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Suggest Remedy For Loose Motion In A Infant
Question: She is new born baby just 5 days ago. she have loose motion three times from last night to today noon. pl help
Brief Answer:
I dont think its a problem.
Detailed Answer:
Hello. thank you for asking in Health Care Magic. I am a Neonatologist and will be answering your question.
First of all congratulation for the baby.
Once a baby is born she passes blackish stool called meconium which lasts for 4-5 days, thereafter gradually the stool colour turns from greenish to yellow after 10-12 days. This greenish stool is called transitional stool. Its normal for a baby to pass 5-8 times stool every day, more so a baby can pass stool every time after she has been fed, Its called gastrocolic reflex. The stool consistency may be curd like if she is supplement fed or more loose if she is breast fed.
You have not mentioned whether your baby is breast fed or supplement fed.
If she is breast fed there is no chance that she has got any infection. Breast fed babies often passes loose stool which is particularly due to faulty feeding practice. When breastfeeding- try to empty oneside totally before shifting to other side. First part of breast milk contains mainly water, feeding only of this part will result in loose stool. The later part of breast milk is a bit viscous and contains lots of nutrients which meets the hunger of the baby. Thus try to feed the baby on one breast till the breast is completely emptied.
If you are not breastfeeding the baby and using supplementary milk product, then I should first ask you to stop that and start breastfeeding. As no matter how costly milk you buy nothing is present in the market which can give all the benefits of breast milk. If you are using Bottle to feed the baby you should shift to cup spoon feeding as bottles are notorious to cause infection.
Lastly, If you are not giving bottle feeding to the baby then inspite of loose stool please dont worry, try to correct the breast feeding technique that I explained. Another thing is that Count the number of times the baby passes urine, if in 24 hrs time baby passes more than 6 times urine you dont have to worry about the loose stool, it will go away after 7 days.
I dont think its a problem.
Detailed Answer:
Hello. thank you for asking in Health Care Magic. I am a Neonatologist and will be answering your question.
First of all congratulation for the baby.
Once a baby is born she passes blackish stool called meconium which lasts for 4-5 days, thereafter gradually the stool colour turns from greenish to yellow after 10-12 days. This greenish stool is called transitional stool. Its normal for a baby to pass 5-8 times stool every day, more so a baby can pass stool every time after she has been fed, Its called gastrocolic reflex. The stool consistency may be curd like if she is supplement fed or more loose if she is breast fed.
You have not mentioned whether your baby is breast fed or supplement fed.
If she is breast fed there is no chance that she has got any infection. Breast fed babies often passes loose stool which is particularly due to faulty feeding practice. When breastfeeding- try to empty oneside totally before shifting to other side. First part of breast milk contains mainly water, feeding only of this part will result in loose stool. The later part of breast milk is a bit viscous and contains lots of nutrients which meets the hunger of the baby. Thus try to feed the baby on one breast till the breast is completely emptied.
If you are not breastfeeding the baby and using supplementary milk product, then I should first ask you to stop that and start breastfeeding. As no matter how costly milk you buy nothing is present in the market which can give all the benefits of breast milk. If you are using Bottle to feed the baby you should shift to cup spoon feeding as bottles are notorious to cause infection.
Lastly, If you are not giving bottle feeding to the baby then inspite of loose stool please dont worry, try to correct the breast feeding technique that I explained. Another thing is that Count the number of times the baby passes urine, if in 24 hrs time baby passes more than 6 times urine you dont have to worry about the loose stool, it will go away after 7 days.
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. Ashwin Bhandari
Answered by
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