Why does a three-month-old baby have green stools?

Newborn babies are the apple of the family's eye. As long as there is any problem with the baby's body, the mother will be very nervous. Whether the baby is vomiting milk, has abnormal bowel movements or is sweating, etc., it will make the mother very anxious, but in many cases these are actually normal physiological behaviors of the baby. Some mothers report that their baby’s stool is green. Here we will introduce the reasons why baby’s stool is green.

(1) Green stools in breastfed babies

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. Under the action of intestinal bacteria, part of the bilirubin is converted into biliverdin, making the excreted stool light green, which is a normal phenomenon.

(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.

(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.

(4) Iron-fortified formula milk

The stool of artificially fed children is alkaline, which can further convert some fecal bilirubin into fecal bilirubin, which is colorless, so the stool is mostly light yellow. If your baby's formula isn't fully absorbed from the iron in it, it can also cause his stools to be green.

The above introduces several reasons why baby's stools are green. As long as the mother pays a little attention in daily care, it will be fine. You don’t need to worry too much about the color of your baby’s stool. As long as the frequency and hardness of your baby’s stool are normal, then the bowel movement is normal. So mom doesn't need to worry too much.