About a month ago I consulted one of my little patients. Mom and child came to me on a recommendation, after long wanderings to different doctors. They came with a huge list of diagnoses, recommended tests and an even larger list of prescribed medications.
And this poor mother came to me in the hope of helping her sort through all this heap.
So that's what we had. A 2 month old baby who is exclusively breastfed. For 2-3 weeks, mother observed streaks of blood in the child's stool. Moreover, my mother observed these streaks of blood in her stool regularly (that is, daily).
What kind of diagnoses were given to the poor child: celiac disease, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, lactase deficiency and others. But the last drop in the ocean (which made my mother turn to me) was the recommendation of the local pediatrician and gastroenterologist - to wean the child off the breast.
Moreover, this recommendation was based only on the fact that the baby and the coprogram had a leukocyte count of 70. The mother did not make any other complaints. The child was active, developed according to his age, and his gains were normal.
Why do streaks of blood appear in a baby's stool?
Medical information for mothers: Streaks of blood in the stool of an infant (especially if this is accompanied by a large number of leukocytes in the stool) most often indicates intolerance to cow's milk protein. And the only adequate treatment if there are streaks of blood in the child’s stool is for the mother to refuse dairy products. Moreover, from absolutely all dairy products (including cheese, butter, tea with milk, etc.).
Thus, without using any medications prescribed by other doctors, maintaining breastfeeding and following a diet, after a week the child’s streaks of blood in his stool disappeared.
And somehow I even felt offended for the poor child, who, because of their incompetence, wanted to stuff him with dozens of unnecessary drugs, but, worst of all, tear him away from his mother’s breast.
Therefore, before you start treating your child with a bunch of drugs, or conduct a bunch of unnecessary examinations on him, make sure that the doctor is competent. Better yet, consult another doctor (or even two).
If the article was useful to you, then click “like” under the article. Share useful information on social networks.
The discussion is currently closed, but you can post from your own site.comment 203 “Streaks of blood in the stool of a baby”
No, the child also needs to remove cow's milk protein from his diet. Mom should not eat dairy products while breastfeeding.
They don't disappear right away. It should take from 2 to 4 weeks.
Elena, first, observe for a few days. If the veins persist, then rule out a rectal fissure. In general, then to the surgeon. If he eliminates the crack, but the veins remain, then 100% exclude all milk.
Ekaterina Poteryeva.
Irina, how long ago did you eliminate cow’s milk protein? By the way, there is no need to exclude beef meat. This is a completely different protein.
For three weeks I have not eaten anything dairy or lactic acid, cheese, butter and cookies, the packaging of which says that they are contraindicated for NBCM. We treated prolonged jaundice a month. Breastfeeding was stopped for 4 days, and my daughter ate formula. Afterwards we went back to breast milk, fortunately without any problems.
Watch for another 2-3 weeks. If streaks of blood, even rare ones, remain, then it is definitely necessary to exclude a polyp (or other surgical pathology). And in the future, prolonged jaundice is not a reason to wean the baby off the breast even for 4 days. It goes quite well on its own.
Thank you, Ekaterina, for your answer!
We were treated for jaundice not only by weaning. Phenobarbital was used. Bilirubin was 160. I just thought that maybe the sudden switch to formula milk was the reason for such intolerance.
Thanks again. I learned a lot of interesting and necessary things on your site.
Eh(((Magadan(((I found out later that it won’t be used for a long time.
Most likely this is due to the bunch of drugs that were given to the child. Because they weren't needed. It’s better not to go to doctors like the one who prescribed all this at all. Look for an adequate doctor who will not prescribe a bunch of drugs with unproven effectiveness.
You wrote what worries you. But they didn’t say anything about the child. How is he feeling?
I would advise you no longer to stuff your child with drugs with unproven effectiveness - this is the first thing.
Second, understand that the anti-reflux formula is made from cow's milk, which the baby is allergic to. Sometimes it is an allergy to cow's milk that causes regurgitation in a child. Thus, the first thing to do is to eliminate cow's milk from the child's diet. For example, switch to hydrolysates.the child's condition does not suffer. Gaining weight, good appetite, active. the child was born at a gestational age of 35 weeks, with a weight of 2770. physical. the decline reached 2500 and then from the 14th day they began to gain, reaching 3900 today. So with the veins of change. Now there are some dots of carrot color. food is the same. tell me your opinion about these veins. hemoglobin dropped to 108, and a week later to 101. And we were going for BCG. but now we won’t be able to place
Remove everything that contains BCM, absolutely all milk. The child loses iron with these veins.
that is, to be constantly on a lactose-free formula?
Not lactose-free, but hydrolyzed. Because the lactose-free mixture also contains cow's milk protein, but does not contain lactose.
Catherine. Our analysis for dysbacteriosis showed Klebsiella pneum. not sensitive to phages. Gentamicin was prescribed orally. How do you feel about such a drug, given the bunch of side effects?
I'll tell you a big secret: there is no diagnosis of Dysbacteriosis. It exists only in the minds of Soviet doctors. And since there is no diagnosis, it means there is no need to treat it. Especially with such an extremely difficult drug for children.
Diagnosis of dysbacteriosis - stick it on the card and forget about it. Klebsiella normally lives in the human intestine.Catherine. We still have a clinic. and now the stool is positive for occult blood. what to do? Should this be associated with Klebsiela or not?
There is definitely no point in connecting it with Klebsiella. Is there anything in the diet with cow/goat milk protein or soy?
Ekaterina you wrote
There is definitely no point in connecting it with Klebsiella. Is there anything in the diet with cow/goat milk protein or soy?of course I have. I wrote above that we have been on the Nutrilon anti-reflux mixture since birth, now almost 3 months) since we do not regurgitate AR
I found our dialogue. I already told you earlier that you need to switch to hydrolysates. If you have not done this yet, then it is not clear what improvement you are waiting for.
Good evening. We were a little happy here. there were no veins for a week. and now it has become even more. plus the stool is always green. did not switch to hydrolysates. for financial reasons. Is there really no other way out?
Anna, unfortunately not.
To begin with, remove all “good bacteria” away from the child (preferably in the trash area). The child doesn't need them.
Next, remove all dairy and anything that contains cow's milk protein (CMP) from your diet.
There is no lactose in lactose-free cheese, but there is plenty of BCM (as you saw in practice - there are more veins).
I don’t understand at all why such a strict diet. Eat everything that does not contain CMP. You also don’t need various medications.Lyudmila, a very timely addition))) Unfortunately, in order to accurately diagnose atopic dermatitis, you need to see the child, which is difficult to do on the Internet. But the description is very similar to atopic dermatitis (AD).
Let's assume that the child has blood pressure. Blood pressure has this property: it intensifies (I can’t say that it occurs due to) an allergy to CMP.
That is why all international guidelines for the treatment of AD state that a child should be completely excluded from dairy products. and if the child is on breastfeeding, then dairy is removed from the mother’s diet.
Lactose testing is not entirely indicative. With lactase deficiency (even if transient, which happens more often) there are 2 points that you do not have:
1. Constant persistent diarrhea
2. Poor weight gain (really bad, actually).Pimafucort helps you only because it is hormonal. And topical steroids are the gold standard for treating AD.
Topical steroids can be prescribed only after examination according to a specific schedule.
In your case, Pimafucort is not the drug of choice, since it is prohibited for use in children under 1 year of age.
At your age, it is safer to use Advantan (it is allowed from 4 months)
Add to the group on VK and send a high-quality photo of rashes from different places.In the first year of life, a child’s stool can be anything. It changes from day to day. If it does not contain blood, it is not white, then everything is fine.
How long ago is this now? How does the child feel?
Albina, you have a problem with your baby’s stool. The blood appears because the first portion is very dense and can damage the anal mucosa. This is where the blood appears on the paper and in the stool.
First you need to figure out why your child is afraid to go to the toilet in kindergarten? Secondly, give the child more water to drink (simply offer to drink more often, and the child will drink as much as he needs). Try giving fresh vegetables more often.
If these measures do not help, then it is possible to use Duphalac.Julia, as a rule, tolerance develops by the age of one and a half years. Sometimes by a year.
Thanks for the answer!
To begin with, you are introducing complementary foods completely incorrectly. Complementary foods should be introduced correctly and gradually. The child does not need Eneterofuril and Creon. Unfortunately, you can’t figure it out without online consultation.
Most likely, blood streaks have nothing to do with temperature. Most likely it's just ARVI
There is no need for Enterofuril, nor Viferon. But it makes sense to try a dairy-free diet for 3-4 weeks.
-
Ekaterina, I noticed one small vein today and two days ago, do I need to apply something? What about giving up dairy—kefir and yogurt too?
I’ll complete the baby’s third month on breastfeeding, the stool is good, but in the last two days I noticed 2 veins, should I sound the alarm, what should I do? Thank you very much in advance for your answer
Observe for day 2. If the same continues to appear and there is no rectal fissure (which is nonsense in children your age), then give up dairy completely.
Valeria, according to the description it looks like ABKM. Eliminate all dairy from your diet (including milk in cookies), no medications needed.
I advise you to replace Maltofer with actiferrin in a dosage of 3-4 drops per 1 kg of weight (divided into 2 doses). Maltofer gives no response at all in 25%, and only a delayed response after 6-8 weeks in 45%.Aktiferrin for at least 3-4 months. If hemoglobin is above 70, then you can do it at any time. Anemia is a false contraindication to vaccination.
Find on the Internet “MU 3.3.1.1095-02. 3.3.1. Vaccine prevention. Medical contraindications to preventive vaccinations with drugs from the national vaccination calendar. Guidelines"
It's clearly written there.Valeria, there can be no answer to this question. Simply because there is no inactivated vaccine in the world against Tuberculosis, measles, mumps, rotavirus infection and rubella. These are always live attenuated (weakened) strains.
If you are asking about polio, then it is quite possible to do 4 vaccinations with an inactivated vaccine, and 5th with a live one (to create intestinal immunity as well).Thanks for the advice!
Good afternoon Ekaterina, I haven’t eaten milk for 5 days, there were no veins, and today they appeared again. Is it too early to draw conclusions? Should we also exclude products that contain milk powder?
Early. Exclude.
I don’t understand how pneumonia and mucus in the stool or blood in the stool are connected. For now, watch. The child may have a fissure (a surgeon will need to be consulted). If the child has always been on formula milk, the likelihood that it is CMSD is small, but it is possible. Otherwise it would have appeared earlier.
For now, watch. If they appear again (and not once), then remove all milk from your diet.
Natalya, breastfeeding is the only adequate feeding of a child. Don’t even think about it, switch to GW for sure. Goat milk mixture also often causes allergies, since the caseins are almost the same.
During breastfeeding, the rash may be larger or smaller, but a strict diet does not really help. All you have to do is exclude BCM from your diet. The rest is basically possible. The skin can be lubricated with emollients constantly. The rest is according to the dermatologist's recommendations.It is not a fact that there is no goat allergy. Unfortunately, very, very often the allergy manifests itself just after a month (when the breastfeeding agent is irretrievably lost and the mixture is not suitable) and then the terrible search and selection of the mixture begins.
As I already wrote, I don’t see the point of strict restrictions on food. Atopic dermatitis, although a frequently relapsing disease, is still benign and most often goes away by the age of 5. Unfortunately, you will need to periodically apply Advantan, but under no circumstances should you stop abruptly (it gives a refund)How is the child gaining weight? Currently, I don’t see any point in analysis. The effects of a dairy-free diet can take 6-8 weeks. For now, watch.
In the first month we gained 550g, in the second 900g, now we are adding about 200g per week (we are now 2 months and 3 weeks old, we have gained 2 kg since birth). I increased the dose of lactazar, assuming that the child can already eat more than 100 ml at a time, I give 2 capsules per feeding, for several days the stool has been mostly clean, only a couple of times there were blood streaks. Tell me, when can I return to dairy products and which ones are best to start with? (We were recommended to take Lactazar for up to 4 months)
-
Thank you for your advice and concern for our children! Not every doctor can be contacted so easily via the Internet and get an answer, but you do.
I also wanted to clarify about lactazar. You recommend not taking it at all. But the child’s stool was liquid, like water with lumps, frequent and plentiful, after each feeding, and constantly bounced up a little, it was impossible to hold him naked. And now the stool is homogeneous, mushy, 3-4 times a day. The stool returned to normal before I eliminated milk, but we had already been taking lactazar for a week. Do you think this is not his effect? And how then to interpret the result of a stool analysis for carbohydrates 1.0-1.65 (normal<0.25)? На основании его нам и поставили лактазную недостаточность. Вы не подумайте, что я настаиваю на своем, просто хочется узнать Вашу точку зрения.
And the gas traffic torments us a lot, we can’t even sleep normally, we wake up and cry. Can you recommend anything?Nadezhda, this is a normal stool for a child in the first months of life. Primary lactase deficiency in children of the first year of life is extremely rare (while over 4-5 years of age it is much more common). Most often there is transient lactase deficiency, which goes away on its own. A stool analysis can neither confirm nor refute the diagnosis of FN (unfortunately, it is not informative).
-
For now, watch for a week. I think everything will recover on its own.
Not earlier than in 2 weeks. Sometimes after 6-8 weeks
Ekaterina, can cow’s milk be replaced with goat’s or soy milk?
No, there are also allergies to them (usually cross allergies), so there is no point in changing them.
Can there be a cross-allergy to eggs too?
Julia, I suggest you leave the child behind. If streaks of blood appear, switch to a dairy-free diet. All the drugs prescribed to the child have no proven effectiveness. And Creon, in principle, you don’t need. Mucus in stool is normal.
Olga, unfortunately, without seeing the child, I cannot say specifically what it is. Because it’s one thing to have bright red veins, another thing to have brown ones. The stomach hurts due to colic. They just need to be experienced. Learn more about colic in my free course:
I see no reason to panic yet. Try eliminating dairy for 6-8 weeks. Everything else is possible: meat and vegetables and fruits (just don’t go overboard with quantities). Don't starve yourself. Bifidumbacterins, etc. are also not needed. Unfortunately, I don’t see any rashes, well, since the doctor doesn’t think it’s anything strange and only prescribed fenistil, they will go away slowly (don’t worry, they’ll go away quietly)Svetlana, Most likely the child has ABCM. Blood tests can be explained by a history of acute respiratory viral infection (increased ESR and thrombocytosis. Although the platelet level is not so high for a 2.5 month old child). Leukocytes in feces are also explained by ABCM. I don’t see the need for treatment for all of the above. In general, I don’t see the need to treat a healthy child. The frequency and consistency of stool does not matter in children of the first year of life.
But perhaps I don’t know something (and of course I don’t see the child) that full-time doctors know.Observe for now, if it doesn’t go away after 3-5 weeks, try eliminating dairy from your diet for 6-8 weeks.
And don't give your child any more unnecessary drugs.Thanks for the answer. We were tested for UPF, and the result came back. It exceeds the indicators of Lactose-negative Escherichia coli 10⁹, pathogenic staphylococcus 5-10⁵, Clipsiella 6-10⁶. And there is no bacteria of the genus Protea present. The doctor prescribes taking Enterofuril suspension ½ three times a day for 5-7 days. Should I take this and how can I normalize the normal flora in a child? The streaks in the stool remain every day, there is mucus and acne does not go away on the face. We are now 4.5 months old
PS: I understand that you live in Perm, and so do we. Is it possible to make a live appointment with you?
Julia, have you removed milk from your diet and your child’s diet? I don’t see acne, maybe it’s atopic dermatitis, but I can’t say for sure.
Yes, I removed it.
Rose, today you need to exclude BCM and soy from your diet. And watch the child for 6-8 weeks. No tests are needed at this time, and I don’t see any point in any treatment.
Natalya, rule it out for good while there is breastfeeding.
Typically, tolerance to BCM is developed by 1.5-2 years, when breastfeeding is already quite minimal. I think the rest will pass. Honestly, I highly doubt that it exists. Because, most likely, by completely abolishing milk and subsequent consumption of these products (I’m talking about eggs and fish), the rash will not appear. But you definitely need to try introducing these products after 3-4 weeks.-
Thanks for the answer. I think I’ve read everything, but I don’t quite understand: do dairy products also include fermented milk? Remove it completely - no butter, no kefir, no cottage cheese?
completely remove it. And fermented milk. Even if the cookies contain milk, they cannot be used.
Marina I answer point by point
1. Unlikely. Most likely it coincided with ARVI.
2. Why? It is quite possible to cook with water. Dairy-free mixtures (hydrolysates) are wildly bitter.
3. It is possible and necessary.
4. Remove milk and anything containing milk.
5. You need to stop eating only milk and dairy products. Everything else is possible. Natalya, most likely you had a viral intestinal infection. There are many viruses that cause diarrhea, etc., not just rotavirus. This happens, it's okay. Now there is no point in the drugs you named. Soon the stool will return to normal. The main thing is to give your child water.
Olga, just watch. It’s not a fact that this is ABKM. If streaks of blood appear regularly, then remove all dairy and soy from your diet.
-
I was out of town and couldn’t answer. You can replace milk with anything. Boiled (baked) meat, soups, various buckwheat, rice, pasta, stewed vegetables, etc.
Ekaterina, thank you for your answer. Now I'm even more confused.
What's confusing? Baby's chair? In the first year of life it can be absolutely anything, the main thing is that it must contain bilirubin and not contain blood. Everything else is the absolute norm. Yes, after antibiotics there is antibiotic-associated diarrhea, but it quietly goes away on its own.
Catherine. I removed dairy from my diet. Now the stool has become even worse, like solid mucus. The blood streaks don't go away. The gastroenterologist called and she ordered me to give 0.5 gentamicin from an ampoule and take the caprogram again. The child feels well. You say everywhere that bad poop will get better. How soon does this happen? My eldest and I suffered from green diarrhea for 7 months. I was cured only with antibiotics. As a result, by the age of 1 year, hemoglobin dropped to 60. We were then sent to hematologists with dire prognoses, but it was ordinary IDA, which developed due to this diarrhea. I am terribly afraid of a recurrence, especially since a month ago my hemoglobin was already at the lower limit of normal.
Unfortunately, from the description it doesn’t really look like it’s an ABKM. It would have already passed by the age of 2. Milk resistance usually develops by age 2. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to even comment; Crohn’s is indeed possible.
Margarita, question 1 - is the child somehow bothered by the child’s stool? Or is he bothering his mother?
I don't see the point in lactazar. The gains are excellent, with lactase deficiency there are no gains at all. Moreover, I don’t see any need for Enterol and Motilium.
You need to strictly follow a diet and under no circumstances remove breastfeeding. GW is a salvation for you. Milk can't be bad.Should we introduce complementary foods? Zucchini, porridge?
There is no need to give up other products. I see no reason to worry. On breastfeeding, there may be stool after each feeding. This is fine.
Hello Ekaterina.
My daughter is almost 5 months old. On GW. Blood streaks appeared about 1 month ago. I removed dairy from my diet. There was no blood for 2 weeks. Then the blood appeared again and more. Blood is usually in lumps of mucus. Sometimes in strings, sometimes in lumps.
For the last 2 weeks there has been blood in the stool regularly (every 2-3 days). Sometimes very minimally, sometimes more.
We were inpatient for examination (we live in Germany). Blood test is ok. Stool analysis for viruses (noro, rota) is negative. At the hospital, the doctors wanted to do an endoscopy. I refused intestinal endoscopy. The child does not have any other symptoms and I am in no hurry to do an endoscopy under general anesthesia.The child feels well. Doesn't cry, doesn't get capricious. Appetite is good. The child is active and mobile. When defecating, he sometimes strains, although the stool is liquid. There is no gas, no regurgitation, the tummy is soft without rumbling.
Our pediatrician also suggested ABCM. But I haven’t eaten dairy for a month now. And there is more blood in the stool more regularly. The pediatrician recommends switching from breastfeeding to a special diet. He says that even with strict exclusion of milk on my part, BKM may be hidden in some products (bread, etc.). What do you recommend in this case: refuse breastfeeding? I'm already completely desperate. Special the food is called Neocate. based on amino acids and the complete exclusion of possible allergen proteins.
Selena, it’s great that in Germany they still know about allergies to cow’s milk protein.
Unfortunately, neokate is not always the answer. Yes, the child has ABCM. But today GW is the only adequate solution. I agree that you need to be very strict with your diet. And to do this you will have to read all product labels. I know for sure that in Germany manufacturers are required to write down everything that is in a given product.
You need to exclude all milk and soy protein. That is, cookies that may contain milk should also be excluded. As far as I know, milk is not added to bread.
Natalya, definitely don’t introduce dairy products until you are one and a half years old.
Natalya, usually by the age of introduction of complementary feeding, that is, by 6 months of breastfeeding, the child already has a certain feeding regimen. And he doesn’t require breastfeeding every half hour. Therefore, you should adhere to the regime that the child has established. But breakfast, lunch and dinner should stand out.
Hope, streaks of blood in a baby’s stool can also appear during viral infections, intestinal infections, after a course of antibiotics (with antibiotic-associated diarrhea). The child currently has antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Everything will be restored soon. If the child is not bothered by such stools, if there is no abdominal pain, then simply give him water more often. If the child is only on breastfeeding, then feed according to the child’s demand (that is, if he wants to eat, we feed him; if he doesn’t want to, we don’t offer him food). It returns to normal no earlier than after 4-6 weeks.
thanks for the answer! The child is only on breastfeeding. But the tummy worries, growls, cries, and bends its legs. Should I continue drinking Hilak Forte? How else can you help her? and was it worth taking lactobacterin?
There is no particular meaning in hilak and lactobacterin. Breast hygiene (in the sense of washing only once a day) is enough. Tummy massage, heat on the tummy.
Elvira, it seems to me that the answer is quite obvious - remove cow’s milk and dairy products from your diet, including cookies that contain milk.
Yulia, 400 grams is normal. Milk comes from putting your baby to the breast frequently, and not from feeding him formula. Go completely on breastfeeding and eliminate milk from your diet.
Eliminate all dairy products from your diet for 6-8 weeks, including goat milk, soy, and cookies that contain milk.
Hello! I am very glad that I came across your forum! Yesterday we had a DPT vaccination, today there is a small streak of blood! Temperature 37.7, ?
“My son is 6 months old! Maybe this is due to the vaccination! Really looking forward to your reply! Thank you!Elena, after the vaccination does not mean because of it. For now, watch. If everything goes away on its own in a few days, then there is no reason to worry.
Irina, fortunately, the compensatory mechanisms of a child’s body are so strong that they can withstand even such illiterate treatment.
1. What increases does the child have? If the child gains normally (which is most likely, otherwise the alarm would have sounded much earlier) then, by definition, he cannot have lactase deficiency.
2. Colic during feeding - especially at the beginning of feeding - is a feature of the body. When the first drops of milk enter the baby's mouth, the entire gastrointestinal tract begins to work (which is why children often poop during feeding). Sometimes the intestinal peristalsis is so strong that the stomach simply twists.
3. The stool is always liquid - you should be happy, some of the baby’s stools wait like manna from heaven for 7 days.
4. If the veins are single and will not appear again, then there is no cause for concern.Ekaterina, thanks for the answer!
We decided not to vaccinate immediately.
That's why he hasn't been vaccinated yet.
Next week we will be five months old, we will get our first BCG vaccination
I don't know how to help him
On the one hand I will treat staphylococcus, and the load will be on the liver
You treat one thing, you cure another ((
I feel sorry for the baby, he cries every time he eats
He eats very little, but he is gaining weight.
Olga, you don’t need a strict diet. In addition to excluding milk and dairy products. You can eat everything else. Complementary foods should be introduced during breastfeeding only after 6 months. The child is not ready for complementary feeding. Do you still have breast milk? Because if blood streaks appear on hydrolysates, then you will have to switch to amino acid mixtures, but they are wildly expensive and tasteless.
Katerina, according to your description, you have ABCM, and this is manifested not only by streaks of blood in the stool, but also by the infantile form of atopic dermatitis (which needs to be treated). Remove all dairy from your diet and watch. Tests are pointless, at least for now.
Please tell me how to treat atopic dermatitis? Or is it enough to just eliminate dairy?
And another question, if I exclude milk, what should I replace it with, drink calcium?
Katerina, first you need to find out if this is really AD. And only a full-time doctor can do this. See a dermatologist. Calcium is found in all foods, not just milk. Therefore, there is no need to drink calcium.
Thank you for your response! Health to your family!
According to the caprogram, there is no blood, but there are 25-27 leukocytes.
Gave gentamicin. Now I give enterofuril. There is no blood, but there is mucus and, in general, this is diarrhea.Camilla, Enterofuril has not been shown to be effective in studies and is unsafe for a child. Did your child have a stool test done before using antibiotics? Antibiotics treat bacterial infections. In order to treat something, you need to have an idea of what you are treating, to have a specific diagnosis. And antibiotics for prophylaxis are a medical crime and the illiteracy of the doctor.
Oksana, you can’t do the same with BKM. Switch to hydrolysates.
I'm sorry, but what are hydrolysates?
Baby formulas. For example Alfare, Nutrilon Pepti allergy
A healthy baby does not need Creon, nor does a test for a non-existent disease. Yes, dysbiosis exists only in the minds of doctors stuck in the 80s.
First of all, you need to consult with your doctor to rule out GERD. Because what you are describing could be a symptom of GERD. It is also possible this is ABKM. But you can’t do without consulting a qualified specialist (and not the one who prescribes the test for dysbacteriosis).I absolutely agree with my foreign colleagues.
1. According to the description, this is indeed ABKM
2. The cause of atopic dermatitis is also often intolerance to cow's milk protein (this is the first thing that is excluded in AD).
3. Slow weight gain may be due to the individual characteristics of the child.
4. These tests are usually not done until 4-5 years of age, because before this age they are not informative and are often false negative.
5. How much does the child weigh now, what is his height, age and head volume?
6. You need to understand that from your diet you need to exclude absolutely everything that may contain cow’s milk protein (including cookies containing milk or milk powder), as well as goat’s milk and products made from it and soy - they cause cross-linking allergies.Ekaterina, good evening! Thank you very much for your answer, it calmed me down.
The boy is now 25 weeks old. Weight 7160, length 67.2, head volume 43.8.
I definitely excluded all dairy products from my diet, including goat dairy. It is quite easy to monitor the presence of allergens in products. As for soy, local pediatricians and nutritionists do not say to exclude it, but rather give it as an example as an alternative to dairy in a diet. What to do with soy?Julia, unfortunately, the pediatricians are wrong about this. Soy also causes cross-reactions.
Thank you, Ekaterina! I will exclude soy. What can you say about the child’s weight (in the previous message)?
And I wanted to express my gratitude to you for your efforts and approach. To be honest, I feel sorry for the children who are prescribed so many drugs, even if they are “safe”. Here in England there is a different approach, but also with its own disadvantages, but that’s a completely different conversation.
Julia, the weight is absolutely normal, don’t worry.
Oksana, no, this level of alkaline phosphatase is unlikely to be associated with CM. Address this question to a cardiologist, and then perhaps to an in-person pediatrician.
Evgenia, To begin with, you are now describing the child’s condition after an intestinal infection (in principle, it doesn’t matter which one). With an intestinal infection, there are also often streaks of blood in the baby’s stool. Bifidumbacterin should not be given to a healthy, much less a sick child.
Marina, staphylococcus is normally present in many children, so there is no need to specifically look for it. There is no need to do a milk analysis - this is complete nonsense. About this and much more in my course:
You now need to eliminate all milk, including cookies, etc. where there is milk.
You have two things that indicate ABCM - streaks of blood in the stool and atopic dermatitis (as described)Tatyana, yes, most often cow’s, goat’s milk and soy give cross-reactions. It is advisable to remove all milk from your diet and switch completely to breastfeeding or supplement it with mixtures - hydrolysates.
Hello! We can say that there is no breast milk at all, and with formula we have diarrhea or stool with mucus. Can you tell me what to do in this situation?
Switch to hydrolysates if veins remain
Hydrolyzed mixtures, as I understand it, are hypoallergenic mixtures, we took NAN, hypoallergenic diarrhea from him began instantly, right while he was eating it.
No, these are not hypoallergenic mixtures. This is precisely based on complete hydrolysis of the protein. In the Nan line (Nestlé company) there is 1 such mixture - Alfare. Nan hypoallergenic will not help.
Alice, I understand that you want to help the child as quickly as possible, but often such a desire leads to tragic consequences. Therefore, be patient, since there are no special tests that accurately confirm ABKM. Only by trial method.
Natalya, the child does not have bacteria, since you do not describe the clinical manifestations of bacterial inflammation. Enterofuril is a drug with unconfirmed effectiveness and safety, and therefore should not be used in children. For now, watch your child and go on a diet!
Oksana, if your mother takes antibiotics, such a reaction is possible. Now just watch and try not to get sick anymore. There is no need to take any tests yet. Mucus in the stool should not be considered a problem at all.
Thank you very much Ekaterina. Should foamy stool be a concern? And could the streaks in the blood be a reaction not to BCM, but to gluten? (because my eldest daughter has celiac disease).
Oksana, as a rule, with celiac disease there are no streaks of blood. I think you need to discuss this with your pediatrician. Because many things are not visible on the Internet.
But still, I am sure that this is CDMA, since 4 months is too early for the onset of celiac disease.Thanks a lot!
Sea buckthorn candles are not needed. If veins appear regularly, then exclude all milk and dairy products.
1. Lactose does not contain cow's milk protein.
2. Dry is also not allowed, protein does not go away from drying.
3. 6-8 weeks
4. It’s also impossible.
5 Yes, it appears over time.
6. Most likely this is ABKMDina, you have collected all the speculation and rumors in one child.
1. exclude all dairy.
2. What does stool and complementary foods have to do with it? Stool in children under one year of age can be of any consistency and color.
3. This is nonsense. First of all, hemorrhoid disease is manifested by a violation of blood clotting and the appearance of petechiae (bruises) in the child. If this is not the case, then there is no point in giving the child unnecessary tests.
Hello, Ekaterina. I read your article about streaks of blood in the stool of a baby. My child is 10 months old, and the veins have been bothering us for a long time. But our pediatrician could not help us in any way, and also constantly prescribed bifidumbacterin, then bacteriophage, etc. Yes, and besides, we were diagnosed with Staphylococcus aureus, and now we have diarrhea It’s been going on for more than a month, we’ve already taken both enterefuril and furazalidol. And you gave such a clear and concise answer about the veins. From now on, no dairy products. I have only 2 questions for you: how long can you avoid eating dairy products? And is it possible to give cottage cheese to a child? I would be very grateful for your answer.
Please tell me butter, cheese, etc. I stopped eating, but there were still veins and there was even a clot. They don't clean up right away? And the coprogram also shows 0 red blood cells, but there are veins. Why? Thank you in advance!
Thank you very much for the information, we also have veins;((Tomorrow I will give up dairy.. I hope it helps)) I am going through a terrible time, We are still very little ((((
Hello. My daughter is 3 months old and we had no blood streaks before this time, but today when I saw this I was scared! Since I was a month old, I have been eating milk with tea, cheese, cottage cheese. In our case, should we also exclude milk?
Hello, Ekaterina!
Your article was very useful for me. Thank you
This problem occurred to my daughter when she was 4.5 months old. I excluded everything related to cows from my diet, including meat. The stool is improving, veins in the form of tiny fibers still appear occasionally. We squeezed the coprogram and stool for occult blood - everything is fine. And pathogenic microflora is within acceptable limits. We had an appointment with a surgeon and told him about the problem with stool on the advice of the pediatrician. He gave a referral to the hospital for a consultation - the intestinal polyp is in question. And we have regular bowel movements, from one to four times a day, with a thin porridge. I feel great, my weight gain and growth are good. Completely on GW.
I don’t want to subject my child to additional stress and various examinations if the reason is my diet. What to do? Now my daughter is 5 months old
Irina, thank you very much! I am very glad that you found useful information. I’m embarrassed to ask, where else do we have a Soviet and treat jaundice in newborns with phenobarbital?
Hello, Ekaterina!
The baby is 3 months old, there was a strong cough, the pediatrician diagnosed laryngitis, we have been undergoing treatment for the 6th day and prescribed the following treatment for us: the first 2 days, clembuterol and the subsequent ones to this day, baladex, as well as summed 4 days, fenkarol, chlorophyllipt oil solution and rinse put protargol in the nose with sallin. For the last 2 days, once a day around lunchtime, there are a lot of dark-colored blood clots in the stool, the stool is very liquid and mustard-colored mucus, a little earlier I noticed thin red blood streaks once, the pediatrician prescribed us Linex and get tested for hidden blood. Today a small red rash appeared on his stomach, back and cheeks. And sometimes he starts crying very sharply, often before pooping. There is no fever, a little runny nose, but no snot flowing out. He eats well, I only breastfeed. Please tell me what we should do ?Is this possible because of the treatment? And what other tests do we need to take? Which doctors should we contact?
Hello. my boy is 1 month old. 20 days and for a month now there have been streaks of blood in the stool, at first it was dark, and then unchanged. I had stools up to 8 times, now 3-4. On artificial feeding. (Nutrilon Ag, because we spit up a lot). We took enterofuril, hilak, and bifiform as prescribed by the doctor. , elkar. It wasn’t there for a week, then small veins appeared again. in the coprogram there are either no leukocytes, or a large number. there is also visually a lot of mucus in the stool. sent to the gastro department to do a colonoscopy and rule out polyps, UC, etc. under anesthesia. but I definitely won’t agree to anesthesia. tell me your opinion
Anna, we have a very similar situation. Please unsubscribe, how are you doing?
Hello, Ekaterina. My child is 5.5 months old and has had streaks in his stool and constant mucus since he was 2 months old. At 2 months - we suffered from salmonellosis, were treated for an infection, we were discharged seemingly healthy, but we got rid of this muck - 5 courses of antibiotics, 4 courses of bacteriophages, bifidiobacterins, linex - which, as it turned out, we couldn’t drink - lactose intolerance, drank normoflorins, it seems to be better......, I'm on buckwheat, water and turkey with boiled onions, I also eat lactose-free NAS so that I have milk. My little one won’t eat any formula.
On the recommendation of a gastroenterologist, I tried lactose-free cheese - there were more veins, low-fat cottage cheese, rice, broth, potatoes - the same reaction, I tried a baked apple - that's it. blood day veins. I tried to drink Kalcemin - there were a lot of veins, the skin was rash - and all this would soon last for 4 months…………. What to do?
Ekaterina, good afternoon! Tell me, please, can there be dermatitis on BCM? The child is five and a half months old. For two months now we have not been able to cure extensive redness on the skin (stomach, under diapers, neck, knees, it’s already gone to the back). We visited three doctors from different clinics and diagnosed seborrheic and/or atopic dermatitis. Of all the medications, only pimafucort helps, but after stopping it everything comes back. Yesterday there was a streak of blood in the stool, and today there is a blood clot. Completely on GW. A stool test last week (to the point of blood in the stool) showed a reaction to lactose. Signed up for the trail. week for a consultation with a gastroenterologist. Stop all milk?
I forgot to write that the child feels fine. Appetite is good. Redness on the body does not bother him.
Hello, Ekaterina! Tell me, please, are undigested white lumps a sign of an allergy? After reading your article, I eliminated all milk, the streaks went away, but the lumps remained, and now we have finished breastfeeding, we eat hypoallergenic Nutrilac. There are still lumps.
Good evening. We switched to a lactase-free formula while bottle-fed, the diathesis went away, but now he poops often, 3 times a day, even irritation appeared on his butt.. why? We are 8 months old, capricious, but we are teething. Thanks for the answer
Hello! Child 4.5 years old. We have a jwp. At 1 year old I suffered from constipation. By 2.5, it seems to me, we got rid of this ailment. In November 2013, I began to notice streaks of blood in my stool or blood on toilet paper and at the end of my stool. The pediatrician recommended sea buckthorn oil compresses. It seemed to help for a few weeks. Now the blood is 1 time every 4 days. In kindergarten he is afraid to go to the toilet, but he endures it. At home he walks stiffly (no blood), then he walks a little loosely (already with blood). Since December 2013, my stomach often hurts immediately after eating. In kindergarten he says it doesn’t hurt. Perhaps a reaction to me (I often asked if my stomach hurts before). I have questions: 1. Which specialist should I contact about blood and abdominal pain? 2. Can my stomach hurt immediately after eating due to diarrhea? 3. Is it necessary to do FGDS and is it safe?4. What could be the cause of blood in stool? Previously, with constipation at a younger age, there was no blood. Thank you!
Hello! We also faced a similar situation. At 2 months, stools streaked with blood began. Our “smart” pediatrician diagnosed dysbiosis and prescribed Acipol (without prescribing a single test for us). But I was not satisfied with such a solution to matters and I learned a mountain of information about the NBKM on the Internet. All dairy products and even mention of them in the composition were immediately banned. So we are already 9 months old and have long forgotten about blood in our stool. But now sometimes I allow myself either chocolate or cookies (they contain milk powder and margarine). But the child’s body does not give any reaction to this. As before, the child is cheerful and active, has a good appetite, and is fully breastfeeding. Question: Can the NBKM itself go away over time? Because I want to give my child both cottage cheese and milk porridge.
Hello Ekaterina! The child is 5 months old, the stool was normal once a day, we were on the Nutrilon Pre mixture from birth, at 4.5 we gave 2 buckwheat porridge, also from Nutrilon, and cauliflower, for a week everything was fine (the stool was even harder). Then they gave me 2 tablespoons of zucchini and 2 tablespoons of oatmeal, and the next day the bowel movements became 2-3 less frequent. We immediately stopped eating zucchini but continued to give buckwheat once a day. The next day, the stool increased up to 5 times. We came to the pediatrician and she advised me to give him rice porridge and smecta 1 sachet once a day. It got worse! Slul increased in frequency up to 9-10 and was streaked with blood. But the child behaves and feels noticeable, no vomiting, no fever. They called emergency services, she said that it was not an infection, stop all cereals and food and give smecta. 4 days passed and we were not getting better. They called the pediatrician and prescribed: entorofuril, Krion 10,000. She said that everything will go away in 2-3 days, but the 4th stool comes much less often than 4-5, but they still lived.
Hello Ekaterina, I have a 4-month-old baby, twice I noticed red streaks in the stool and our temperature is 38.2, the child is capricious all the time, straining, kicking his legs, we visited the surgeon and she said there are no surgical abnormalities, they took an X-ray of the intestines and the result is a lot of gas. Tell me what with the baby, why the temperature? Could it be an infection?
Hello Ekaterina, in a previous letter I described the child’s condition, you said that it was possible that it was ARVI. We called the local pediatrician to the house and prescribed a test for scatology, Viferon suppositories every 12 hours, if the temperature was Nurofen. The analysis came back like this:
Shape:unshaped
Consistency: liquid
Stool color: yellow-green
pH:7.0
Connective tissue: no
Muscle fibers: no
Neutral fat: no
Fatty acids: no
Soap: Small quantity(+)
Indigestible fiber: moderate amount(++)
Digestible fiber: no
Starch: no
Iodophilic bacteria: no
Mucus: moderate amount(++)
Leukocytes: 20-40 (by mucus)
Red blood cells: no
The pediatrician prescribed us enterofuril, at the moment the baby does not have a fever, but is constantly capricious, red spots have appeared on the skin, perhaps because of the Viferon suppositories? Gases are difficult to pass, yesterday he pooped thick green stuff, today the stool is yellow but with mucus.
Help, is there any danger for the baby? Was the treatment prescribed correctly?
Breastfed baby.
And the fact that leukocytes in the analysis is inflammation, as I understand it, is not the norm?
Good afternoon Ekaterina. Please tell me this could be from dairy products. The child is 4.5 months old, at 4 months I noticed 2 scarlet streaks in the stool. Then, after 2 weeks, a couple more and now for 3 days in a row (not every time after a bowel movement, but about once a day) these veins appeared. The child is breastfeeding, cheerful, active, not capricious. I have been eating milk since birth, this has never happened before. We have been taking maltofer for a month now, low hemoglobin. The pediatrician prescribed a whole list of medications, but didn’t give me anything because I didn’t see the need.
Thank you Ekaterina, how long should you take actiferrin and with what hemoglobin can you vaccinate?
I'm sorry, I didn't find a topic about vaccinations. Which are better, live or inactivated?
Hello. We are 6 months old at IV. Yesterday we ate buckwheat porridge and broccoli this morning and found blood in the stool in the form of mucus. A month ago I had right-sided pneumonia, but the mucus (at times wheezing) has not yet gone away. What should we do?
good afternoon. Please tell me, my six-month-old baby showed streaks of blood for the first time today, very little. The child has been on breastfeeding for two days, coughing occasionally, clean lungs, normal temperature. Good appetite, playful, but he’s been putting everything in his mouth for a week now, it looks like teeth. Help, what to do with the veins? Yes, by the way, the child does not have constipation, his stool is regular. Complementary feeding has not been introduced. I eat dairy products.
Good evening! The situation is this, the child is almost 5 months old, we have had a persistent rash since a month, we are on breastfeeding, I am on a strict diet, I eat rice, buckwheat, pork, bread, broccoli, I recently excluded beef (I haven’t eaten dairy for 1.5 months) I was thinking about BKM, but there’s no point, I decided to switch to a formula based on goat’s milk - Nenny with prebiotics, the child does not suffer from constipation, and on the 7th day of using the mixture I noticed red lines in the stool, I don’t know what this could be connected with?? switch to breastfeeding again? and I don’t want to break out in a rash; my skin has become more or less clear, but not completely cleared yet.
Ekaterina, the fact of the matter is that during breastfeeding there is constant itching, like scabs on the legs and arms, constantly smearing with Advantan and being on antihistamines, constant scabs on the head, all this worries him, he excluded milk but there is no point, what he is allergic to is not clear, I’ve lost a lot of weight, my hair is falling out in clumps, and I’m scared to look at myself in the mirror. We have been bathing in emolium for two months, smearing ourselves with mustela, with zero results, there is no point in going to the doctors anymore, no one can advise anything, the last allergist advised us to switch to a mixture. I don’t think there is a goat allergy, at least judging by the skin.
Hello, Ekaterina. The baby is 3 months old. About three weeks ago he began to actively burp, not only immediately after feeding, but also after 1-2 hours, curdled. Neurology was ruled out and we went to a gastroenterologist. We checked for pyloric stenosis/pylorospasm - it was not confirmed. We took motilium and simethicone in different forms. From birth, the stool is liquid with lumps, often after each feeding. At 2 months they diagnosed lactase deficiency and dysbacteriosis (they took tests). We took Enterol, Bifiform Baby and Lactazar. And just before starting to take these drugs, blood streaks began to appear. The gastroenterologist said that this was due to lactase deficiency. We have been taking Lactazar for three weeks now, and the veins are not going away. After reading your article, I eliminated dairy, I haven’t eaten for 2 weeks now, and no improvement is visible. It is very rare to have stools without blood, but mostly with blood. He poops very hard and sometimes cries. He eats well, completely on guard. The consistency of the stool has become uniform, without lumps, and now it does not happen after every feeding. These blood streaks really bother me. Tell me, what could be the reason and what should I do? What tests need to be taken? Which doctor should I contact?
Ekaterina, good afternoon, the child is 5.5 months old, breastfed, I don’t consume dairy products at all, I have diarrhea several times during the day (I assume it’s due to the use of radishes), I take smecta and activated charcoal, the child already has stool There were 4 times, the last one was streaked with blood... what should I do?
Good afternoon, Ekaterina, tell me, when should the veins disappear? I haven’t eaten milk for 8 days, of which 1 time there were streaks. Could this happen from beef? Or from flour, for example an allergy to flour (gluten). Now I eat meat, fruits, vegetables, cereals. I read on forums that for some reason bananas have streaks, that’s what pediatricians say))
Ekaterina, good afternoon!
Since two months, green stools of a liquid consistency with red streaks have been bothering me.
The child is worried when feeding. Recruits from birth
1 month – 810
2 month - 900
3 month – 780
4 -540
5-470
We took a course of bacteriophage Inesti with enterfuril, then bacteriophage staphylococcal (NIZHNY Novgorod) + enterol + bifidum bacterin forte
because according to the analysis we have Staphylococcus 1.0 * 10 in 4 and Klebsiella 1.5 * 10 in 9
Before courses of drugs, leukocytes in the stool were 150, in mucus after 50,
in the main calais they were 9-22-40 and became 1-3-5. The veins are gone, the callas have turned yellow,
but there was a lot of mucus left
The gastroenterologist again prescribes a course of Normoflorin D, Baktisubtil, Creon.
I'm afraid the child has already been treated. What do you advise? Thank you in advance.
Hello, I read your article and recommendations, thank you that there are doctors like you who professionally, without unnecessary panic, explain to frightened mothers the essence of the health problems of their children. I also really want to get your advice. Our baby is 1 month and 10 days old, only on breast milk. The allergy appeared two weeks ago - red pimples on the head, face and neck. I almost stopped eating - only buckwheat, tea and dry foods, but the rashes went away slowly. They prescribed fenistil drops, fenistil gel and bifidum bacterin - they drank it for 10 days and before that, from 2 weeks they had been drinking bifidum bacterin for 10 days, since problems with the tummy began. The tummy hurts constantly, he strains, he is restless, but he poops 3 to 5 times a day on his own. They didn’t take anything else except bifidum bacterin for the tummy. Three days ago, my eyes suddenly festered, yellow snot appeared, I didn’t sleep well at night - my tummy hurt and I couldn’t poop, I even tried a gas tube. In the morning I started giving bifidum bacterin again - I pooped well, but brown clots with blood streaks appeared in the stool. In the evening we were examined by a surgeon, he looked at the baby’s tummy, diapers with feces and said that there was no surgical pathology, the pediatrician diagnosed ARVI and ordered observation. Today the same brown-blooded inclusions that cause our worries. What can you tell us what it could be? What do you recommend, maybe get tested? Thank you!
Hello Ekaterina! my child is 2.5 months old, he was breastfed from birth and had loose, watery stools, which the pediatrician didn’t like, at 1 month blood streaks appeared in the stool, at 2 months he donated blood, the doctor was scared by ESR 28, platelets 648 , coprogram - leukocytes in mucus up to 100, erythrocytes 10-15, analysis for dysbacteriosis - golden stuff. 6 * 10.8, klebsiella 10.6. They scared us, hospitalized us, treated us with gentamecin, bifidumbacterin, smecta. Diagnosis of infectious enterocolitis. I am worried that we are treating the child incorrectly. What do you think, if this is just a reaction to BCM, why such tests? The child is active, apparently healthy, and has gained 1 kg. I'll be waiting for your comment
Ekaterina, thanks for the answer! The most frightening thing is the streaks of blood in the stool, or rather in the mucus, after the prescribed treatment the stool became thicker, like mustard, but the streaks are sometimes very small, in the hospital they diagnosed infective enterocolitis
Good afternoon At three weeks old, red pimples appeared on our cheeks, then they spread to our entire face, back of the head, head, neck and legs. We began to see an allergist. At 2.5 months, acne went away everywhere except the face. The doctor sent us to take a coprogram, polysaccharides, and trypsin test. The last two indicators are normal. And in a coprogram, the pH environment is increased (highly acidic) and there is a lot of fat. The doctor prescribed us Polysorb for 5 days and Creon for 10 days. We took the first drug, but did not take the last one. I decided to consult a pediatrician. She prescribed taking Bifiform baby for 20 days. They started taking this drug and blood streaks appeared in the stool, at first rarely, then every day, usually in daytime stool, she poops 4 times a day. Now the course has ended, but the streaks remain, and there are also white pimples on the face. The child is fully breastfed, gaining good weight, and is also in a good mood. Born 3470, at 4 months 6715. I have been consuming dairy products since birth. Please advise what can be done. I would like to add that there is still a lot of mucus in the calla. And the pimples on the face periodically turn red. Thank you.
Hello Ekaterina! my child is 4 months old. 2 weeks ago I discovered streaks of blood in the stool, then it stopped after a few days and again I discovered that the stool had mucus streaked with blood. At first once a day, then with each bowel movement there were streaks of blood. the stool is a little greenish. child on breastfeeding. Active, cheerful, not capricious. Weight gain is good, appetite is also good. I have been taking milk since birth. Since a month we have had diathesis in the form of a rash. I stopped consuming allergens. They sent me to a surgeon and didn’t find any cracks. The surgeon sent me to an infectious disease specialist. The infectious disease specialist sent me for an intestinal group test. I haven’t received the test yet. I would like to know what tests are needed and what should I do? because I don’t trust our doctors.
Thanks for the information. Our rash persists for 3 months. I only drink milk as allergens, now I definitely need to give up milk.
Good afternoon, Ekaterina, thank you for helping mommies!!!
My son is now 5 months old, since he was 2 months old I have periodically observed 1-2 streaks of blood in his stool + clots of transparent mucus with a pink tint. I noticed that this happens when I eat a lot of dairy products the day before, when I eat little or not at all - there are no streaks, but sometimes, rarely there is mucus. I have a question - should dairy also be eliminated completely or can it be left in small quantities.
The child was born at 41 weeks, 56 cm, 3960, everything is fine with health, we are gaining well, now 8250 and 68 cm, regular stool, rashes on the cheeks from allergenic foods (eggs, baked goods, fish, etc.)
And please tell me, will our food allergies go away with age?
I forgot to mention that my son is completely on breastfeeding, I don’t give him water.
and one more thing))) the child is active, cheerful, and doesn’t seem to be bothered by anything! Thank you in advance!
Hello! The child has been lactose intolerant since birth for the first 2 months. I didn’t gain weight at all, after they started giving me a lactose-free formula, I started gaining 700g in weight. Everything got better gradually, I had stool 1-2 times a day, from 4 months I started introducing dairy-free buckwheat porridge into complementary foods, and at 5 months I gained about 1 kg very well. At 5 months during the day we were given another vaccination against poliomelitis for the 2nd time and the first time DTP, in the evening the temperature rose, diarrhea with streaks of blood, then the temperature rose to 38 and 8 they called an ambulance, we were put into infection, in the hospital they gave furaz-n, antibiotics. The tests did not reveal any infection and the rotavirus was not confirmed; in the conclusion they wrote an acute intestinal infection. We consulted a gastroenterologist, we drink Creon, Bifiform Baby, Motilium, we tested feces for dysbacteriosis, his weight remains stable, now after almost every feeding his stool is mushy with white lumps, a lot of mucus, streaks of blood and clots. It's been three weeks now, the blood streaks aren't going away... How soon will they go away? Is it possible to give porridge as complementary food? Is the treatment correct?
Hello Ekaterina, I have the same problem. The baby is four and a half months old, we are breastfed, yesterday evening the baby began to poop a little bit at a time and while changing another diaper I discovered a streak of blood, not a lot, but still. This morning when she also pooped several times, there was less of it, but there was also a thin vein of blood. I ate tomato and sour cream in the evening. There is no smell in my stool, no vomiting, and no crying. What could it be? Please answer me. Thank you very much in advance.
Ekaterina, please help!
We are almost 3 months old. In the maternity hospital, after a cesarean section, I was injected with antibiotics for 4 days. When I asked why we don’t give the child probiotics to avoid intestinal upset, the doctors looked at me with scary eyes and said that there is no need to do this. Since then we have never had a normal poop.
During this period, we had three episodes with blood streaks in the stool. The stool is sometimes watery, sometimes with mucus, sometimes like grainy cottage cheese.
According to the caprogram 10-12 leukocytes
According to bacterial culture - Lactobacilli in degree 2, absence of enterococci.
By PCR for infections - Yersinia and E. coli
According to the UBC - hemoglobin 110
We were prescribed Intesti bacteriophage 2 ml * 2 times a day for 14 days, then Creon.
I have been using milk since the first days.
How adequate is it to remove it from the diet, considering Yersinia and E.Coli?
How much can you trust a one-time PCR test for these infections?
Is it possible to immediately make a diagnosis of Yersiniosis after a positive PCR, if there is no accompanying clinic (enlarged lymph nodes, rash, etc.)
Is the treatment prescribed adequately?
Really looking forward to the answer.
Thank you.
Camilla, in fact, such situations cannot be treated over the Internet, and Internet counseling often does not replace a face-to-face doctor. But I'll try to answer.
I find it very hard to believe that the child has Yersiniosis. Even if Yersinia DNA is detected by PCR, this is not a reason to diagnose yersiniosis. What is important here is not the presence itself, but the body’s reaction and the formation and growth of antibodies (that is, ELISA analysis), and the increase in Ig M. For example, over the course of a week. And of course the presence of a clinic.
Without a clinic, treating tests is nonsense IMHO.
I’ll surprise you about “good bacteria,” but the doctors are absolutely right. There is no need to protect the intestines at all. Diarrhea will go away on its own.
E.coli can normally live in the intestines.
I don't see any point in treating anything at all. If streaks of blood persist, try removing all milk for 4 weeks.
Good afternoon, Ekaterina. The child is almost 2 years old, we have had blood in his stool since he was 4.5 months old. As I understand now, initially it was a reaction to BCM in breast milk + lactase deficiency. Unfortunately, we were very unlucky. We got an infection, caught the intestinal flu, were discharged, everything got worse. We went to gastroenterology and were diagnosed with Crohn's disease (in a 5-month-old child!). But since then we have changed doctors, suffered an intestinal perforation - a puncture of the intestine during endoscopy... accordingly we disconnected the intestine, and there was colitis of the disconnected intestine. They reviewed the biopsy, according to the biopsy there was no nonspecific inflammation, or rather at 5 months there was, but they said that it could be reactive against the background of an infection... Now the bleeding continues (the child is sitting on buckwheat, rice, rabbit and zucchini... plus hydrolyzate... for a long time they were sitting on nothing at all). hydrolyzate and rice). Specific drugs against CD and UC are of little help, even prednisolone. A little smecta, enterosgel, courses of antibiotics help - which is natural, because if there is inflammation, the opportunistic flora multiplies. The child feels well and is gaining weight, cheerful and content. When you poop, you get worried - as a rule, then you get more blood. Blood appears in scarlet veins in the mucus (but there are also dark veins, as if the mucus is slightly tinted with dark), sometimes when there is a complete exacerbation, then scarlet drops + veins, all in the mucus. The stool is a mucous paste during exacerbation, or half-formed when there are few veins. According to the last endoscopy, there were no cracks, there was colitis of the disconnected intestine - then the intestine was disconnected. But when they turned it on, a month later the blood appeared again. They haven’t had a colonoscopy for a long time, they don’t want anesthesia, there have been a lot of them already. Of course, we are seeing a gastroenterologist with a diagnosis of undifferentiated colitis, but I would like to hear an outsider’s opinion, what if in your practice there have been cases of such prolonged presence of blood, and how they ended. I believe that if we had such a terrible diagnosis as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, for which specific drugs do not help (and then only azathioprine!), then the child would not feel so good! and so it turns out that they were undertreated once, then they were healed twice.. that’s what happened ((((
Ekaterina, good afternoon!
At 4 months, my daughter started having foamy stools, lasted 5 days, then loose stools started, green, with a sour smell, up to 7 times a day, they went to the infection, had a culture done, everything is fine, no infection was found. We drank smecta, entofuril, even gave rehydron, passed a coprogram, fats are not digested, leukocytes are 10-12. A month later, the stool was restored, up to 2 times a day, in yellow mush. Now at 5.5 months, history repeats itself. We have been to 2 gastroenterologists, we drink lactazar, half a capsule 3 times a day, for diarrhea enterol 2 times a day, motilium at night. Now the stool is liquid with mucus, yellow, with an odor, today with a little streaks of blood. There was an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, everything was normal, only an incomplete bend of the gall bladder. I haven’t eaten milk for about 2 months, yesterday I ate a piece of butter + an egg. I try to keep my diet on other foods, but it doesn’t work out well. The gastroenterologist said that we are loading the child’s gall bladder, we are on guard duty, now we feed every 3-3.5 hours, previously every 2 feedings, we are still without complementary foods. The child is active, we are 6 months old, weight 8 kg, height 68 cm. The question is, are we doing everything right in terms of medications and should I switch to formula if my milk is so disgusting? 🙂
No, my daughter doesn't care. It worries me if I have loose stools more than 5 times a day. I don’t eat dairy; it’s difficult to avoid other foods, but you can give up.
Ekaterina, good afternoon, please tell me, if a child has a reaction to BCM, what is the best way to start complementary feeding? and when and whether it will be possible to introduce dairy products? Thank you!
And also, Ekaterina, tell me, I breastfeed at the request of the child, with the introduction of complementary foods, is it possible to maintain the frequency of feeding or do I need to adhere to the regimen?
Good afternoon please help us too. Born in January, in March I stopped consuming all dairy products, because... there were veins. We were treated for dysbacteriosis with enthorofuril, hilak, neosmectin, linex...after your article I excluded milk from my diet...the veins disappeared, the stool became yellow, sometimes green and liquid with mucus...at the end of April we fell ill with obstructive bronchitis. They gave cefuzolin injections for 7 days, did inhalations with Berodual...they also prescribed mucolytics. For stool lactobacterin, now hilak. Veins began to appear again. Please tell me, can they appear as a result of a course of antibiotics and how soon will they go away and will the stool return to normal? Now it happens up to 6 times a day, mucus, greens and blood.
Hello. My baby is 7 months old. At 4 months we were treated for dysbacteriosis, which we had due to a cesarean section, i.e. I took antibiotics, and I also had staphylococcus. There was constantly loose stool streaked with blood and a lot of mucus, until complementary foods were introduced at 5 months. Everything has returned to normal. I have been eating milk since my first birthday. While I was being treated for dysbiosis, I didn’t eat. Since 5 months I have been eating natural yoghurts and cottage cheese. Earlier, after everything returned to normal, a couple of times today the baby had loose stools with mucus and a lot of streaks of blood. The baby began to periodically grind his teeth (4 teeth), as the upper ones became a little larger. I also cried for several days the day before, but we think it’s because of the teeth, since the gums are swollen (but swollen for 2 months already), so I’m not 100% sure about the teeth. A little less than a month ago I had a coprogram, everything is fine. Our pediatrician doesn't tell me anything about blood streaks. I worry. Please tell me what we should do.
Ekaterina, good afternoon! The baby just pooped, liquidly and with cheesy lumps, and then he pooped out another lump of mucus, and there was blood in it! We are 3 months old, before we always pooped with cheesy lumps and liquid, after visiting a gastroenterologist, we started taking it - first nystatin, then intestibacteriophage, now bifidumbacterin forte. Lately, the stool has become thicker and without cheesy lumps, but with mucus. But today is the first day I am feeding him with formula because we have added a little in a month - only 400 grams. And I don't have enough milk. Please tell me what could be the reason for such a chair today? Very worried! Thank you in advance!
Good night, I don’t know what I should do. The child had mucus since he was 2 months old, then it turned green, there were already streaks of blood, at first there were very few, one two, and now there were specks right inside with mucus, they were lying with this at the Institute of Infections, but we didn’t find anything, only the leukocytes were elevated, the child sucks well and very calm without whims and temperatures completely gv
Ekaterina, thank you very much for your answer. But please tell me, I often put the baby to my chest - both before bedtime and after sleep (even if he slept for only 30 minutes), he always eats quickly - about five minutes. And after that he refuses supplementary feeding. I pumped to see how much he was eating - it turned out to be only 40 - 50 ml!!! And we also checked on the scales before and after breastfeeding, the result is the same - 40-50 ml. ((We are awake for 1.5 hours. Please give advice!
Good day, Ekaterina!
Please tell us. The child is 5 months old and has suffered from colic since birth.
I can’t find a place for myself anymore. We went to Gabrichevsky
There she prescribed me a lot of medications to take.
We have angry staphylococcus and kliebsila
We drank staphylococcal phage, entefurin,
At one time we drank lactase baby, it seemed to feel better after it
Drank bifiform baby
Now I don’t give him anything anymore, I don’t want to stuff him with drugs,
What should we do? Colic is severe
Mainly during feeding
He doesn't eat well and immediately starts crying.
For some reason I think that we have lactase deficiency
Tested stool for carbohydrates, normal
Today I saw blood streaks in my stool
Stool is always liquid from birth
We are breastfeeding only!
Good afternoon. My child is 5 months old. At 4 months I started feeding her with a hypoallergenic formula (there was little milk), and on the same day streaks of blood appeared. The pediatrician said it was ABCM. I eliminated the mixture and all the milk, there were no more veins. We stayed at GW. At 4.5 months. I gave cauliflower the first complementary food, became covered in a rash and veins returned. I eliminated complementary foods and my stool improved. Following a strict diet (it’s unclear why there are pimples on my cheeks), I lost a lot of weight, my weight is less than 40 kg, I decided to switch to hydrolysates - veins again. The child is active, at 4.5 months. weighed 6500, my tummy doesn’t bother me. So far I have not given any tests and have not contacted doctors. Maybe try a different mixture?
Hello, Ekaterina! I’m very glad that I came across your site! Thank you for taking up such a noble cause! My son was born in December, from birth I had red skin, it stayed that way for about a month, then turned white, by two months I noticed minor dry patches on my body, forehead and there was one red plaque on the butt. By 3 months, the skin had deteriorated sharply, a red rash appeared on the calves of the legs and forearms. The heating season apparently worsened it. I began to observe the temperature regime in the room, air humidity, after bathing Emolium sometimes Bepanten, managed to remove the strong rash. Now we are 5 months old, there is red skin in all folds without rashes, dry skin on the forehead, head, feet, forearms and calves, there are also rough spots, on the stomach there is just a continuous spot, on the back a little, under the neck, after water everything these areas turn red, then turn pale after drying. We are completely on the hot water, we give water. The baby is gaining weight, now weighs 8,600. Active, development appropriate for age. Sleeps well. At the beginning, the stool was frequent, liquid with white lumps, and there was colic after almost every feeding. Now the stool has become more uniform, but today for the first time I discovered blood in it, a few drops of a dark color. I ate dairy throughout my pregnancy and after the birth of my baby. Please tell me what could be causing the rashes and blood in the stool? What tests should I take? What should you pay attention to? Judging by the previous questions, should I completely eliminate all dairy?
I will duplicate what I wrote above.
Catherine. I removed dairy from my diet. Now the stool has become even worse, like solid mucus. The blood streaks don't go away. The gastroenterologist called and she ordered me to give 0.5 gentamicin from an ampoule and take the caprogram again. The child feels well. You say everywhere that bad poop will get better. How soon does this happen? My eldest and I suffered from green diarrhea for 7 months. I was cured only with antibiotics. As a result, by the age of 1 year, hemoglobin dropped to 60. We were then sent to hematologists with dire prognoses, but it was ordinary IDA, which developed due to this diarrhea. I am terribly afraid of a recurrence, especially since a month ago my hemoglobin was already at the lower limit of normal
Hello! We are 6.5 months old. Congenital heart defect (CHD). Need surgery. We always have hidden blood in our analysis and we ourselves see these blood streaks. Everything was fine with the surgeon. We have artificial feeding. Nobody knows what these veins are from. Maybe we can’t have BKM either?
Hello, Ekaterina! Please help us understand the situation. The child is now 5 months old, completely breastfeeding, we have been suffering greatly from abdominal pain and flatulence since about 1 month. Most often, pain occurs 1-2 hours after eating. He cries, kicks his legs, asks for the breast, I give it, and after 2 hours he starts again. And so on all day. Even during attacks of pain and when trying to fart, the child rubs his eyes, so that all the eyelids turn red and his eyes water. When it’s really bad, I give him Bobotik, although I don’t see much of an effect. :-):-) The gain is good (we now weigh 7400, were born 3110), in general the child is active when his tummy doesn’t hurt. Almost from birth, our stool contains mucus, watery, and with white specks, most often yellow, but sometimes slightly greenish. While still in the maternity hospital, I ate milk; a month later we had severe allergic dermatitis, presumably due to my diet, but we never found out what exactly it was for. But then I gave up all dairy and gluten products. Allergic dermatitis went away in 2 months, I continued the diet. And she began to introduce dairy products into her diet from cheese at 3 months, at 4 months she included kefir, sour cream, butter and cottage cheese, and rarely milk only in preparing dishes (porridge, puree). At 4 months we were in the hospital with ARVI, where we were given antibiotics. After treatment, we took a course of bifidumbactein and Linex at home. The situation does not change, my stomach still hurts. Until 3 months, the pediatrician attributed all this to infant colic, but a week ago she still told me to have my feces tested for coprogram; the tests came back with an increased number of leukocytes. The pediatrician said that there was some kind of inflammation in the intestines. She prescribed us Creon 10,000. Now she recommends that we have our stool tested for dysbacteriosis. In connection with all this, I have questions: is this Creon necessary? Is it worth testing stool for dysbacteriosis? And what could possibly be wrong with our tummy?
Ekaterina, good afternoon!
Thank you for your detailed article and answers to questions. We live abroad, so the opinion of a Russian pediatrician is very valuable to us.
The story of blood in our stool began at 1 month. Blood will appear in the stool about once a week.
For the first months, doctors thought that it might be some kind of infection, they took blood and stool for tests - they found nothing.
At 3 months we developed atopic dermatitis all over our body. At 3.5 months I gave up dairy products. The dermatitis has gotten better, but has not completely gone away. The blood in the stool also became less frequent, but again did not completely go away.
At 4 months we saw a pediatrician, who also diagnosed intolerance to cow protein and suggested continuing a dairy-free diet and monitoring. They also donated blood for CB tolerance (RAST), but the test was negative, meaning the child is tolerant to cow protein.
I've been on a dairy-free diet for 2 months now and I'm still bleeding. Also, the child is not gaining weight according to schedule. Born at 75%, and now dropped to the 25th centile line.
Now the child is 5.5 months old. I am completely on breastfeeding and have not taken any medications. Overall, he feels good.
Doctors here do not want to consider any other reasons for blood in the stool other than intolerance to CB, even though the test was negative (they say that there are false negative results). Making an appointment with a pediatrician is also a problem; our next appointment is in July.
Thank you in advance!
Should the new baby formula be made with soy milk? And if we undergo heart surgery, is it possible to change or introduce anything yet? If so, in how many days?
Ekaterina, thank you very much for your answers. We have now obtained blood biochemistry; the alkaline phosphatase level is greatly elevated (2200). The child is 6.5 months old. Is this also somehow related to the BCM or is this a completely different problem? Thank you.
Hello, I’m bothering you with a similar question. The situation is as follows: the elder brought some intestinal information from the kindergarten, we quickly sent him to his grandmother, but apparently he still managed to infect the 3-month-old baby, after 2 days she began to have green, mucous stools , called the doctor, she said that it was dysbacteriosis and prescribed bifidumbacterin, but on the second day of treatment, blood streaks appeared, they did the program, the results are as follows: color - yellow-green, consistency - liquid, shape - unformed, smell - fecal, not sharp, reaction -6.0, occult blood not detected, fatty acids not detected, neutral fat not detected, mucus not much, starch grains not detected, reaction to protein negative, erythrocytes and leukocytes not detected, in general, everything else is not detected either discovered. Today we went to see a pediatrician, didn’t really say anything, prescribed Bifidumbacterin again. 5 doses each. When I came home I gave the child these bacteria and after a few hours there were a lot of veins!! Could this be related to bifidobacterin? If not then What can be wrong?! I forgot to write that the child feels fine, gains weight well, sleeps well, only in the evening his tummy hurts for the last 2 days, probably colic and a temperature more often than 37.3. The child is breastfeeding, I haven’t eaten dairy products for 2 days
Hello, please help.
At 3 weeks we had a rash with white heads. It passed at 6.
Now we are 7 weeks old and have had a small, imperceptible rash on our cheeks that is dry to the touch, like a crust, and red dots like a carpenter’s and on the neck. For a week now, there have been occasional blood streaks of 1-3 pieces. Not every bowel movement. We poop a little at each feeding. Completely without water. Birth weight 4140 1st month 316 gained 256 grams at 5 weeks now another 538 total 1110. Could the appearance of lived ok be associated with the manifestation of staphylococcus? Is it worth taking a milk test? And is it similar to anbk? If we have this for a week and 1 2 times a day it manifests itself mainly in the evening or at night? I have been eating milk since 1st day
Hello! we are 3 months old We eat a mixture of breast milk and goat milk for the most part. They started feeding me goat milk from 2 weeks, I don’t always notice bloody streaks, but they do happen. Could this be a reaction to goat's milk?
Hello, Ekaterina. I really need your help: my 6-month-old girl has been having frequent stools for a week now (the consistency from birth is either mushy or with mucus, but watery) every 2-3 hours with streaks (about 2-3) of blood... we are on breastfeeding and have been on breastfeeding for a month. I introduced complementary foods because teeth appeared... I gave vegetables, everything was fine... I was tested for infections - the result was negative, I took furozolidone and Linex for 5 days - there were no veins for 2 days, and today again, I was tested for dysbacteriosis... So that's what I What worries me is the frequency of bowel movements and the quality and blood of course!! and she also pushes so hard, the poor thing blushes sometimes and cries, although she’s always so liquid! I really need your advice! we don’t know what to do anymore...thanks in advance. P.S. Yesterday I switched to a dairy-free diet, as you recommended, but 2-3 weeks of results is a very long time... what if it doesn’t depend on it? how to find out? how to find out? Is there any special analysis? or just by trial method?
Hello, Ekaterina. I also decided to turn to you for help. My son is 4.5 months old. Completely on GW. On Saturday, May 24, he pooped with mucus and blood, I took a photo and showed it to the doctor, the doctor said it was an infection and asked what I had eaten. The day before I ate pasta with stewed meat, cucumber and tomato salad and managed to wash it all down with kvass. Which I deeply regret. Today I gave the baby blood from a finger prick, urine and a coptogram, all the tests were good. The pediatrician said to completely exclude milk, cucumbers, tomatoes from the diet and follow a diet. She prescribed enterofuril 2.5 ml and smecta 1/2 sachet 3 rubles per day for 5 days. I also eat salted fish; we pickle the trout ourselves. I don’t follow a strict diet, everything was fine, incl. And with milk for the baby. The baby's poop was not alarming, the only thing at the beginning of May after eating various kebabs was a couple of diapers with small specks of blood, I pooped a lot, again I ate a lot of extra things. Help us, please, Ekaterina, do I need to give my baby enterofuril and smecta in this case, or should I still look after the child and, better yet, my diet? The pediatrician strictly said that treatment with enterofuril was necessary to kill the bacteria.
Good afternoon Ekaterina! My daughter is 4 months old; she has had problems with bowel movements since she was 2 months old. She poops with mucus, often green. Sometimes streaked with blood. 3 weeks ago I removed all dairy from my diet, the veins began to appear less, but the mucus remained. He is gaining weight and height very well. The behavior is also excellent. I have been taking antibiotics for two days because of an abscess in my throat. The stool became bright green, there was a lot of mucus and a lot of streaks of blood. The behavior has not changed. I'm very worried, I don't know what to do. Do I need to take any tests? Sincerely. Oksana
HELLO, Good afternoon Ekaterina! My daughter is 3.5 months old, she started pooping with mucus, TWO TIMES A WEEK with streaks of blood, TODAY WE WENT TO THE PEDIATRIC AND THE SURGEON WAS PRESCRIBED WITH SEA BUCKTHORN SUPPLIES, AND LOOK, I AM VERY WORRIED ABOUT MY BABY………
Ekaterina, hello. I discovered veins in my son who was 3.5 months old. Following your advice, I will remove the milk, I have several questions, please answer. 1. I drink Duphalac, it contains lactose, is this okay? 2. What is the situation with milk powder? 3. How long will it take to see improvements? 4. If baked goods contain milk, is that also prohibited? 4. Previously, there were no veins, I always ate milk, is this an allergy that can manifest itself over time? Oh, yes, I also forgot to write, 6. veins are not always there, more often they are not there than they are, can this also indicate ABKM?
Good afternoon, Ekaterina!
We also have a problem: blood in the stool. The child is 6.5 months old. On breastfeeding, plus started introducing complementary foods at 6 months. He doesn’t eat porridge, but he enjoys baby cottage cheese. We visited a dermatologist due to an allergy in a child - the doctor forbade me from everything related to whole milk, but allowed everything from fermented milk, and a bunch of other prohibitions. I saved myself with fermented milk products and started giving my child cottage cheese precisely because I thought it was safe.
Blood appeared sporadically at an early age, even before complementary feeding, then there was a period without them, and now - probably every day for a week. It turns out that you need to exclude all fermented milk? What to feed (the child does not recognize porridge at all, vegetables - I’m afraid our stool is already unstable)?
And another question: I read here on the Internet about late form of hemorrhagic disease of newborns (or with a late onset).. I was very scared, I want to take a test on the child tomorrow (hemostasiogram). If necessary?
Sorry for such a confusing question, thank you very much in advance for your answer!
When you don't need to worry
Blood in a baby's stool does not always indicate health problems
Blood streaks in the stool of a breastfed baby do not always indicate pathological changes in the body. Normally, newborn feces have the consistency of porridge and are light yellow or brown in color. Stool may change color for physiological reasons:
- maternal nutrition - if a woman eats tomatoes, green vegetables and fruits, beets, carrots, chocolate products, then the stool of a breastfed baby becomes dark;
- treatment with antibiotics, iron preparations and activated carbon, products with food coloring;
- introduction of additional products into the infant’s diet;
- teething in the baby and cracks in the nipples in the mother when breastfeeding - minor bloody discharge, swallowed by the baby, then appears in the feces.
Also, a change in the appearance of feces occurs as a result of feeding formula-fed newborns with formula - streaks of blood in the feces of a baby appear due to a restructuring of the digestive system and are not considered pathological.
Serious causes of blood in baby's stool
The reasons for the appearance of bloody spots in the stool of a breastfed baby can first be determined by their color. Disturbances in the lower sections (rectum, colon and anal area) give the stool a scarlet color in the form of small veins. In pathologies of the upper gastrointestinal tract, the blood spots are darker, since hemoglobin is converted into hematin, this condition is dangerous for infants.
Attention! If alarming symptoms appear in a breastfed baby, they cannot be ignored, especially if there are accompanying danger signs - pain, crying of the baby, refusal to feed and fever. It is not recommended to place the baby on the stomach, so as not to provoke complications.
If the appearance of blood streaks in the stool is accompanied by changes in the baby’s behavior, then this is a reason to consult a doctor.
Hemorrhagic disease of the newborn
Blood in the stool of a breastfed baby appears as a result of a hemorrhagic disease - when the child’s body is pathologically lacking vitamin K (usually occurs in the first weeks after the birth of the child). Deficiency occurs during gestation and is aggravated by breastfeeding, because mother's milk contains a small amount of the vitamin. The baby's liver does not yet accumulate vitamin K, and the intestines do not produce the element, resulting in minor hemorrhages in the intestinal cavity - the condition requires treatment to avoid dangerous complications. In a severe stage of the disease, the baby begins to vomit, blood clotting is impaired, and hemorrhage develops in the internal organs and brain.
Crack in the intestinal mucosa or anal fissure
Bleeding in a baby’s stool occurs due to prolonged constipation, bloating and too hard stool, while the blood in a breastfed baby’s stool is bright in color and is on the surface. Every trip to the toilet becomes a test for the child, he cries, twists his legs and groans, and then blood is visible in the stool. To correct the condition, you need to establish breastfeeding, change the diet of the nursing mother, use ointments and enemas.
If the baby is bloated, the mother should adjust her diet
Intussusception
A condition requiring immediate medical attention, which often occurs in breastfed and mixed-fed babies after 4 months of age when complementary foods are introduced. The pathology manifests itself in the penetration of one section of the intestine into the lumen of another and can cause obstruction. The problem arises due to poor nutrition, the first symptoms are sharp abdominal pain in the baby, loud crying, refusal to eat and sleep disturbances. During paroxysmal exacerbations, stool comes out of the rectum, colored crimson due to the presence of blood, with a consistency reminiscent of jelly. There is an admixture of mucus in the stool, and a hard formation is palpated in the abdomen. Treatment is surgical, and if the pathology is diagnosed in a timely manner, conservative.
Food allergies
Stool streaked with blood in a breastfed baby is often the result of milk intolerance. If a nursing mother drinks milk in large quantities, the baby's intestines react with inflammation and bleeding. The baby's allergy to cow's milk goes away on its own if the woman abstains from consuming the product for 14 days.
On a note! Atopic dermatitis is one of the manifestations of allergies, in which ulcers form on the intestinal mucosa, bleeding and causing bloody streaks to appear in the stool. To cure a breastfed baby, the cause of dermatitis must be identified and eliminated.
Food allergies may cause changes in your baby's stool
Inflammatory bowel diseases
If an inflammatory process begins in the tissues of the small or large intestine, the mucous epithelium becomes irritated and cracks, which provokes the release of blood in the feces. The inclusions are not mixed with feces and are clearly visible along with mucus. Such signs are characteristic of colitis and Crohn's disease, accompanied by abdominal pain, diarrhea and hyperthermia.
Intestinal infections
If a baby is struck by an intestinal infection (typhoid fever, salmonellosis, dysentery or botulism), its symptoms are high fever, deterioration in health, diarrhea mixed with blood and mucus. After feeding, vomiting occurs, the condition quickly worsens, and dehydration develops. The baby needs immediate medical help.
Helminthiasis
Parents of newborns think that helminths cannot appear in breastfed infants, but the baby can become infected through contact (from older children, through bedding and pets if they have access to the baby’s crib). He becomes whiny, loses his appetite, cries after feeding and sleeps poorly, and his stool contains blood.
Helminths can appear in a baby if there is an animal in the house
Juvenile polyps
Formations in the intestines of a benign nature are more common in boys; children under 10 years of age are susceptible to the pathology, including bottle-fed and breast-fed infants. Streaks of blood in the stool are a common symptom of pathology; bleeding is minor and sometimes occurs due to the detachment of a polyp from the intestinal wall. With a large number of formations, the baby experiences diarrhea and bloating.
Lactase deficiency
The problem often accompanies allergies in a breastfed baby, inflammatory processes in the intestines and infectious diseases. In addition to streaks of blood in the child’s stool, parents notice weight loss, frequent constipation, and the pediatrician diagnoses anemia. Treatment is prescribed after identifying the cause of lactase deficiency.
Rectal polyp
A disease that affects breastfed and bottle-fed children up to 2 years of age. In this case, a benign growth forms on the wall of the rectum. It does not cause discomfort or pain to the baby, but it provokes the appearance of streaks of blood in the stool. Whether it is necessary to remove polyps is decided by the doctor after a diagnostic examination.
What should parents do?
An ultrasound will help identify the cause of the problem.
If your baby develops streaks of blood in his stool while breastfeeding, you should not ignore this alarming symptom. Even if the baby’s condition has not changed, he eats, sleeps and develops well, a visit to the pediatrician and consultation will not be superfluous. After diagnosis, you may need to visit specialized specialists - an allergist, hematologist, infectious disease specialist, gastroenterologist, surgeon.
The following examination methods are mandatory:
- Ultrasound of the abdominal organs;
- palpation of the abdomen and rectal opening;
- sigmoidoscopy;
- FEGDS;
- colonoscopy.
You should not rush to the hospital in the middle of the night if you notice blood in the stool or darkening of the color of the stool in a breastfed baby. Perhaps the mother ate beets the day before or took an Activated Carbon tablet, then the condition is not dangerous. If the baby is calm, has a normal temperature, and there are no signs of sharp abdominal pain, you can wait to visit the doctor, observing the baby for 1-2 days.
When emergency medical attention is needed
You cannot self-medicate, adjust feeding or give your child medications, especially when dangerous symptoms are observed along with bloody streaks in the stool:
- a sharp jump in temperature to 39-40 o C;
- diarrhea, nausea and vomiting;
- signs of acute pain in the abdominal cavity;
- feces colored crimson and having a jelly-like consistency are signs of Hirschsprung's disease (intestinal obstruction);
- stool that is dark brown or black in color and has a consistency similar to meconium (original baby feces) is a symptom that indicates bleeding in the stomach and requires urgent medical intervention.
Important! It is not recommended to give a baby antipyretic and painkillers before the arrival of an ambulance or an emergency visit to a doctor - self-medication can blur the true picture of the pathology and cause specialists to waste time.
If you have a fever, seek medical attention
Treatment
If, while breastfeeding, the baby develops blood streaks in the stool, therapy depends on the cause that provoked the syndrome. To make it easier for the doctor to make a correct diagnosis, it is better to save some of the newborn’s stool and show it or take a photograph where bloody spots are visible in the stool. Before prescribing any treatment, you will have to undergo the necessary examinations, which are described below.
Diagnostics and tests
To exclude less dangerous diseases during breastfeeding, such as dysbiosis, helminthiasis and ingestion of blood due to cracks in the mother’s nipples, an analysis is performed for dysbiosis, worm eggs and the Apta-Downer test. The latter technique allows you to distinguish blood in the stool that belongs to the baby from the mother’s ichor. To do this, the required part is isolated from the baby’s feces and mixed with a sodium hydroxide solution in a centrifuge. If the mixture turns brown, the blood belongs to the mother, her hemoglobin is present; the preservation of the pink color indicates the presence of the child’s hemoglobin. Blood and urine are also taken for general analysis.
Research methods are as follows: 
- Coprogram. To make a diagnosis, the presence in the stool, in addition to blood, of mucous inclusions, undigested breast milk, and remnants of red blood cells is determined. The method is fundamental in the diagnosis of intestinal diseases.
- Coagulogram. It is carried out to confirm or refute bleeding disorders. Prothrombin and thrombin time, fibrinogen are determined.
- Gregersen reaction. Before donating blood, the baby is not fed meat if he is mixed-fed. Allows you to determine hidden blood that is not observed in the stool.
- Tests for lactase deficiency. It is determined how many carbohydrates are contained in the child’s feces, hydrogen in the air exhaled by the baby after lactose has entered the body (breath test), and the process of absorption of D-xylose is assessed.
Additional hardware and laboratory testing techniques depend on the preliminary diagnosis. So, if intestinal obstruction is suspected, an x-ray with a contrast agent is performed.
Treatment methods
The principles of treatment for bloody streaks in the stool depend on the cause that caused the appearance of the alarming sign:
These are the treatment methods necessary for the appearance of bloody streaks in the stool of infants. Additional medications and methods will be prescribed by the attending physician, depending on the provoking factor.
If it is not possible to immediately determine the cause of the appearance of blood in the baby’s stool, it is better not to refuse hospitalization. In a hospital setting, mothers will be helped to establish the feeding process, monitor the child’s condition, and carry out a wide range of diagnostic procedures. This applies to situations where blood in the stool is accompanied by insufficient weight gain in the infant, poor sleep and appetite, and signs of abdominal pain. Even in the absence of danger symptoms, bloody spots in the baby’s stool should not go unnoticed by parents and pediatricians.
The main causes of blood in a child’s stool are diseases of various organs of the gastrointestinal tract. But in some cases, such a symptom is a harmless manifestation of the baby’s dietary habits or allergies. Only a doctor can tell you whether it’s worth sounding the alarm after examining you and identifying the cause of the disorder.
Streaks of blood in a child's stool are a common phenomenon, but not always dangerous. The nature of the stool can determine the localization of the inflammatory process.
- Tarry, thick, black stool. Appears in diseases of the upper digestive tract (in the acidic environment of the stomach, hemoglobin iron is oxidized and converted into hemin, which gives the stool a black color).
- There are fresh bloody streaks in the stool or stool mixed with blood. This is a sign of inflammatory processes in the lower digestive tract.
- "False" bleeding. Associated with the consumption of food or medications that color the stool.
8 common causes of bloody stools in children over one year old
There are many reasons for bloody stools in children over one year old. Most often, the disorder is provoked by the following diseases and conditions.
| MEDICINES AND FOOD PRODUCTS | Antibiotics, medications with iron and bismuth, activated carbon, beets and carrots, soda with dyes, and colored gelatin can give stool a red tint. |
| ANAL fissure | With severe constipation, itching and rashes of the anus in a 2-year-old child, blood appears in the stool. In this case, severe pain occurs during bowel movements. |
| INTESTINAL INFECTIONS | Diseases can be caused by various pathogens (Shigella, Salmonella, Escherichia, Staphylococcus). Defecation is often accompanied by the appearance of bloody clots in the stool of children. |
| INFLAMMATION OF THE INTESTINES | Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are accompanied by bloody diarrhea, anemia and failure to thrive. Feces with mucus and blood in a child are a common sign of these pathologies. |
| INTUSSUSCEPTION | Intestinal obstruction is caused by the lack of nerve innervation of one of the sections of the large intestine. As a result of the lack of peristalsis, intestinal blockage occurs, constipation occurs, and the discharge takes on the appearance of “raspberry jelly.” |
| POLYPS | Benign neoplasms in the rectum are damaged, and the stool of a 4-year-old child comes out with blood. |
| HIRSPRUNG'S DISEASE | Congenital pathology is accompanied by severe constipation and flatulence. Hard stool injures the rectal mucosa, which leads to bleeding. |
11 common causes of abnormalities in infants
In children of the first year of life, there are also many causes of rectal bleeding, and some of them are unique to infants and do not occur in children older than 1-2 years.
An admixture of blood, blood streaks in the stool of a baby, according to statistics, most often occurs due to food allergies and intestinal dysbiosis. But the final diagnosis can only be made based on the results of examination and tests. | ANAL CRACKS | Constipation, rashes and itching of the anus in a child cause mucus and blood to appear in the stool. Symptoms: screaming and pain during bowel movements. The stool turns bright red. The bleeding is not profuse, but repeats for several days. During treatment, you need to establish daily bowel movements with a special diet for children, as well as laxatives. |
| CRACKS IN MOTHER'S NIPPLES | Along with milk, blood enters the digestive tract, which then appears in the feces of a newborn baby. For the treatment and prevention of cracked nipples, it is recommended to use Bepanten ointment or cream. |
| ATOPIC ECZEMA OR ATOPIC DERMATITIS | They are caused by allergens that enter the body through the respiratory tract, food, or by contact. As a result, problems with stool arise (constipation, diarrhea), leading to the appearance of blood in the stool of an infant. |
| INFLAMMATION OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT | Inflammation of the intestinal mucosa is accompanied by diarrhea, lack of appetite, and weight loss in the baby. With such diseases, the child has stool with clots of dark blood. |
| INTESTINAL INFECTIONS | Amebiasis, salmonella or dysentery are also reasons for the appearance of bloody clots in excrement. |
| LACTASE DEFICIENCY | Constipation in a baby can occur in the absence of lactase in the diet of a nursing mother, as well as when feeding a baby with low-lactase formulas. When a baby is constipated, he strains a lot, resulting in cracks in the anus, which leads to bleeding. |
| INTESTINAL PATHOLOGY | Intussusception and Hirschsprung's disease are rare but still occur in newborns. With the first pathology, feces look like “raspberry-colored” jelly. Hirschsprung's disease blocks the passage of stool in the colon, leading to chronic constipation. Bloody excrement, abdominal pain, lethargy and vomiting are symptoms of pathologies that threaten the health and life of the baby. Therefore, you need to urgently consult a doctor. |
| JUVENILE POLYPS | Benign formations on the walls of the colon. The tumors are injured by feces during defecation, resulting in bloody clots. The growths do not cause pain, but do not disappear on their own. They are removed surgically. |
| VITAMIN K DEFICIENCY | The milk of a nursing mother does not contain enough vitamin K (below the daily norm), which is responsible for blood clotting, and the baby’s liver is not yet able to accumulate the beneficial compound. Vitamin deficiency can cause internal hemorrhage. If a problem is identified, additional administration of vitamin K is necessary. |
| ALLERGY | Cow's milk protein intolerance causes an allergic reaction. The infant has diarrhea with bloody inclusions and vomiting. Typically, allergies appear when formula feeding or breastfeeding, when dairy products are present in the mother's diet. ABCM is usually not treated specifically, as it goes away when the baby is one year old. The diet involves excluding protein from feeding mixtures. |
If the cause of bowel dysfunction is an allergy to cow's milk, the following video explains:
Hidden Blood - Disguised Danger
Hidden blood in a child’s stool is manifested by the stool turning black and most often indicates pathologies of the upper gastrointestinal tract. In this case, the main causes of blood in the child’s stool are:
- Mallory-Weiss syndrome - the appearance of a bleeding longitudinal fissure in the gastric mucosa (accompanied by cough, fever, hematemesis and the presence of hidden blood in the stool in a 5-year-old child);
- stomach ulcer – in rare cases, internal bleeding occurs;
- oncological diseases of the digestive system.
When you urgently need to see a doctor
Bloody stool appears for various reasons. Parents do not need to panic and be very frightened, asking everyone they know and spending hours on the Internet using the search phrase “why does the child have blood in his stool.”
If the baby’s health is normal, you can observe him for several days. Perhaps the red coloring of the stool is associated with the consumption of certain foods that were in the diet of the child or mother, if the baby is on breastfeeding.
If the following symptoms are observed, you should contact a specialist immediately:
- continuous bleeding;
- bloody vomiting;
- elevated temperature;
- stomach ache;
- lack of stool for several days.
Diagnostic methods
The presence of blood in a child’s stool is a sign of a number of diseases. To clarify the cause and make a diagnosis, the following is carried out:
As a diagnostic method, sigmoidoscopy is performed - a visual examination procedure of the rectal mucosa - visual examination, interview with parents (in addition to visiting a pediatrician and gastroenterologist, consultation with an allergist, infectious disease specialist, or hematologist may be required);
- taking tests (for lactase deficiency, dysbacteriosis and worms, occult blood);
- rectal palpation;
- Ultrasound of the abdominal organs;
- colonoscopy;
- sigmoidoscopy and other diagnostic methods.
Procedure and method of treatment
Therapy depends on the specific disease. Infections in the intestines are treated with antibiotics. During the period of treatment of a baby, a nursing mother must follow a special diet that excludes dairy products. And to restore and reproduce beneficial intestinal microflora, doctors prescribe pre- and probiotics.
For inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, a complex treatment regimen is selected individually depending on the type of pathology. Allergy therapy includes identifying and eliminating the allergen and taking antihistamines.
Anal fissures and hemorrhoids (very rarely diagnosed in children) are treated with topical medications (suppositories, tablets) approved for use in childhood. If polyps are detected, surgical intervention is required. Using a special apparatus, growths are removed from the walls of the large intestine.
First steps or what to do if blood is found in the child’s stool? Recommended:
- closely monitor the baby’s well-being;
- do not panic;
- make sure that there are actually bloody impurities in the stool, and not colored food residues (for starters, remember what your son or daughter had on the menu, what medications the baby took).
If the baby has become tearful, loses appetite, and bloody streaks appear in the stool, contacting a specialist (pediatrician) is the first and mandatory step. The doctor will identify the cause of the disease and help prevent the development of dangerous complications.
If the bleeding is severe and prolonged, call an ambulance immediately!
Conclusion
Blood in a baby’s excrement is a serious symptom that should not be ignored. Some diseases that cause violations can threaten not only the health, but also the life of the baby. To establish the exact cause of bloody stools and prevent dangerous consequences, you need to consult a doctor; in this case, self-treatment is unacceptable.
In addition to the article, watch a video about the most common causes of blood in a child's stool:
When blood appears in a baby's stool, parents begin to sound the alarm. And indeed: normal stool should not be bloody. Blood in a child’s stool appears for a variety of reasons and can be a symptom of a serious illness that cannot be ignored.
Causes of blood in stool
Blood impurities can turn stool black (if it is bleeding from the esophagus, stomach and duodenum). If there is not enough of it, it may look like blood streaks, strings or droplets on a diaper. Why does an infant have diarrhea with blood or do blood streaks appear in the stool?
The appearance of blood in the stool of a baby has the following reasons:
- Bleeding cracks in mother's nipples. A breastfed baby swallows maternal blood along with milk. For diagnosis, the occult blood test and the Apt-Downer test are used.
- Constant constipation, in which hard feces are formed. Defecation is difficult, the child needs to strain, and as a result, rectal cracks occur. In this case, the blood is not mixed with feces and has a bright color. If constipation occurred 3 months ago or more, it is called chronic.
- An allergic reaction in an infant (when fed with unadapted formulas and cow's milk, which contains foreign protein or when a food allergy occurs).
- Intestinal dysbiosis (often occurs after taking antibiotics). With dysbacteriosis, foamy, sometimes liquid stools streaked with blood are observed.
- Inflammatory diseases of the digestive tract (for example, colitis). Specks and traces of blood do not mix with feces. Mucus often appears in the stool.
- Hemorrhagic disease of newborns. Blood in the stool can be caused in an infant by a deficiency of vitamin K, which affects blood clotting.
- Juvenile intestinal polyps. They rarely form in a one-year-old child, most often appear after 5 years. The main sign is scarlet blood in the stool of a newborn without fever. To confirm the diagnosis, sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy under anesthesia is performed.
- Intussusception. Often occurs in infants due to the fact that their intestines are relatively longer and more mobile than those of adults. At the site of invagination, an area of venous stasis is formed. As a result, some of the blood leaks into the intestinal lumen. On the baby’s diaper you can see discharge in the form of “raspberry jelly”.
- Acute intestinal infection (shigellosis, salmonellosis, rotavirus gastroenteritis). The temperature rises, vomiting, loss of appetite, and diarrhea occur. In this case, mucus with blood is formed in the baby's liquid stool. Also, green stools often appear.
- Helminthic infestations. They often occur with trichuriasis, when helminths attach to the intestinal mucosa and then fall off, which is accompanied by bleeding from their points of attachment. In this case, the child has stool with mucus and blood.
- Lactase deficiency. It occurs when the content of the lactase enzyme is less than normal. In children, foamy diarrhea with streaks of blood and mucus in the stool is observed.
- During teething. The baby tooth erupts with a drop of blood, which can be found in the stool after swallowing.
- When introducing complementary foods before six months of age.
Associated symptoms
It is necessary to immediately show the child to a specialist if the following symptoms are present:
- heat,
- weight loss,
- vomit,
- diarrhea with blood in a baby,
- green chair,
- pale skin (a sign of anemia).
Among the harmless reasons for the appearance of dark stool in a baby are: taking iron supplements, feeding the mother with foods that can color the stool and introducing the first complementary foods. Red fabric strings from diapers can be mistaken for streaks of blood.
What should you do if there are large amounts of blood streaks in the baby’s stool, large clots of coagulated blood are observed, or, conversely, there is a little liquid scarlet blood on the diapers? We urgently need to take the baby to the pediatrician! Blood in dark, runny stool in an infant may indicate internal bleeding, and its scarlet color indicates problems in the lower digestive tract (for example, a bleeding polyp).
Hemorrhagic disease of the newborn
Occurs when there is a deficiency of vitamin K, which promotes the formation of blood clotting factors. It is observed in approximately 2 out of 100 children if vitamin K was not administered in the maternity hospital after birth. The classic form of the disease occurs when the child is breastfed. Symptoms occur between 3 and 5 days of life and include hematemesis, loose, bloody stools (melena), skin hemorrhages, cephalohematoma, and bleeding when the umbilical remnant falls off.
The cause of bloody diarrhea is the formation of small ulcers on the mucous membrane of the stomach and duodenum. The main mechanism of their occurrence is an excess of glucocorticoids (during stress during childbirth), hypoxic damage to the stomach and intestines. Also, blood in the stool and vomiting in an infant can be caused by peptic esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus) and reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus.
Late hemorrhagic disease occurs before the 10th week of a child’s life. If bleeding occurs later (in a 3-month-old or 4-month-old child), then this disease can be excluded.
Diagnostics
Coprogram. The main research method that is carried out in all medical institutions. Allows you to determine whether there is mucus, an admixture of red blood cells and particles of undigested food in the feces of a baby, as well as many other indicators. Based on the results of the coprogram, the doctor can make a correct diagnosis.
Coagulogram. Blood from the digestive tract of a baby in the feces sometimes indicates the appearance of congenital disorders of the blood coagulation system. When performing a coagulogram, prothrombin and thrombin times and fibrinogen are determined.
The Apta-Downer test is used to differentiate bleeding in a child under one year old with the syndrome of swallowing maternal blood from cracked nipples. For this purpose, bloody vomit or feces of the baby are taken. They are diluted with water and a solution is obtained that contains hemoglobin. Hemoglobin in a newborn child differs in structure from that of an adult. The resulting mixture is centrifuged and mixed with sodium hydroxide solution. The appearance of a yellow-brown color indicates the presence of hemoglobin A (mother), and the persistence of pink color indicates the presence of hemoglobin of the newborn (alkali-resistant Hb F).
Gregersen test or fecal occult blood test. Used when bleeding from the digestive tract is suspected, when blood is not visually detected in the stool. Meat products are excluded before testing.
A possible range of results are classified according to the amount of hemoglobin in the stool: negative reaction (absence of occult blood in the stool), weakly positive (+), positive (++, +++), strongly positive reaction (++++).
The reaction to Gregersen's blood is widespread only in the CIS countries; in other countries, a stool test is used to determine human hemoglobin using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Tests for lactase deficiency. What to do if you suspect this pathology? A quantitative determination of carbohydrates in feces, a breath test (hydrogen content in exhaled air after taking lactose), a D-xylose absorption test and others are carried out.
A stool test for dysbacteriosis, a stool test for helminth eggs, and general blood and urine tests are also performed.
Blood or bloody streaks in the baby's stool require additional diagnostic methods. The need for these examinations is determined after consultation with the following doctors: pediatrician, gastroenterologist, allergist and hematologist.
Treatment
General therapeutic principles for the treatment of diseases that lead to the appearance of blood in the infant’s stool:
- If a formula-fed or bottle-fed baby suffers from constipation, it is necessary to replace the formula or use laxatives in the form of syrup.
- Intestinal obstruction is treated with surgery using manual spreading of the intussusception.
- Acute intestinal infection has two lines of therapy: rehydration and antibacterial.
- If you are allergic to cow's milk protein, such feeding must be replaced with a highly adapted mixture.
- Lactase deficiency is treated with the use of lactose-free mixtures (Nutrilon Lactose-Free, Enfamil Lactofri).
- Hemorrhagic disease of the blood coagulation system in infants is treated with the administration of a synthetic analogue of vitamin K (vicasol).
Blood in the stool of an infant should not cause panic among parents. It is best to consult a pediatrician. If inclusions or blood streaks in the stool are repeated for a long time, the child does not gain weight or loses appetite, it is necessary to go to the hospital for a wide range of diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.
Blood in a child’s stool should not be ignored, because its presence can be a symptom of serious diseases. In most cases, streaks of blood in a baby's stool do not pose a health hazard. There are situations when a comprehensive examination is required to find the cause and prescribe the correct treatment.
If blood is found in the stool of a newborn, parents need to ask themselves a number of questions. How much blood is there and what is its color? Does it have the character of veins or inclusions in the form of clots? What is the consistency? Is there any mucus? Does your child have constipation or diarrhea? What is the baby's general condition? By the way, the doctor will ask the same questions when examining the baby.
What is rectal bleeding?
By the color and nature of the blood in the stool, you can determine from which parts of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) the bleeding is occurring. This is important for correct diagnosis and treatment.
- From the lower gastrointestinal tract. The cause of bleeding can be localized in the anus, rectum and colon. Characteristic is the scarlet color of blood in the form of impurities and streaks in the stool.
- From the upper gastrointestinal tract. Bleeding from the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, and small intestine is possible. The stool has a pronounced black color, in medicine it is called melena. It is obtained as a result of the conversion of hemoglobin into hematin hydrochloride. This type of bleeding is considered more dangerous.
A newborn's original stool (meconium) can be mistaken for tarry stool in cases of bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract. Meconium is a viscous, black, tar-like stool with no odor. It goes away 2–3 days after birth. If meconium appears again after a few weeks, you should definitely consult a doctor.
False alarm
What can affect the color of the stool?
How to check that the cause is due to diet or medication? Stop foods and medications and observe the color of your stool. If the color of the stool remains the same for several days, you should consult a doctor.
Causes of blood in baby's stool
Blood in a baby's stool can appear for a variety of reasons and be an additional symptom of various diseases.
The causes of blood in a child's stool can be more or less serious. But they cannot be ignored.
What to do if you find blood in your stool
It is necessary to observe the behavior of the baby, adequately assess his condition and the level of his own anxiety.
- Play it safe. Streaks of blood in a child's stool are a common and, in most cases, harmless symptom. But even if the presence of blood in the stool seems insignificant, it is better to be safe and see a pediatrician.
- Dangerous symptoms. If, in addition to blood in the stool, the child has vomiting, diarrhea, high fever, lethargy, and pale skin, you should immediately seek emergency help.
Don't self-medicate! It is better not to resort to traditional methods of eliminating blood in a baby’s stool, and not to look for advice on non-specialized forums. Until the true causes are identified, trying to treat with home-grown methods can only worsen the situation. If blood is present in your baby's stool for a long time, you should immediately seek medical help.
Diagnosis and examination: 7 important steps
The cause of rectal bleeding can be determined using laboratory examination methods. But first of all, an examination and interview with a specialist is necessary.
- Pediatrician consultation. A visit to the pediatrician is necessary in any case. The doctor will decide what tests to prescribe and give a referral to see specialists.
- Allergist consultation. Indicated if, in addition to blood in the stool, there are skin rashes and signs of atopic dermatitis. A specialist will help determine the causes of food allergies.
- Consultation with a gastroenterologist. It is necessary to exclude the possibility of bleeding from the upper gastrointestinal tract, as well as the presence of serious congenital pathologies of the digestive organs.
- Consultation with a hematologist. Indicated if there is a suspicion of poor blood clotting - hemorrhagic disease of the newborn.
- Analysis for lactase deficiency. It will help to identify the level of undigested lactose (milk sugar), which leads to bloating, colic, and blood in the stool. Based on the results of the analysis, doses of enzymes are prescribed to facilitate the digestion process and absorption of lactose.
- Analysis for dysbacteriosis. Sowing for dysbacteriosis will show the composition of the flora and identify pathogenic pathogens.
- Test for worms. It will help to identify whether there is a helminthic infestation and treat accordingly.
Doctors themselves assess blood in a child’s stool as a complex clinical case that is difficult to diagnose. Sometimes examinations reveal “hidden blood” in the baby’s stool, that is, it cannot be seen visually.
Blood in a baby's stool should not frighten parents or throw them into panic. The most reliable strategy is to see a pediatrician. If blood in the stool is repeated many times, the child loses weight and does not feel well, an extensive examination will be needed to find out the cause.
