What is the cause of the baby's diarrhea with blood?

When the baby is sick, the mother will feel very uncomfortable. If the baby shows some special symptoms due to the illness, the mother will not know how to solve the problem. Diarrhea is a common disease in babies. However, when babies have diarrhea, there is blood in their stool, which makes mothers feel nervous, not knowing what is going on.

1. The mother's nipple is ulcerated and bleeding

During breastfeeding, especially in the early stages of breastfeeding, mothers' nipples are prone to ulceration. If the baby swallows blood from the ulcerated mother's nipple while feeding, the stool will contain a small amount of pink or red substance. In this case, stool testing will not detect red blood cells, but will detect occult blood. Babies who have bloody stools due to this reason usually eat normally and are in good spirits, and it will not affect the baby's growth.

2. Taking iron supplements (iron-containing foods)

If your baby takes iron-containing multivitamin preparations or iron supplements, or eats foods rich in iron, it is impossible for all of the iron in the medicine or food to be absorbed, and a small amount will be excreted through the intestines. At this time, the stool may contain dark brown spots, and the stool occult blood will be positive. This condition has nothing to do with the baby's intestinal development or disease. As long as the baby grows normally, there is no need to worry.

3. Damage to the small intestinal mucosa

This situation is generally caused by intestinal intolerance. The intestine cannot tolerate certain foods, which damages the small intestinal mucosa and causes blood to enter the intestinal cavity. Since the blood stays in the intestine for a period of time before being excreted with the stool, it will be destroyed by the intestinal fluid during this period. Therefore, stool testing can only detect occult blood in the stool, but no red blood cells. Most intestinal damage is caused by food, the most common of which is milk. This small intestinal damage will persist without a change in diet, causing your baby's growth and development to be delayed.

4. Anal fissure

If fresh blood is visible in the stool and the blood is attached to the surface of the stool, and examination shows the presence of red blood cells, it is most likely caused by anal fissure. The baby may cry and have difficulty defecating, but the stool may not be dry and hard. Because the baby's anal sphincter is not fully developed and the contraction and relaxation coordination is not perfect, small cracks often occur during defecation, resulting in a small amount of blood in the stool. At this time, apply a small amount of antibiotic ointment on the anus and the condition will soon improve.

5. Disinfectants damage the intestines

Some mothers believe that using disinfected facial tissue is healthier than using water to clean their baby’s hands. However, this may cause the baby to accidentally ingest disinfectant, which may cause intestinal damage. If the mother uses clean water instead of disinfectant wipes, the baby's bowel movements will soon return to normal.