What causes green stools in newborns?

Newborns cannot express their physical pain and can only rely on their parents' observation. The most common method is to observe abnormal changes in the baby's body, the baby's skin, bowel movement frequency, stool color, etc. What physical problems does green stool reflect? Let’s find out why newborns have green stools.

(1) Breastfed babies have green stools

The color of stool is closely related to the chemical changes of bile. Bile in the upper small intestine contains bilirubin and biliverdin, which give stool its yellow-green color. When the stool is pushed into the colon, biliverdin is reduced and converted into bilirubin, and the stool becomes yellow. The stool of breastfed children is acidic. Under the action of intestinal bacteria, part of the bilirubin is converted into biliverdin, making the stool light green. This is a normal phenomenon. If the baby eats well and is in good general condition, the new mother does not need to worry. This is only a temporary phenomenon and will improve as the baby grows older.

(2) Catching a cold

If the milk the child drinks is a little cold or the child's abdomen or feet are cold, the stool may turn green.

This is because catching a cold can cause the intestines to move too quickly, and the biliverdin in the colon does not have time to be reduced to bilirubin, so it appears green. This is one of the common causes of green stool. Green stools caused by this reason may also have symptoms similar to a cold. If you only have green stools, pay attention to keeping your abdomen warm, especially at night, and you will recover in a few days. If you have cold symptoms, you should also receive symptomatic treatment for the cold.

(3) Hunger

Some babies do not eat enough, and hunger will speed up intestinal peristalsis and cause green stools. Babies may cry and be restless due to hunger, which can be easily distinguished from the other situations mentioned above. In this case, just increase the amount of milk and make sure the baby is full.

The above are the reasons why newborns have green stools. Babies may also have green stools when they are frightened. Therefore, in order to create a better development environment for the baby, we must start with daily life. Don't scare them or give them cold food. When babies are hungry, give them food in time.