What’s going on when my baby has green, thin stools?

Green stool is the biggest problem that mothers encounter in the process of caring for their babies. However, many mothers may not know how to solve this problem. Green stool is closely related to the mother's care of the child. The main reason is that the mother does not regulate the child's diet. So let's listen to why children have green stool?

Many infants have green stools, which is not a sign of illness, but a normal physiological phenomenon.

The color of stool is closely related to the chemical changes of bile. Bile is secreted by the liver. Liver cells 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 contained in it, ranging from golden yellow to dark green. Bile pigments include bilirubin and biliverdin, which can be converted into each other.

The bile in the upper part of the small intestine contains bilirubin and biliverdin, which make the stool yellow-green. When the stool is pushed to the colon, biliverdin is reduced and converted into bilirubin, and the stool is yellow. The stool of breastfed children 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 fed with cow's milk is alkaline, which can further convert part of the fecal bilirubin into fecal cholinogen, which is colorless.

The stools of a normally breastfed baby may occasionally be light green. If your baby's stool is dark green, it is a sign of indigestion. When the stool is acidic, the bile contained in it oxidizes into green when exposed to air. Bilirubin in bile is a yellow pigment that makes feces yellow. After oxidation, bilirubin turns into biliverdin, which makes feces green. When the excreted feces encounter oxygen in the air in the diaper, the bilirubin is oxidized into biliverdin, making the surface of the feces green. In addition, due to the action of Lactobacillus bifidum, the intestines have become acidic, and the stool has been oxidized in the intestines, turning green and being excreted from the body.

Therefore, the baby's green stool is not a daily bowel movement. Occasional green stool is normal bowel movement. If the baby has dark green stool, it means that the baby has some disease. In this case, the mother needs to take the child to the hospital for treatment. Normally, the mother must take good care of the child.