Very frothy stool in the baby. Causes of foamy stools in a baby and what to do in such cases. The work of the digestive system of the baby

A child's stool is one of the main indicators of children's health, in appearance and chemical composition of which one can evaluate the work of the digestive organs. It is especially important to observe the stool in the first year of a baby's life, when the formation of intestinal microflora occurs and the production of digestive enzymes is being established. This process usually takes about 3-6 months, but in some children the digestive tract is not fully formed until 8-10 months.

Until this time, the child's feces can often change their texture, smell, and appearance. One of the changes that can occur at any age is the appearance of foam in the feces. This symptom does not always indicate pathologies in the work of the gastrointestinal tract, but in some cases it may require careful diagnosis and treatment, so the parents of infants need to know why the baby may have a stool with foam, and what to do in this case.

Feces of a child in the first days after birth looks like an unformed, viscous, sticky mass of predominantly black color. This feces is called meconium (original feces). Meconium is organic in nature and consists of epithelial cells, bile components, hair, which fall from the body of the child and are digested by his intestines during fetal development. The composition of meconium also contains a significant part of the water and amniotic fluid, mucus, and mineral salts. The original stool of a healthy newborn is odorless and passes completely within 1-3 days after birth.

On the fourth day of life, the child's feces acquire a light yellow, yellow or light brown color, the consistency of gruel, and may contain particles of undigested milk. If this does not happen, and impurities are found in the feces that are not characteristic of a healthy baby's stool (foam, a large amount of mucus, blood), the mother and child can be left in the maternity hospital or transferred to a children's hospital for a comprehensive examination.

Milk sugar intolerance

Lactose is a disaccharide found in dairy products, whole milk and breast milk (milk sugar). Lactose intolerance in most cases is associated with lactase deficiency. Lactase is a group of digestive enzymes needed to break down milk sugar into galactose and glucose molecules. In healthy children, lactase is synthesized by intestinal cells and is located on the surface of the membrane membranes of the small intestine, in which all nutrients, vitamins and mineral salts are absorbed.

In infants, lactase deficiency is quite common, since until the age of six months the body is not able to produce the necessary amount of enzymes to ensure comfortable digestion. Signs of lactase deficiency may include:

frothy, offensive, yellow or brown stools;
profuse regurgitation after feeding (the released masses contain undigested lumps of milk, resembling sour cottage cheese);
anxiety during feeding (the baby lets go of the breast 1-2 minutes after the start of feeding, knocks with its legs).

Children with lactase deficiency may lag behind in weight and height, while physiological development usually remains within the age norm.

Important! True lactase deficiency occurs in only 3-5% of babies, so do not worry if a child under 6 months old shows signs of lactose intolerance. For correction, the child may be prescribed enzyme preparations (for example, "Lactase Baby"). If the child is breastfed, the use of adapted milk mixtures is indicated.

Allergy to mother's milk

A very rare form of allergy, with a prevalence of less than 3.8%. Allergy to breast milk is not associated with the diet of a nursing mother and is most often caused by intolerance to lactoglobulins, which are found in large quantities in mother's milk. Symptoms of a true breast milk allergy may include:

loose stools with foam and a pungent odor;
skin rash, itching, diathesis, occurring mainly after feeding;
tension in the abdominal muscles (the child is crying, twitching his legs restlessly, vomiting is possible).

To confirm allergies, special tests and samples are carried out. If the diagnosis is confirmed, the infant must be transferred to feeding with hypoallergenic mixtures. If the signs of an allergy become too pronounced, an antihistamine can be given as first aid to the child. Children older than 1 month are allowed drops "Fenistil". The dosage for children of the first year of life is given in the table below.

Dosing regimen "Fenistil" for children under 12 months

You need to give the drug 3 times a day.

meconium ileus

This is a rare pathology that is detected on the first or second day of a child's life. Meconium ileus (meconium ileus) is an acute surgical pathology in which the original feces have an increased viscosity and get stuck in the intestine, forming a blockage of its lumen. A dark, odorless foam may come out of the child's anus, which may contain mucus and blood streaks.

Treatment of the disease is always prompt and is carried out immediately after the diagnosis of the pathology.

Note! In 90% of cases, meconium ileus occurs against the background of cystic fibrosis of varying severity - a genetic disease in which the endocrine glands are affected with severe respiratory dysfunction.

Common Causes

Foamy stool in a child, not associated with pathological factors, can occur for a number of reasons, some of which do not require any treatment and correction.

Improper attachment to the breast

It is taught to properly attach the baby to the breast even in the maternity hospital, but, as practice shows, many mothers have difficulties with organizing feeding for several weeks after arriving home. Incorrect attachment not only increases the likelihood of intestinal colic (due to copious swallowing of air), but also contributes to digestive disorders. If the baby only latch on to the nipple, he will only be able to draw out the foremilk, which is 95% water. The hindmilk, which is rich in fats and has a higher nutritional value, enters the milk ducts when the baby squeezes the areola intensely.

If a child receives a large amount of foremilk for a long time, fermentation processes are intensified in him, which leads to the appearance of abundant foamy stools. The urge to defecate can become painful, so the baby may be restless, cry and act up. Almost always, fermentation processes are accompanied by bloating and increased formation of gases, the movement of which causes painful intestinal colic.

To avoid this, it is important to properly organize the feeding process. The scheme of correct attachment to the chest is shown in the figure below.

Taking antibiotics

The baby's gut continues to colonize with beneficial bacteria for 4 to 8 months after birth, which can lead to stool changes and digestive upset. If an infant was prescribed antibacterial or antimicrobial agents, a few colonies of beneficial microorganisms die under the influence of active substances. Intestinal dysbacteriosis may be accompanied by frothy loose stools with a fetid odor, abdominal pain, vomiting and regurgitation.

To prevent pathology, it is recommended to start taking bifidopreparations from the first day of treatment with antibacterial agents, maintaining an hourly interval between their intake. Children of the first year of life can be given the following drugs:

"Bifidumbacterin" (contraindicated in lactase deficiency);
"Bifiform Baby";
"Linex" in powder;
"Acipol" (mix the contents of the capsule with the liquid).

It is necessary to take probiotics within 7-10 days. In some cases, the doctor may recommend a longer use - about 20-30 days.

Errors in the scheme of introduction of complementary foods

Many mothers try to introduce new foods and tastes to the baby as soon as possible and begin to introduce complementary foods at 3-4 months. This is a big mistake, since the baby's digestive tract is not ready to cope with such a load and reacts to it with a change in stool. The stool may become thin, frothy, watery, and may have an unpleasant odor.

In order for the introduction of complementary foods to be comfortable for the child, it is necessary to adhere to certain rules.

Breastfed babies do not need additional foods and drinks until the age of six months (provided that the mother has enough milk and her diet consists of healthy and varied foods).
Children receiving milk substitutes can be introduced complementary foods from 5 months.
Despite the fact that the labeling on some ready-made baby foods allows consumption from 3-4 months, they should be introduced at this age only on the recommendation of a pediatrician.
You should start your acquaintance with new tastes with hypoallergenic fruits and vegetables (green apples, pears, zucchini). To prepare the first cereals, it is better to use buckwheat or oatmeal.

A chair with foam can be provoked not only by the early introduction of complementary foods, but also by the abundant content in the menu of products that cause flatulence and fermentation processes. One of these products is zucchini. The norm of its consumption in the first weeks of complementary foods is no more than 40-50 g per day. The same picture can be observed when a child eats too much prunes - you can enter it into the menu no more than 1-2 times a week in the amount of 30-40 g.

Foam Stools - When Should You Worry?

In some cases, frothy stools can be a warning sign that indicates a serious medical condition. To differentiate the norm with a possible pathology, it is necessary to assess the condition of the child and observe his well-being.

Infectious inflammation of the intestine

Intestinal infections in children of the first year of life are quite common. In most cases, acute infection occurs in children older than 6 months who receive complementary foods. The causative agent of infection can be found in poorly processed and stale meat, fish, eggs, cottage cheese. Non-compliance with hand and toy hygiene can also provoke infection in the child's digestive tract, so it is important to regularly wet clean and disinfect the surrounding area.

It is especially necessary to closely monitor the cleanliness of objects that the child constantly pulls into his mouth: nipples, pacifiers, rodents, teethers. They must be washed with soap and hot water after each use, and it is best to store them in a plastic bag (teethers and teethers can be put in the refrigerator).

The main symptom of any intestinal infection is diarrhea. Stool with diarrhea may be watery or frothy. Foamy feces are more often observed with salmonellosis and dysentery. Some viral infections caused by rotaviruses and enteroviruses can also present with loose, foamy stools. Feces have a fetid, pungent odor, may contain streaks of mucus, drops of blood and particles of undigested food. In addition, the child has other signs:

vomiting (more often - profuse, repeated, not bringing relief);
refusal to eat;
pale skin;
dryness of the lips and mucous membranes of the mouth (caused by dehydration);
high temperature (can rise to 40 °).

Important! Treatment of intestinal infections in children of the first year of life should be carried out in a hospital, as children of this age group are at increased risk of mortality. At home, the child needs plenty of fluids (1 teaspoon every 10 minutes), food rest (fasting). Before the doctors arrive, you can give the baby any enterosorbent (Smektu, Polysorb, Enterosgel). With severe vomiting, you can give Motilium syrup - its dosage is determined by the weight of the child and is measured using the dosing syringe included in the package.

Infection with worms

Helminthiases in infants are quite common. The main cause of infection with worms is non-observance of personal hygiene and the rules of sanitization of the surrounding space. If there are pets in the house, they can also be a source of helminthiasis, so treatment with anthelmintic drugs must be carried out at least 2 times a year. It is important to monitor the child's behavior on the street: many worms live in contaminated soil, sand, and water. There are especially many worms in puddles, in which children of any age like to play.

Acute helminthiasis is manifested by quite characteristic signs, among which may be:

thick, frothy stools with a strong odor;
irritation in the anus (especially common in enterobiasis);
vomiting and profuse regurgitation;
temperature increase within subfebrile condition;
pale skin;
skin rash.

If the disease becomes chronic, the symptoms are "erased", and the only manifestations of the pathology may be abdominal pain, intestinal colic, spasms, accompanied by tension in the abdominal muscles. Almost always, chronic helminthiasis is accompanied by a violation of the stool: feces can be liquid, watery, they may contain foam, mucus.

The choice of drugs for the treatment of helminthic invasion in children of the first year of life should be carried out by the attending physician, since they have a high degree of toxicity and negatively affect the functions of hepatocytes that make up the liver tissue. Some of the drugs in this group are allowed to be taken only from a certain age, so before giving the baby a medicine for worms, you should consult a doctor.

List of drugs for the treatment of helminthiasis in children of the first year of life

Name of the drug and form of release	Image	At what age can you give?	Dosing regimen
		From 6 months	125 mg once during feeding or immediately after it. With invasions caused by hookworms, the drug is prescribed for 3 days at a dosage of 10 mg per kilogram of the child's weight.
		Approved for use in children weighing more than 12 kg.	1 measuring spoon of suspension (12.5 ml) for every 10 kg of the child's weight once
		From 10 months	125 mg once during feeding

Video - Baby chair: what is normal and what is not

About hygiene

If the baby has feces with foam, it is important to provide sufficient hygiene care, which consists in daily bathing and washing the genitals after each bowel movement. If conditions allow, it is better to do without diapers until the stool normalizes, since prolonged contact with such stools can cause severe irritation and burning. After hygiene measures, it is recommended to arrange air baths lasting 20-30 minutes. If signs of irritation appear (redness, red spots, diaper rash), you should lubricate the skin 2-3 times a day with an ointment based on dexpanthenol (" Bepanthen», « D-panthenol”), baby cream or liquid vitamin E. For the duration of treatment, it is necessary to exclude zucchini, prunes and other products that contain a large amount of water and help thin the stool.

For many parents, the first days of their newborn babies' lives are filled with worries and worries about their health. Foamy stools in babies often cause concern for mothers, since stool in children is one of the important indicators of the normal functioning of the body. Due to the fact that the child's gastrointestinal tract is not yet sufficiently formed, and he is only learning to take and digest food, reacting to it in different ways, the stool of the newborn is constantly changing.

1 What is the normal stool?

The child's stools come in different colors: yellow, green, brown, and shades close to this, but all this is within the normal range. In its consistency, feces should be similar to gruel, mustard, apricot puree with a sour smell, everyone has different associations, but the essence is the same.

Babies fed formula milk will have different stools than breastfed babies. They defecate two or three times a day, the feces have a uniform consistency of gruel and it is a little thicker than that of infants, even sometimes too much, which causes constipation. Their color is dark brown, and there are no various inclusions, mucus, greens.

In a breastfeeding baby, lumps, a little mucus may be present in the feces, the color is different, but a green tint prevails. And in many ways, the consistency and color of feces depends on the products included in the mother's diet. Since the mother cannot eat the same thing, and should not, the baby's feces will change all the time. Changes will be influenced by factors such as:

maternal nutrition;
lactation period;
the needs of the infant;
balance of trace elements in mother's milk;
emotional state of the mother.

One of the most frightening phenomena for parents is the baby's foamy stool.

2 Causes of pathology in an infant

Most often, foam in the feces is a functional disorder, not associated with any pathologies and serious diseases. In the absence of any other symptoms, if the child is active and cheerful, then the reason most likely lies in the mother’s diet if she is breastfeeding, or in the baby’s diet if he is artificial or already trying complementary foods.

Consider the main reasons for the appearance of foam in the stool in an infant.

The use of any new products. Experiments with food can cause frothy and with a green tint. This is the result of fermentation in the intestines of a child. This process can be exacerbated if a breastfeeding mother consumes too many chicken eggs, sauerkraut, raw vegetables, peas. Soda, mayonnaise, and other harmful foods must be excluded from the mother's diet. It is necessary to prevent incompatibility of products, such as milk and cucumbers. From this, not only foamy stools will be, but also abdominal pain in the baby. Usually, if the cause of foamy feces lies in the diet of the mother or child, then if the diet is changed to a more suitable one, the stool will change within 1-2 days, and no special treatment is required.

Too early introduction of complementary foods. Many moms make the mistake of introducing adult foods (like squash puree, broccoli, cauliflower) too early, which can cause intestinal problems. Only from 6 months old, an enzyme system is more or less formed in the baby, which allows you to digest some products from an adult table. Mother's milk plays an important role in the formation of enzymes, but if complementary foods are given before 5 months, this can interfere with the maturation of their enzymes in a child.

Medications for stomach pain and gas, such as Espumizan or Plantex, can lead to foamy stools. In this case, do not be afraid of foam in the stool - this is an absolutely normal reaction of the body to drugs. When breastfeeding, the mother needs to be very careful about the use of drugs for herself, even the most harmless drugs can cause digestive disorders in the child.

Imbalance. When a baby eats only "front" breast milk, which is rich in lactose and poor in fat, and does not get to the "back" breast milk, which, on the contrary, is high in fat and the necessary enzyme to break down lactose, malnutrition and imbalance occurs. "Forward" milk is not digested as it should be and the stool becomes frothy, watery with a dark tint. In order for the baby to get both “forward” and “hind” milk, the mother needs to wait until the baby has completely emptied one breast, and not transfer it to the other breast too early.

Increased gas formation, or as it is also called in the case of a baby - colic. This happens to almost every child, so you just need to survive and not aggravate the situation with malnutrition. It is recommended that nursing mothers exclude cow's milk from their diet.

Dysbacteriosis. The feces have a sharp sour smell and particles of undigested food are clearly visible in it. This condition quickly passes, as the children's intestines adapt to new conditions after birth. In most cases, everything goes away quickly without any treatment. But when the frothy stool in the baby is regular, and sometimes gives way to constipation, then parents should be wary. This may be a signal for disruption of the intestinal microflora. Then you should do a fecal analysis. The child may be prescribed a course of probiotics or prebiotics, and then the condition of the tract will improve and everything will soon return to normal.

Lactose deficiency. Lactose is one of the most valuable substances in breast milk. But if the baby has little of this enzyme, then he begins to bloat, colic, frothy feces with a sour smell, and diarrhea. To determine the lack of lactose, it is necessary to do a fecal analysis.

Too much drinking. Grandmothers are very fond of advising to give newborns water to drink, but nursing mothers should know that breast milk is 60% water, so just feeding the baby with milk is enough for him to drink. If the child is bottle-fed, then it can be supplemented with boiled water at room temperature, 1 teaspoon three times a day. If you give the child too much water, then the stool becomes liquid and frothy, which is completely harmless compared to the enlargement of the kidneys after excessive fluid intake.

The above cases are not so terrible, they can be easily eliminated by correcting the nutrition of mother and baby. But there are cases when parents should be wary and consult a doctor.

3 When should you worry?

Foamy stools in some cases, in combination with other signs, can also be a symptom of an intestinal infection, and other disorders of the body, which should really cause anxiety in parents.

So here are the symptoms to start worrying about:

the stool is not just liquid, but watery;
the child defecates too often, up to 10 times a day;
noticed a strong unpleasant odor;
the color is bright green or bright yellow;
vomiting appeared;
the child is weak;
the temperature has risen;
lost appetite;
blood, mucus, streaks are noticeable in the stool.

In this case, see a doctor immediately, because young children become dehydrated very quickly, which can even lead to death.

If a foamy stool with a white tint, then this indicates a violation of the outflow of bile. It is necessary to undergo a diagnosis, make a biochemical blood test, ultrasound of the abdominal cavity and fecal analysis.

4 How to avoid the appearance of liquid stool?

You can add to the baby's diet preparations to improve digestion containing bifidobacteria. You can't force feed your baby, his intestines are very sensitive, so let him eat on demand. It is necessary to follow all the doctor's recommendations, and observe your own and your baby's hygiene in order to prevent infections and sticks.

It is not necessary to supplement the child on natural feeding with tea, water, juice, excess liquid will accumulate in it. It is not necessary to give the baby complementary foods too early, at least for the first 6 months.

5 What can parents do?

Parents need to make sure that the child does not lose a lot of fluid, as it flushes out all the beneficial trace elements from the body.

Compensate for the loss of fluid with special means such as Regidron, this is brackish water, sold in powder form at any pharmacy, cheap.

It is necessary to continue to feed the child with breast or formula, exclude complementary foods, and feed the child. It's never a bad idea to consult a pediatrician.

The chair is always considered the main indicator of the state of health. For children, this rule is even more stringent. After all, a preschool child is not able to clearly and clearly talk about his well-being.

With lactase deficiency, in addition to foamy stools, bloating, rumbling, and pain are observed.

Outwardly, this pathology can be determined by watery traces around feces on children's underwear, as if wet spots spread along the diaper. Diagnosis consists in a special analysis of feces. If the assumption is confirmed, start a lactose-free diet.

A timely transition from conventional mixtures to lactose-free or low-lactose formulas gives a visible effect. The most popular are Bebilak-FL and Nutrilon. If the baby is breastfeeding, he is fed with “hind” milk, where there is more fat. To give "front" milk, you need to use special preparations.

For children under one year old, Lactase Baby is recommended. If the child begins to suffer, you should not be afraid and transfer his artificial feeding. But the fact that such children should not be given drugs containing bifidobacteria and lactobacilli should always be remembered.

If this problem occurs, do not despair. A balanced therapeutic diet will help regulate the situation and restore the normal production of enzymes.

Food allergies occur when new foods are introduced into complementary foods.

An allergic reaction can manifest itself in the form of foamy stools. The most common provocateurs of allergic reactions in infancy are:

On the products received by the mother (citrus fruits, berries, nuts).
For newly introduced mixtures.
On medications, especially when using antibacterial drugs.
On certain types of complementary foods or when it is introduced too early.

As soon as it is possible to identify and eliminate allergens, the stool will become normal.

Dysbacteriosis

Dysbacteriosis is a violation of the digestive tract.

This condition can manifest itself in different ways. Of course, in the first place is changing the chair. It liquefies, becomes watery, becomes foamy.

Sometimes, on the contrary, the stool acquires a too hard consistency, because of this they begin. Alternating constipation and diarrhea is also considered a common sign of dysbacteriosis.

To normalize the condition, children should receive only breast milk. Artificers are recommended to introduce a fermented milk mixture, acidophilic drinks. Older children get rid of this disease after compliance, which is based on the use of cereals, sour milk, vegetables.

Be sure to use probiotics, which are prescribed by a doctor. Some of these funds are allowed to be used literally from birth. Self-medication in this situation is not appropriate, only a specialist can adequately assess the situation and select the optimal therapy regimen. The total duration of treatment is a month or two.

Staphylococcal infection in the intestine

This is a serious injury to the body. Foamy stools can be one of the symptoms of this severe illness. In addition to it, disorder, wateriness, slimy stool, pain syndrome should alert.

Determine the presence of infection by analysis of feces. If the assumption is confirmed, they must undergo complex treatment. After all, the consequences of such an infection can be unpredictable.

For constipation in the baby, see the video:

This disease is hard to bear. He is recognized by high fever, weakness, abdominal pain, thin, watery stools with a strong odor, in which there is foam and mucus.

There are catarrhal signs, vomiting is possible. This is a contagious disease that usually affects children who “catch” the virus in childcare facilities.

To get rid of this pathology, treatment with probiotics is required. The doctor chooses the treatment regimen.

Intestinal infections

With rotavirus infection, fever is observed.

With any intestinal infections, various deviations from the norm in the stool are observed. The stools become very frequent, watery, often frothy. The usual signs of an intestinal infection are:

Multiple stools (up to 12 times a day).
Stool with foam, mucus, blood.
Vomit.
Characteristic sharp putrid smell of feces.

Fermentative dyspepsia

This condition is common in older children. External manifestations of this pathology:

small amounts of foamy stools;
rumbling, discomfort.

The main reason for this condition is an unbalanced diet. Children eat a lot of fruits, drink kvass, carbonated drinks in abundance. Fermentative dyspepsia can be provoked by legumes and cabbage.

If the state is not yet running, the situation is normalized quickly without outside intervention. If the signs of fermentative dyspepsia have been bothering you for more than one day, a diet that excludes carbohydrates is required. 4 days diet should be very tough.

Only meat and fish are allowed to eat, they are used as an additive. Carbohydrates are introduced gradually and observe how the body reacts to their appearance. Usually everything is normal, no complications arise.

Conclusion

When foam appears in the child's stool, you should not remain indifferent. It is necessary, at a minimum, to ask the doctor questions about the appropriateness of foamy stools in this particular case. It is better to be overly cautious than indifference, which will aggravate the situation.

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Ekaterina Rakitina

Dr. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Klinikum, Germany

Reading time: 5 minutes

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Article last updated: 02/13/2019

What should be the chair in the baby?

Normally, the baby of the first month of life defecates 4-6 times a day (small deviations are allowed). Then the chair becomes less frequent, and by the year it is considered normal if he goes to the toilet 1-2 times a day. The stool of a newborn has a mushy consistency, yellow color. In the process of growth, with the addition of new products to the diet, its color changes to light brown and brown.

The infant's digestive system adjusts to the new environment and can sometimes react with watery, foamy stools. It is considered normal if this does not happen often and is not accompanied by a deterioration in the general condition of the child. However, there are situations when parents need to immediately consult a doctor.

When do you need a doctor's help?

Urgent consultation with a pediatrician and medical assistance is needed in the following cases:

If the baby has loose stools with foam more often than prescribed by the norm.
If the baby is pale, lethargic, refuses to eat, cries.
If stools with foam are accompanied by fever and deterioration of the general condition.
When the discharge has a green tint or contains an admixture of mucus and blood.
If indigestion is accompanied by vomiting.
When there are signs of dehydration: dry mucous membranes of the mouth and nose, a long absence of urination.

All these cases require special attention of parents and physicians. In some of them, timely assistance can save a child's life and health.

Causes of foamy stools in babies

If your baby is suffering from diarrhea, in which watery stools with foam are observed, then you should carefully analyze all areas of his life: diet, medications, the presence of diseases. Factors that caused indigestion in a baby can be:

Reaction to food. The digestive system of a small person is still weak and not perfect. In the stomach of the baby, many of the enzymes that help digest food are missing. Diarrhea occurs as a reaction of a small body to a new food. It happens when a mother eats foods that she did not eat before pregnancy, with the wrong selection of complementary foods and milk formulas, and the transition to a mixed diet. Watery, frothy stools may be a reaction to eating foods that are too fatty, coarse, or sugary.
Reaction to medications. If the mother takes medication, then their components can pass into breast milk and cause a negative reaction in the baby in the form of indigestion and foamy bowel movements.
Imbalance in mother's milk. The imbalance of breast milk is that the baby consumes only the so-called "top milk", which is less rich in nutrients. While the last or "hind milk" of the mother is considered the most useful and valuable. An imbalance in breastfeeding may also be due to a lack of lactase. The lactase enzyme is directly involved in the process of digestion. If it is not enough, the baby may have a liquid discharge with an unpleasant odor.
Intestinal infection. The most dangerous disease for a newborn. With the penetration of pathogenic bacteria into the body of an infant, an acute reaction develops in the form of high fever and persistent diarrhea. The feces at the same time has a greenish color and may contain impurities of mucus and blood.

This condition is very dangerous for the child and requires an immediate call for an ambulance. Rapidly developing dehydration can cause a sharp deterioration in the child's condition and cause his death.

Dysbacteriosis. With a decrease in beneficial bacteria that contribute to the digestion of food, a persistent indigestion develops in infants. The following symptoms are noted: bloating, frequent bowel movements with foam.
Other factors. Hot stuffy weather, teething, nervousness due to the long absence of parents, untimely feeding and care can provoke indigestion in the baby.

What to pay attention to

It is necessary to pay attention not only to the consistency of the baby's secretions, but also to the color and presence of impurities:

Liquid, light-colored stools may be a sign of putrefactive processes in the intestines or the presence of an infection. Consult a doctor to determine the cause in time and start treatment;
Allocations of a green marsh hue with an unpleasant odor indicate malnutrition and milk imbalance. If at the same time the temperature rises, then this indicates the presence of an intestinal infection. In this case, go to the hospital immediately;
Foamy yellow feces can be a sign of dysbacteriosis and eating disorders. It is necessary to pass tests for dysbacteriosis.
White feces with the presence of white undigested lumps indicates incomplete digestion of milk. This can happen due to overeating or the introduction of complementary foods. Medical help should be sought if such a phenomenon is observed too often and is accompanied by anxiety and crying of the baby.
Liquid and watery feces occur with lactase deficiency and incomplete absorption of carbohydrates. In this case, fermentation and frequent release of gases are observed. Nutrition needs to be balanced. For information on how to do this correctly, consult a pediatrician.

What to do if the baby has indigestion?

If there are problems with digestion in infants, first of all, it is necessary to assess the severity of his condition and, if necessary, immediately call an ambulance. Before the arrival of doctors, he must be given enough drinking water in order to avoid dehydration.

If the problem does not require urgent medical intervention, then you must definitely contact the children's clinic for expert advice and undergo the necessary studies. All medicines should be taken only after consultation with a pediatrician.

In order to normalize digestion in a child, a nursing mother should balance her diet. Exclude from it products after the use of which the crumbs experience diarrhea.

In any case, do not try to self-medicate and be sure to contact your pediatrician. The sooner you do this, the better. Remember that the health and life of your baby depends only on you.

While the gastrointestinal tract of a newborn child will work in the established stable mode, a lot of time passes from the moment of his birth. The baby learns to accept and digest his first food, then "experiments" with the frequency and consistency of feces, later gets acquainted with supplementary foods and new "adult" foods.

All these processes directly affect the formation of stool in the newborn. And while the child's systems mature and improve, test their abilities, his stool will constantly change.

Pediatricians say that the feces of an infant during the first year of life have the right to be completely different in color, smell, consistency and frequency. Infants who are bottle-fed or supplemented have fewer normal bowel movements. But still, there is no norm established in pediatrics, which absolutely all parents or doctors could be guided by.

However, the foamy stool in a child always alarms moms and dads and causes anxiety among pediatricians. Can such a phenomenon be dangerous, and should anything be done if a newborn baby has foamy stools?

Causes of foamy stools in newborns

Let's start with the fact that feces with foam in infants are far from always a serious violation or pathology. Often, such bowel movements are a variant of the norm, but still they can often indicate certain malfunctions in the work of a small organism. The foam that appears in isolated cases in the baby's feces should not cause you anxiety and fear - most likely, this is a reaction to the mother (food or medicine) eaten, which will soon pass. But such episodes that regularly occur, and especially long-lasting cases, cannot be ignored.

What could be the reasons for the appearance of foam in the stool in a newborn baby:

food allergy. It is obvious that not all foods are accepted and digested equally well, what can we say about newborn babies! And therefore, if the mother ate “something wrong”, then changes in the baby’s stool, including the appearance of foam, are quite likely. As a rule, these are isolated cases that disappear if the irritating product is not introduced into the diet on a regular basis. The same reaction of the small intestine can also be caused by some infant formulas, as well as new food products introduced into baby food for the first time, early (before 6 months) or incorrect (fruit juices, for example) first complementary foods.
Reaction to drugs. Often, women in the postpartum period undergo antibacterial restorative therapy or take other medications. Many of them penetrate into breast milk and negatively affect the state of children's health, in particular, disrupting the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract of the crumbs. The same effect can be exerted by the means taken by the child, even quite, it would seem, harmless. So, some mothers noted the "foamy" reaction of the stool to the widely advertised "Espumizan".
Intestinal dysbacteriosis. Dysbacteriosis is accompanied by stool disorders, when constipation is replaced by diarrhea, and undigested food particles are observed in sour-smelling frothy stools. This issue should be studied separately by each parent, since in modern medical practice there are the most opposite points of view on this diagnosis, some of the doctors do not even recognize its existence. However, there is a so-called transient dysbacteriosis in newborns, which does not require any treatment, goes away on its own and is just a moment of "training" and adaptation of the children's intestines to new working conditions.
Imbalance of anterior and posterior breast milk. They talk about an imbalance of milk when a baby does not suck out a sufficient amount of the back portion of mother's milk, which is the fattest, most nutritious and valuable, or even does not get to it at all. As a result of such improper breastfeeding, many life processes are disrupted in a newborn, including digestive ones, because he receives only the anterior "watery" milk.
lactase deficiency. 99% of the carbohydrates contained in breast milk is the most valuable of them - lactose. But for its assimilation, the enzyme lactase is needed, which is not so much in the baby's body. The baby receives the main reserves of lactase with hind mother's milk: it is necessary for the digestion of the received front portion. Lack of hind milk, and with it the amount of the lactase enzyme that the child’s body lacks, is precisely capable of causing similar problems with bowel function (foamy feces, gases, bloating, colic, stool disorders). In this case, the child's stool will have a pronounced sour smell. True lactase deficiency, when lactase is simply not produced in the child's body in the amount normal for this age, is extremely rare. But this term is widely used by pediatricians when it comes to the imbalance of breast milk.
Malnutrition. Regular lack of fat nutritious mother's milk can lead to malnutrition of the child and the formation of a deficiency of biologically active substances in his body. Under such conditions, the stool of the newborn is darker than usual in color and may also foam.
Increased gas formation. Often, it is during the period of colic and increased gas formation in babies that foam in the stool can be observed. This time you just need to survive, trying to alleviate the condition of the crumbs. However, remember that a violation of the diet of a nursing mother aggravates the situation. In particular, doctors strongly recommend that women exclude cow's milk from their diet, including condensed milk.
Intestinal infection. Undoubtedly, even newly born babies can get an intestinal infection, which is accompanied by various violations of the children's stool. In such cases, foam will appear in every bowel movement, and other symptoms of infection will also be observed: vomiting, fever, diarrhea, sharp pains in the abdomen (the baby will suddenly scream and cry loudly, kick legs), decreased appetite and increased general anxiety.

Foamy stool in a newborn: what to do?

It is clear that action is necessary depending on the situation. If there has been a violation of the diet or you somehow associate the appearance of foam with the nutrition of the child or mother, then this is very easy to fix. Intestinal imbalance due to drug therapy must be eliminated together with the pediatrician.

If an infant is suspected of having difficulty digesting lactose, breastfeeding should be properly organized. It is very important that the baby swallows the nipple completely, so that he does not swallow air during feeding, so that he stays at the breast for a sufficient amount of time, "getting" to the hind milk. If the breast has not been emptied properly, then it should be offered to the baby again at the next feeding. Breaks between applications to the chest should not exceed 2-2.5 hours. Modern breastfeeding experts are convinced that the more often the baby receives a breast, the better it is for him, that is, it is necessary to follow the recommendations to apply the baby to the breast on demand.

If the baby is not eating enough, then the best way out is to establish breastfeeding properly (recent scientific evidence proves that a woman's ability to breastfeed does not depend on genetic data, but is predetermined by the breastfeeding regimen). Otherwise, you will have to supplement the baby with an adapted mixture.

Don't let the foam in the stool of a newborn scare you if he feels great, has a normal appetite, sleeps well and generally looks calm and contented with life, and if this is just a single case. If the frothy stool appears regularly or persists for a long period, is accompanied by a painful condition of the baby, and also if dark green frothy or frequent watery stools are observed (more than 8, and especially if more than 12 times a day), then with these complaints it is necessary be sure to see a doctor.

Especially for - Margarita SOLOVIEVA