There is mucus in the baby's stool. What's going on?

Some babies' stools become different from before after a period of time after birth, and parents will be more worried when abnormal conditions occur. Today, let's talk to parents about what to do when mucus appears in the baby's stool.

Reasons why baby's stool contains mucus

1. Digestive tract diseases

Digestive tract diseases are the most common cause of bloody diarrhea in babies, such as esophageal foreign bodies, ulcer disease, acute gastritis, intussusception, enteritis, intestinal polyps, anal fissures, etc. If there is bright red blood in the stool, it may be caused by intestinal polyps and anal fissures. If the stool contains a large amount of mucus and less feces in addition to blood, and the baby has symptoms of paroxysmal abdominal pain, consider whether it is intussusception. If the stool contains pus and blood and has a fishy smell, consider whether it is dysentery. Therefore, once the baby has such a situation, parents need to take the baby to the doctor immediately for further examination.

2. Infection

If the baby is infected with diseases such as typhoid fever, sepsis, etc., the baby's stool may contain blood and mucus when he has diarrhea. At this time, the baby's mental state is not good. Parents need to take the baby to the doctor immediately to avoid delaying the disease.

3. Blood diseases

Blood diseases can also cause bloody stools in babies. For example, neonatal hemorrhagic disease, hemophilia, leukemia, aplastic anemia and allergic purpura may cause bloody mucus when the baby has diarrhea. Therefore, mothers should carefully observe the baby's stool. If there are any abnormalities, it is best to take the baby to see a doctor in time.

4. Nipple cracking and bleeding

If a breastfeeding mother's nipples are cracked and bleeding, and the baby sucks the mother's bloody milk, the baby's stool will also contain blood if he has diarrhea. Therefore, breastfeeding mothers should especially protect their breasts to avoid affecting the baby's health.

Regarding the problem of mucus in baby's stool

The stool of breast-fed babies is yellow or golden yellow, smooth like ointment, but without odor. The stool is frequent, generally 24 times a day, and some up to 78 times a day. This is called physiological diarrhea. Parents do not need to worry, this is a normal phenomenon, and this diarrhea will disappear automatically when the child grows up to a certain age. The stool of milk-fed babies is less frequent, about 12 times a day, and has a slight odor.

Even if a newborn baby has not eaten anything, he or she will generally have black-green meconium 10-12 hours after birth. After 34 days of breastfeeding, the stool is yellow-green, which is called transitional stool, and then gradually yellow stool. If the baby has no meconium excretion within 24 hours after birth, or still has no normal stool excretion for about 45 days, you should ask a doctor for examination in time. Some infants and young children have frequent bowel movements but small amounts, and they are mostly green mucus. Among them, there are fewer milk curds, which means that the child eats too much and the amount of milk should be gradually reduced. Some children still have diarrhea after reducing the amount of milk, which may be hunger diarrhea, and the amount of milk should be appropriately increased. If a child fed with milk has hard stools and a strong odor, it means that the milk is fed too much and the sugar content is low, so some sugar should be added to the milk; if the sugar is too much, the baby's stool will be foamy, the stool will be thinner and yellow, and the sour taste will be strong, so the sugar content should be appropriately reduced and the amount of milk should be increased.

Reasons why your baby has mucus in his stool:

1. Caused by digestive tract diseases

Digestive tract diseases are the most common cause of bloody stools in babies, including esophageal foreign bodies, ulcer disease, acute gastritis, intussusception, hemorrhagic necrotizing enteritis, intestinal polyps, anal fissures, etc., all of which may cause bloody stools in babies.

If there is bright red blood in the stool, it may be caused by rectal polyps, colon polyps and anal fissures, and further examination should be done. If the stool contains a lot of mucus and less feces in addition to blood, and the child has symptoms of paroxysmal abdominal pain, intussusception should be considered. If the stool contains pus and blood and has a fishy smell, dysentery should be considered.

2. Caused by infectious diseases

Systemic infectious diseases, such as sepsis and typhoid fever, can also cause blood in the baby's stool. Another common situation is that the newborn swallows the mother's birth canal blood, or sucks breast milk when the mother's nipples are broken and bleeding. In these cases, the baby will have blood in the stool.

3. Caused by blood diseases

Blood diseases can also cause blood in the baby's stool. For example, neonatal hemorrhagic disease, hemophilia, leukemia, aplastic anemia and allergic purpura can cause mucus and blood in the baby's stool.

If infants and young children have been passing grayish-white stools since birth and have never had yellow stools, but their urine is yellow, it is likely caused by congenital bile duct obstruction. When infants and young children have intestinal infections, they have frequent bowel movements, loose or watery stools, smelly stools with mucus, and often vomit, lose their appetite, have fever, or even become dehydrated. In this case, you should take your child to the hospital for examination in time.

Usually, we recommend that you first do a routine stool test to confirm the diagnosis. You need to see if there are white blood cells, indicating indigestion or enteritis. Also pay attention to whether the intestinal dysfunction is caused by a cold. If it is indigestion, it is recommended to take Mommy Love, Smecta, etc. orally. If it is serious, see a doctor for infusion treatment. Extend the interval between feedings. Let the stomach and intestines rest. Feed more water. If you are adding complementary foods, you should stop adding them. Or reduce the amount of complementary foods. After improvement, resume step by step. In particular, do not eat indigestible food.

What experts say about mucus in stool

The digestive system of infants and young children is not yet fully developed, and the secretion of gastric acid and digestive enzymes is low. They cannot adapt to large changes in food quality and quantity. In addition, their endocrine circulation and kidney functions are immature, making them prone to digestive tract dysfunction. In addition, the body's defense function is poor, and the intestines are often infected by viruses and bacteria, especially viruses. Eighty percent of diarrhea in infants and young children in cold seasons is caused by viral infections. Mild acute diarrhea is often caused by dietary factors and extraintestinal infections. The frequency of bowel movements increases, and the stools are thin and yellow or yellow-green. White or yellow-white milk curds and foam are common, and there is vomiting and milk regurgitation. Severe acute diarrhea is also accompanied by obvious dehydration and electrolyte disorders, mental irritability, drowsiness, loss of appetite, frequent vomiting, increased frequency of bowel movements, mostly yellow watery or egg-drop soup-like stools, containing a small amount of mucus, and a few children have a small amount of blood in the stool

(1) Bloody stools: The stools contain mucus, pus and blood, have a fishy odor, are yellow-green watery stools, and are passed more than 10 times. This is usually caused by dysentery or pathogenic Escherichia coli enteritis.

(2) Seawater-like stool: The stool is very watery and has a strong fishy smell, like seawater. It is usually caused by Staphylococcus aureus enteritis.

(3) Tofu-like stool The stool is like tofu dregs. This is the stool of fungal enteritis and may be mixed with yellow watery stool.

(4) Egg drop soup-like stools Frequent bowel movements that resemble egg drop soup are usually caused by viral enteritis.

(5) Bloody stools. The stools are like red bean soup and have a fishy odor. The child has symptoms of poisoning. This is the stool of hemorrhagic necrotizing enteritis and the condition is critical.

(6) Jam-like or tar-like stools. The stools are jam-like or tar-like in color and shape, which is usually caused by bleeding in the digestive tract.

(7) Fresh blood on the stool surface is usually due to rectal bleeding or rectal prolapse