What Does It Mean When a Baby Has Mucus in Their Stool

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What should baby poo expect similar?

Most new parents find baby poo quite surprising! It has so many shades and consistencies that fifty-fifty experienced parents may not take seen them all. This photo guide to baby poo will give you a expert thought of what's normal and what's not as your newborn grows, drinks breastmilk or formula and starts eating solids.

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Newborn poo: meconium

Expect to find greenish-black, tarry, viscous stools in your newborn's nappy for the showtime few days. This is known equally meconium (mec for brusk), and is fabricated of amniotic fluid, mucus, skin cells and other substances your baby swallowed in the womb. It doesn't really aroma, and then you may not realise straight away when information technology's time for a nappy change.

When your baby is two to four days former, his stools volition become less sticky and lighter in colour - sort of an army green. This transitional stool is a sign that he's started digesting breastmilk or formula.

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Healthy breastfed poo

If your baby is exclusively breastfed, his stools will become yellow or slightly green, and have a mushy or creamy consistency. Breastfed poo tin look like mustard-coloured cottage cheese, and may be dotted with little seed-like flecks. It oft smells surprisingly sweet.

There are many shades of normal when it comes to breastfed poo. Your baby may occasionally do a poo that seems a bit greener than usual. As long every bit he seems well in himself, there's no demand to worry.

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Healthy formula-fed poo

Formula-fed babies have less runny stools that are often a similar colour and texture to peanut butter. They can vary from tan-brown or yellow-chocolate-brown, to green-brown.

Formula-fed poo also smells a chip more like adult poo than breastfed poo does.

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Dark green or black poo

If yous give your baby an iron supplement, his stools may turn night green or almost black. This doesn't happen often, merely it's a completely normal variation that would make Popeye proud.

If your baby'south more a few days old, his poo looks blackish, and he's not taking an atomic number 26 supplement, see your GP every bit soon as possible. In rare cases, this can exist a sign of bleeding in your baby'southward digestive system. It's not likely to happen to your baby, but you should go him checked out, merely in case.

If there are blackness specks in your breastfed infant'south poo, this could be a sign that he's swallowing blood from cracked and bleeding nipples. The blood turns blackness when your infant digests information technology.

It'south ever a skilful idea to go whatever claret in your baby's poo checked out by your GP, but in almost cases, blackness specks are unlikely to be anything to worry most.

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Solid-food poo

Once your baby's eating solid foods, you'll quickly find a change in his poos, specially if he'due south breastfed.

Solid-food stools tend to be brownish or dark brown and thicker than peanut butter only still mushy. They're also smellier.

You may observe that your baby'due south poo takes on the colour of the food you give him. For example, if you feed him carrots, his next poo may be orange. And a beetroot poo tin can look quite alarming!

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Poo with partially digested food

Occasionally, your baby's poo will have identifiable chunks of nutrient in it, specially if you lot're doing baby-led weaning.

Not to worry! Your baby'southward still learning to chew, and his digestive system is however developing, so it'southward normal for some food to laissez passer through his system without existence fully digested.

If your baby's poo consistently has undigested food in information technology, it's worth talking to your GP. She'll check to make sure your babe's intestines are working properly, and he's getting all the nutrients he needs.

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Diarrhoea

Information technology's not uncommon for healthy babies to practise the occasional explosive or runny poo. Merely if your baby does several runny poos with no lumps in them, he could have diarrhoea. It can be yellow, green, or brown, and may seep or explode out of the nappy.

Diarrhoea tin can exist a sign of an infection or allergy, and if it lasts for a while without being treated, can lead to aridity. If your baby has watery stools for more than a day or two, come across your GP. Make an date sooner if he's showing signs of aridity - such as fewer wet nappies or a sunken fontanelle – or has any other symptoms that concern y'all.

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Constipation

If your infant's stool is hard and looks like little pebbles, it's probable that he's constipated. Your babe may be visibly uncomfortable when he's pooing and the poo may even be tinged with blood from irritating his bottom on the way out.

Constipation often happens in babies who are being introduced to solid foods, and it's usually nix to worry about. But in some cases, constipation tin be a sign of dehydration, a food allergy, or a medical condition. If you lot recollect your babe is constipated, it's worth having a chat with your health visitor, just in case.

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Poo with mucus

Does your baby's nappy look like information technology's been slimed? Light-green poo streaked with shiny, glistening strings means there'south mucus in it. This sometimes happens when a infant is especially drooly, since mucus in saliva often remains undigested. It tin can as well happen when he has a cold, as he'll naturally produce more mucus.

However, mucus in poo can also exist a sign of an infection or allergy. If it happens for several days, or your babe has any other symptoms, see your GP to rule out any issues.

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Bloody poo: bright crimson blood

If you have a baby girl, you may detect a few specks of blood in her nappy a few days later the nascency. This is known as a false flow. It happens because of the surge in hormones your body experiences in pregnancy, which in turn stimulate your baby'due south womb to produce a period. Information technology's perfectly normal, and no crusade for concern.

In boys, and girls later on the first few days, brilliant red blood can show up in baby stools for a few unlike reasons. For case, constipation or nappy rash can irritate your infant's lesser and brand it bleed. Or your babe may swallow a lilliputian blood if y'all breastfeed him with cracked nipples.

Although claret in your baby's nappy doesn't necessarily mean he's sick, information technology's ever best to get it checked out, simply to be on the safe side. It can sometimes be a sign of infection, allergies, or a trouble with your babe's digestive organisation. So if y'all discover a bloody nappy, brand an engagement with your GP, simply in case.

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The end

More advice and tips:

• Observe out if it'south normal for your babe to poo subsequently every feed.
• Acquire more about how starting solids can affect your baby's poo.
• Go tips to make nappy changes easier.

Thanks very much to the BabyCenter US parents (and their babies!) who contributed to this photo gallery.

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Source: https://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby-poo-photos

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