Know The Condition of Your Little One Through the Feces

Did Mommy know that the form of feces can be a benchmark for your Little One health condition? The shape of the stool can indicate whether your Little One's digestive system is healthy or not. Particularly the new Mommy with a baby, usually goes through a confused phase after seeing the change in the texture of the feces of her Little One.

There are several factors that affect the normalcy or not of the texture of the feces of your Little One, i.e. age, milk consumed, and whether the Little One has begun to eat complementary food or not. Well, so that Mommy is not confused, let’s see the reference to various textures and variations of stool color of your Little One below:

Newborn Little One

Generally, the feces of the Little One when newly born is blackish green colored, sticky, and looks almost the same as tar. This is called meconium. Meconium is made up of amniotic fluid, mucus, skin cells, and a variety of waste disposal substances when your Little One is still in the womb. Normally, new meconium will be released when your Little One starts to consume the first intake.

At 2-4 days, normal feces will appear light green with a slightly sticky consistency. This is caused by the digestion of breastmilk in the digestive tract of your Little One.

Frequency of defecation will decrease with age of your Little One. Do not worry, Mommy, this is because the breastmilk is fully absorbed so there is no residual waste.

The Little One Who Drank Breastmilk

The stool color of the Little One who drinks breastmilk can be used as a reference to whether he/she is getting enough intake or not. Fresh and frothy green stools signify that the Little One is drinking a lot of foremilk (low calorie breastmilk that comes out when he first sucks milk).

If the Little Only drank the foremilk alone, then he is not full enough. Overcome this by ensuring the baby suckles to finish on one breast (15-20 minutes). Let one breast empty before transferring to another breast.

The yellow stools are a sign that your Little One is drinking enough breastmilk. This color shows that he/she getting hindmilk (breastmilk that contains lots of fat so that the Little One gets enough energy and feel full).

Diarrhea

The characteristic of the Little One with diarrhea is stools with liquid consistency and varied colors. Call your doctor immediately if your Little One is less than 3 months old and has diarrhea. The risk of your Little One who is breastfed having diarrhea is lesser than the Little One who is not breastfed, because breast milk can prevent the development of bacteria that causes diarrhea.

The Little One is Having Infection or Allergy

If the stool is green and looks slimy, there is an possibility of digestive tract infection or allergic disorders. But note also whether the production of saliva of your Little One is excessive or not. If so, it could be mucus in the saliva that can not be digested that causes the stool to look slimy.

What about now, Mommy? Can you now recognize the meaning behind the color and texture of the feces of your Little One? If your child shows unusual symptoms or you are worried about his bowel pattern, see a pediatrician immediately.