What to do if your newborn has loose stools

After children are born, they are not particularly adapted to the external environment, so their intestines are particularly fragile. It is a common phenomenon for newborns to have loose stools, but the color of the stool often represents some characteristics of their bodies. Let us learn what to do if newborns have loose stools.

It is normal for newborns to have loose stools. Loose and unformed stools do not necessarily mean that they are suffering from diarrhea. Since the intestines of newborns cannot digest and absorb food well, a lot of food is excreted in the form of feces. When the baby grows a few months older and his absorption capacity improves, his stools will become thicker and the frequency of bowel movements will decrease. However, as long as your baby is active, wakes for feeding, and has frequently wet diapers, he is probably getting enough water from breast milk (or formula) and diarrhea will not have much of an effect on him.

Of course, it is not completely normal for newborns to have diarrhea. The baby's stool is also loose during the diarrhea period, so it depends on the mother's careful care and observation of the baby. If the baby's stool is always loose and does not improve and is accompanied by upper respiratory tract symptoms such as fever and cough, vomiting and abdominal distension are often present at the same time, the baby is unwilling or refuses to breastfeed, ranging from several times a day to dozens of times; the stool is thin, watery or egg drop soup-like, sometimes white rice soup-like, and has no special fishy smell, the mother should consider that the baby has diarrhea and should seek medical attention in time.

The frequency and texture of infants' stools often reflect the state of their digestive function, so mothers need to pay attention to the texture, color and frequency of infants' stools, and correctly identify normal and abnormal stools to understand the baby's digestive condition. If the baby's stool has a strong odor, it means that the protein is not digested, and the amount of milk should be reduced or the milk should be diluted; if there is a lot of foam in the stool, it means that the carbohydrates are not digested, and the starchy food must be reduced or even stopped; if the stool looks like cream, it means that the fat is not digested, and the intake of oily foods should be reduced.

Newborns are breastfeeding every day, so it is normal for them to have loose stools. However, the number of times a newborn has loose stools often reflects whether their stomachs and intestines are normal. If the number of times it occurs is particularly high, it proves that their stomachs and intestines are not very good and they need to go to the hospital for examination.