Symptoms of diarrhea in full-moon babies

When the baby is just one month old, his body is not that strong yet, and his intestinal function is not fully developed, so he will encounter problems with his intestinal function, such as frequent diarrhea, rumbling stomach, or watery stools. One-month-old babies will often cry because of the discomfort caused by diarrhea, and the condition will be more serious at night. Parents need to pay special attention to these.

Symptoms of diarrhea in babies

Infant diarrhea is a clinical syndrome caused by different causes. It mainly occurs in infants under 2 years old. Newborns usually have up to 10 bowel movements a day, but as they get older this may range from a few times a day to once or twice a week.

First, you need to understand your baby’s normal bowel habits so that you can determine whether it is diarrhea at the first time. In addition to observing the shape of the stool, you should also pay attention to the smell of the stool. The frequency of bowel movements is more than usual, the texture of the stool is thinner than usual, and there may even be watery stools. It may also seem like it is squirting out of the buttocks. These may be the symptoms of diarrhea in infants, which are usually accompanied by gastrointestinal discomfort symptoms such as loss of appetite and abdominal pain.

The main symptoms are:

1. Mild symptoms: five to eight bowel movements a day, possibly accompanied by a mild fever or vomiting. The stool is yellow-green, mucus-containing and egg-drop soup-like, accompanied by mild abdominal distension and hyperactive bowel sounds.

2. Moderate diarrhea: Ten bowel movements a day, loose watery stools, sour and smelly, and possible moderate fever.

3. Severe cases: frequent diarrhea, eight to fifteen bowel movements a day, watery and large in volume, with a sour odor, irritability, drowsiness, listlessness, and even coma and convulsions, bloody and mucous stools, sunken anterior fontanelle, dry skin and lips, etc.

4. Some patients may experience obvious dehydration, acidosis, and electrolyte imbalance, such as hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia.

Causes of diarrhea in babies

1. Gastroenteritis. It is common in both adults and children. It is an inflammation of the stomach and intestines that can easily lead to diarrhea. The pathogens that cause gastroenteritis are mostly viruses, the most common of which is rotavirus, which occurs frequently in late autumn and early winter. Half of the babies hospitalized for diarrhea are infected with this virus. If a baby has diarrhea accompanied by stomach cramps, vomiting, and low fever, it is likely caused by gastroenteritis.

2. Bacterial infection. If your baby has severe diarrhea (sometimes accompanied by vomiting) and also has abdominal pain, bloody stools, fever, etc., it is often caused by bacteria (such as E. coli, Salmonella, etc.). Some of these infections are self-healing, but some can be very serious (such as infections caused by E. coli in undercooked meat). Therefore, if your baby has the above symptoms, take him to see a doctor immediately.

3. Parasitic infection. Parasitic infections may also cause diarrhea in babies. For example, giardiasis (also called "pir-shaped flagellation") is caused by a microscopic parasite that lives in the intestines. Therefore, practicing good hygiene habits, such as washing hands after changing diapers, is the best way to stop the spread of parasitic infections.

4. Antibiotics. If your baby has diarrhea during or after treatment with antibiotics, it may be related to the medication. Tell your baby's doctor about diarrhea to see if other medications or treatments can be used.