What causes green stools in three-month-old babies?

Green stools are a common symptom of disease in three-month-old babies. Many parents worry that their babies have gastrointestinal diseases and will use medication to treat their babies, which will make their stomachs weaker. It is normal for parents to worry, but if abnormal stools are found, they must go to the hospital for examination to find out the cause of the disease. So what causes green stools in three-month-old babies? Let us take a closer look.

1. Generally, the stool of breastfed babies is acidic. Normal stool is slightly green, sometimes mixed with some white particles. Dairy products are rich in iron, which is not fully absorbed in time and excreted in the stool, causing the stool to turn green. If a formula-fed baby has green stools, it means that the intestinal motility is accelerated or there is inflammation in the intestine, which is a symbol of diarrhea. In addition, for the health of the baby, it is necessary to take in enough iron. If the baby who eats milk powder containing iron cannot fully absorb the iron in the milk powder, the stool will be yellow-green, the white particles in the stool will be larger, and it will be more likely to have a foul odor.

2. Inflammation in the intestine or rapid intestinal peristalsis causes the bilirubin in the intestine to be excreted from the stool before it is converted, making the stool green. It is normal for many babies to have green stools. This phenomenon does not mean that the baby is sick, but is a normal physiological phenomenon.

3. The color of stool is closely related to the chemical changes of bile. Bile is secreted by the liver. Hepatocytes continuously secrete bile, which flows into the hepatic duct and then into the duodenum through the common bile duct. The color of bile is related to the type and concentration of bile pigments it contains, and can range from golden yellow to dark green. Bile pigments include bilirubin and biliverdin, which can be converted into each other.

4. The bile in the upper small intestine contains bilirubin and biliverdin, which make the stool yellow-green. When the stool is pushed into the colon, biliverdin is reduced and converted into bilirubin, and the stool becomes yellow. The stool of children who are breastfed is acidic. Under the action of intestinal bacteria, part of the bilirubin is converted into biliverdin, making the excreted stool light green. This is a normal phenomenon. The stool of children who are fed with cow's milk is alkaline, which can cause part of the fecal bilirubin to be further converted into fecal bilirubin, which is colorless, so the stool is light yellow.

It is normal for a three-month-old baby to have green stools, but green stools may also be caused by disease. If parents cannot judge whether the stools are abnormal, they can go to the hospital for a stool examination to find out the disease and then take treatment after the disease is confirmed. Patients should also pay attention to their daily diet and personal hygiene, which will help prevent diseases and also prevent bacterial infections.