotics and prebiotics are prescribed.

If the baby is breastfed, the mother's menu is adjusted.

Brandt's syndrome or acrodermatitis enteropathic is a genetic pathology that occurs as a result of impaired zinc absorption by the walls of the small intestine.

During the period of breastfeeding, this disease is asymptomatic, since breast milk contains the necessary enzyme.

Symptoms appear when the child's diet changes during 7 months:

• watery diarrhea with an unpleasant odor, particles of undigested food can be seen in the stool;
• as a result of increased gas formation, bloating, intestinal colic is observed;
• appetite decreases, the baby loses weight;
• on the face, around the eyes and mouth, there is a rash that spreads over the body, bubbles form on it, which over time become covered with a serous crust;
• skin rashes spread to mucous membranes and nails;
• the child's eyelashes and eyebrows fall out.

The disease should be treated with preparations containing zinc oxide or zinc acetate. A child under 7 months is again transferred to breastfeeding or fed with donor milk.

After a few days, the state of the digestive system is normalized, the diarrhea passes, the baby begins to eat well, gains weight. Skin symptoms are eliminated with ointments, gels, etc.

Gluten enteropathy or celiac disease is a genetic pathology in which inflammatory processes in the small intestine develop against the background of impaired absorption of gluten protein by the walls.

Symptoms of the disease appear in a child older than 7 months, they include:

• diarrhea more often 5 times a day, while the stool is liquid, contains a large amount of fat, frothy;
• weight loss;
• bloated belly;
• nausea, decreased or complete lack of appetite;
• pain in the abdomen;
• weakness, drowsiness;
• the child has signs of anemia.

Therapy for celiac disease is to follow a strict diet.

At the same time, products containing gluten are completely excluded from the diet: confectionery, pasta, sausages and other semi-finished products, canned food and pickled vegetables, yoghurts, margarine, etc.

The child should be treated with medication only if diarrhea and other symptoms do not respond to diet therapy. In this case, the baby is prescribed the hormone prednisone.

Causes of diarrhea with fever

Diarrhea in a child under one year old can be caused by several reasons.

The most dangerous experts consider intestinal infections, in which the baby has not only a disorder of the stool, but also vomiting, and the body temperature rises.

Infectious diseases pose a danger to the child's body, as they can lead to dehydration.

Therefore, if characteristic symptoms are found, the baby should be immediately taken to the hospital.

A 7-month-old baby actively explores the world around him, trying everything by touch and taste. Since the external environment is not sterile, the child is surrounded by a large number of viruses and bacteria.

The main diseases in which a child develops diarrhea and fever rises are called:

1. Rotavirus infection is one of the most common viral diarrhea. The peak incidence occurs in the winter-spring period. Infection occurs through the fecal-oral route, through food, items of general use. Diarrhea in a child with rotavirus infection is observed within a day after infection, the frequency of bowel movements reaches 20 times a day. Concomitant symptoms are gurgling and abdominal pain, nausea, and the temperature rises to 39ºC.
2. Insufficient heat treatment of poultry meat purchased from spontaneous markets can lead to infection of the child's body with Campylobacter. Diarrhea can also occur after drinking milk from an infected animal. Once in the small intestine, bacteria release toxins, which, spreading throughout the body, become the cause of intoxication. Typical symptoms of infection are diarrhea up to 10 times a day, fever, headache. Vomiting with campylobacteriosis is not necessarily present. The faeces are watery, greenish in color and have a pungent, unpleasant odor.
3. Eaten meat, milk and eggs can cause salmonellosis, an acute infectious disease that is characterized by diarrhea and vomiting in a child. Intoxication in the child's body develops rapidly. In the first hours after infection, the body temperature rises, a severe headache is observed, the baby becomes lethargic. After a while, the child develops acute abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.

Abundant diarrhea and vomiting lead the body to the development of dehydration, therefore, at the first sign of infection, you should contact the infectious diseases department.

Alimentary infections are the most dangerous for a child of 7 months, since the fragile body quickly reacts to the pathogen, removing it with feces or vomiting.

This loses a large amount of fluid, which can be fatal. If the baby starts having diarrhea and the body temperature rises, it is necessary to take urgent measures and take the child to the doctor.

First aid for intoxication

In the case when the baby's diarrhea is accompanied by a fever, special medications should not be taken.

Neither antiviral agents nor antibiotics at the initial stage of the disease will have the necessary effect. Only a doctor can make appointments.

Parents should pay attention to how often the child has urination, the condition of the mucous membranes.

If blue circles appear under the eyes, the skin is pale, dry, the baby cries without tears, you should immediately call an ambulance, since the child develops a dehydration process.

First aid for a baby in such a situation is as follows:

• plentiful, warm, at least 20º, drink, if the child refuses to drink himself, the liquid should be given in small portions at short intervals;
• you can restore the salt balance with the help of drugs such as Smecta or Rehydron, if at home the first-aid kit did not find the necessary compositions, in 1 liter of boiled species dissolve one teaspoon of salt and soda;
• it is necessary to carefully monitor that the drunk liquid is removed by the body in a timely manner;
• it is impossible to force-feed the baby; in the first days after infection, the menu consists of cereals on the water, biscuits, crackers, vegetable purees or soups;
• in a home first-aid kit there should always be an absorbent, activated carbon, Enterosgel, Polysorb.

Diarrhea in a child of 7 months can occur as a symptom of the pathology of the digestive system or intestinal infection. If diarrhea is accompanied by fever and vomiting, seek immediate medical attention.

It is important to remember that loose stools in a baby under one year old can occur as a result of a change in the mother's diet if the baby is breastfed.

If there are no other alarming symptoms, mommy should review the menu and identify the product.

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