Is it dangerous if the smell of feces in infants becomes putrid or sour? And what should parents do in such cases? After the baby is born, his intestines begin to adapt to new living conditions. This is manifested, among other things, by a change in color, appearance, and other characteristics of the result of defecation.
What should babies stool like?
The smell of a baby's stool changes during the first year of life. This is due to the development of the enzymatic system of the child’s gastrointestinal tract, as well as gradual changes in his diet. Changes occur over a short period of time and indicate the correct adaptation of the baby’s body to independent life.
What features of bowel movements of a newborn should a young mother know about in the first days of life: 1 During the first three days after birth, the baby still produces odorless stool, which is a viscous sticky substance of black or black-brown color with a greenish tint (meconium).
In newborns, normal stool has no odor at all.
This is how amniotic fluid with all the substances that were in it is removed from the body of a newborn, swallowed by him during the intrauterine period.
The appearance of such bowel movements indicates the beginning of normal functioning of the baby’s intestines. During this short period, meconium is completely excreted from the baby’s intestines and then the bowel movements take the form of formed excrement , which has its own characteristic features.
So, from the second day, feces acquire a gray tint and become semi-liquid. This transformation of feces indicates good absorption of milk by the baby’s organisms. 2 During the first week of life, an infant's stool may include various heterogeneous inclusions. You shouldn't be afraid of this, because... this is a type of norm. 3 Starting from the second week, the color, consistency and smell of a newborn’s stool depend on the type of feeding.
Baby feces
Already from the first hours of birth, the baby begins the process of defecation. Original stool is called meconium. They have a viscous, dark green consistency.
While the digestive system adapts to new conditions, feces are heterogeneous in nature: they include mucus and greenish inclusions, but they do not smell and are quickly washed off the diaper.
A week after giving birth, the mass begins to change color and has an odor. How normal it will be in a child depends on the mother’s diet or the quality of artificial nutrition.
Normally, the baby's stool takes on a mustard or brownish tint. Feces are pigmented by bile acids that enter the stomach during digestion.
How stool depends on nutrition
When feeding with breast milk, the color of the stool will be from dark yellow to brown, the consistency will be similar to semolina porridge, and the “aroma” of the stool will be sour milk and rather weakly expressed. There may still be a small amount of inclusions or mucus in the feces, but if the baby is not fussy and gaining weight, there is no need to worry about this. You can find out how to tell if your baby is getting enough breast milk here.
The organoleptic parameters of the feces of a breastfed newborn very much depend on the diet of the nursing mother in the first month. During the first 6 weeks of life, the baby may have bowel movements up to 10 times a day . The older the child gets, the less often bowel movements will occur during the day.
During this period, it is very important to monitor the bowel movements of the newborn for early detection of the development of various pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract.
In bottle-fed babies, the “aroma” of stool will be stronger and the consistency will be thicker. If the color of feces in artificial babies changes to orange, green or almost black, you should urgently show the baby to a doctor.
Kuznetsova M.A., pediatrician, candidate of medical sciences, Clinic “Nearmedic on Polezhaevskaya”, Moscow
If a putrid or sour smell of feces appears in a baby , flatulence, strange inclusions in feces, as well as other manifestations of stomach or intestinal dysfunction, the child should be urgently shown to a local pediatrician.
If a serious condition develops, when, against the background of intestinal changes, the temperature rises and vomiting begins, you must immediately call an ambulance.
Also, bowel movements will be unpleasant for the nose during mixed feeding, when breastfeeding alternates with various milk formulas.
Particularly strong changes in feces will be observed with the introduction of complementary foods into the infant’s diet. The more varied the foods introduced into the baby’s table, the more his excrement will resemble “adults.”
Is treatment necessary?
The sour smell itself is not an indicator of deviation from the norm. But a number of accompanying symptoms should alert parents.
When to call an ambulance
Urgent seeking help is necessary in the following cases:
- if the stool is colorless or has a black or crimson tint;
- the mass contains mucus and streaks of blood;
- the stool is loose, the child defecates more than 12 times a day.
Any deviation from the norm, accompanied by vomiting, fever, or crying of the baby, requires medical intervention. But you cannot prescribe treatment yourself - this can pose a threat to the child’s life.
In other cases, it is enough for the mother to reconsider her diet if the baby is pregnant and choose the right foods for complementary feeding.
Sour smell
A suddenly putrid smell of feces is a reason for urgent examination by a pediatrician . What does sour stool smell mean in a baby? When should you be concerned about this?
A child’s stool has a pronounced sour odor in the following conditions:
A sour, vinegar-like stool odor is a deviation
- Fermentation in the intestines. Occurs in infants as a result of the nursing mother consuming carbohydrate foods, as well as drinks caused by fermentation processes (for example, grape juice, carbonated sweet drinks, etc.).
- Inflammatory processes of the gastrointestinal tract of the newborn.
- Disturbance in the production of enzymes in infants.
- Other problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
In any case, the baby must be shown to the pediatrician to identify the reasons why the feces began to smell unpleasant and to eliminate them.
Komarovsky E.O., pediatrician, candidate of medical sciences, TV presenter, writer, Kharkov
The cause of stench from feces in an infant may be lactase deficiency.
This enzymatic disorder is quite rare, but it should not be discounted. Most often, this condition is caused by genetics. However, a thorough examination of the child should always be carried out.
Also, a change in the “aroma” of a baby’s stool to sour may be accompanied by other symptoms:
- if green, loose stools with a sour smell appear in a child, we are talking about the presence of an intestinal infection in the baby’s body;
- foamy, loose stools with a sour smell in a baby indicate insufficient production of the enzyme that breaks down milk (lactose);
- if the excrement has become a pronounced yellow color with a sour smell, we must look for the cause in a violation of the metabolism of bile pigments. Also, such stool may indicate a state of Rh conflict;
- colorless stools indicate pathology of the organs of formation and removal of bile from the body;
- Black excrement appears when there is gastric bleeding. This is a serious reason to immediately call an ambulance;
- oily feces that leave greasy stains on the tissue indicate problems with the pancreas.
The appearance of mucus in the feces of a newborn indicates the unpreparedness of his internal organs to digest food or overeating. If mucus appears, you should review your feeding regimen with your pediatrician.
Change in stool consistency
The stool may not change its color, but the non-standard consistency of the mass should cause concern.
Dangerous species include the following:
- watery and foamy stools are the result of lactase deficiency, and the masses acquire a greenish tint, an accompanying symptom is increased gas formation;
- liquid stool of the usual color is a viral or bacterial infection; if the shade has changed to green, mucus, foam or blood have appeared, and bowel movements have become more frequent, there is a suspicion of progressive dysbacteriosis;
- oily, thick stool is evidence that the pancreas does not fully produce the important enzyme lipase; as a result, fats are not processed and are excreted along with the feces.
Sometimes feces leave watery streaks around them on diapers or onesies. If this happens in the first 10 days of life, the situation can be considered normal.
When such periods occur at a later date, the child should be shown to a pediatrician.
What does a putrid smell indicate?
The pungent smell of feces in an infant indicates rotting of protein products in the intestines when the composition of the intestinal microflora changes, i.e. We are most often talking about dysbacteriosis.
A putrid stench from newborn feces appears when:
- Inflammatory bowel diseases.
- Slow motility of intestinal smooth muscles.
- Indigestion of a putrid nature.
- Dysbacteriosis.
- Various disorders of the digestion process.
The foul odor of feces, if there is mucus in it, indicates pathological processes in the intestines that appear as a result of allergic reactions , as well as exposure to an infectious or toxic agent on the baby’s body. Another reason for the appearance of mucus in excrement against the background of their unpleasant “odors” is dysbacteriosis. You can find out how and where to get tested for dysbacteriosis here.
If a strong stench from excrement appears in an infant, you should urgently contact a pediatrician for a thorough examination and identify the reasons that caused this condition!
What to do if your newborn's bowel movements change
Changes in the color and consistency of feces and the appearance of various unpleasant “odors” can be the result of both nutritional reasons, including from the nursing mother, and pathological processes in the baby’s body.
The following symptoms that develop against the background of changes in the organoleptic characteristics of excrement indicate a pathological process in the gastrointestinal tract of a newborn:
The quality and frequency of stool depend on the nutrition of mother and child, health, heredity and age of the baby
- violation of the frequency and rhythm of bowel movements;
- pale skin;
- vomit;
- breast refusal;
- increased body temperature;
- restless behavior.
The situation is especially serious if the child has loose stools that smell of fish. This indicates diseases that are dangerous for the baby such as salmonellosis or cholera.
If there is bloating in the tummy, frequent passage of gas, as well as an unpleasant smell of feces in breastfed infants, the mother should first of all pay attention to her diet. It is necessary to limit the consumption of sugars and carbohydrates as much as possible.
This applies to baked goods, any confectionery products, sweet carbonated drinks and juices that cause fermentation, etc. What foods are allowed and prohibited for a nursing mother in the first month, see here.
You can also discuss your diet with your pediatrician. The doctor will advise which foods are best to eat so that the newborn does not have problems digesting breast milk, and also maintains normal digestion in the woman.
Utkina Yu.A., pediatrician, “Alpha Health Center”, Samara
Often, a child develops green stools with a sharp, unpleasant odor during the transition from breast milk to formula. Then, together with your doctor, you need to select a different milk food that is well absorbed by the baby’s body.
To select the optimal result, sometimes you have to change the mixture several times.
The appearance of varying degrees of intensity of green coloration of feces requires control feeding with weighing of the baby before and after meals, because this may indicate that the baby is malnourished. It is better to carry out the weighing procedure together with the nurse in the pediatric office. Also, the reason for the green color of the excrement may be too high the fat content of the milk. Find out how to increase the fat content of breast milk here.
If pathogenic microflora is isolated during the analysis of the baby's stool, the mother must submit breast milk for testing for sterility. It is quite possible that the cause of the child’s gastrointestinal tract problems is precisely health problems on the part of the mother .
