Infant Having Diarrhoea, Stool With Greenish Mucus. Has A Skin Rash On Leg, Tummy And Neck. Advise?

Posted on Thu, 20 Jun 2013

Question: hello, my 3 month old baby has been having diarrehoea for a week now but for the past three days the stool is greenish mucus. i had started giving him formula now its a month. he has a skin rash as well on his legs , tummy and back and around the neck

Answered by Dr. E Venkata Ramana (1 hour later)

Hi,

Thank you for your query on Healthcare Magic.

Your child is having diarrhea mostly due to a virus or bacteria.

The mainstay of treatment in diarrhea is to maintain the hydration of the child.

Give sips of oral rehydration solutions like Pedialyte to maintain hydration.

Monitor his hydration by activity, urine output, skin turgor, and moisture of oral cavity and tongue.

Oral probiotic like Saccharomyces or lactobacillus XXXXXXX to be added to his treatment to restore protective gut flora.

Oral zinc supplementation in prescribed dose will help to decrease the water content of loose stools.

As the stool is having mucus, I advise you to give stool sample for investigations like routine stool examination, microscopy, and stool for culture and sensitivity to know the presence of infection.

Exclusive breastfeeding the infant till the age of 6 months is the gold standard method of feeding and it protects against these type of infections.

If formula feeds are compulsory, take stringent precautions while preparing, handling, and feeding.

Avoid feeding with a bottle, instead you can feed the child using a spoon.

The rash could be a post viral, allergic but needs physical examination by the doctor.

Hence I advise you to consult the pediatrician for the examination, assessment of hydration status, stool investigations, and for prescription of medication for his diarrhea and rash.

Hope I have answered your query, if you have any clarification please let me know.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. E Venkata Ramana (34 hours later)

Hello doctor
yesterday we had a stool examination but however the doctor could not see any thing in th baby's stool. he told me to only give him only breast milk for two days.
the stool has gotten more green . he didnt give us any medication.

Answered by Dr. E Venkata Ramana (12 hours later)

Hi,

Thank you for getting back.

Nothing to worry as the stool examination showed no abnormality.

Give exclusive breast feeds frequently to maintain hydration of the chid as advised by your pediatrician.

Green color stool is common in infants. But if it is loose, watery it is suggestive of infections like viruses.

Keep on monitoring the child activity and hydration.

Consult your pediatrician if the stools are worsening in consistency or signs of dehydration appears.

Hope I have answered your query, if you have any clarification please let me know.

Regards.

Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar