Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Suggest Treatment For Fever And Loose Stool In 5 Month Old Infant
Question: My 5 month olddaughter has viral fever from past 3 days, she passed stool 6 times yesterday when she usually passes stool twice or once in two days. The stool is greenish in colour. Our doctor advised stool test. The report says greenish loose stool with no blood but mucous. She has 1-2 hpf puss cells ..rest is normal. Will she require antibiotics.also lately she is putting everything in her mouth. Can teething start so early?
Brief Answer:
It is normal for this age. No need to worry.
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.
I have carefully gone through the details provided by you. Let me assure you that in case of a baby of this age, green stools are absolutely normal and not a cause to worry about. You need not worry if the child passes stool 10 times a day or once in 10 days as both of these are normal for a child of this age. Unless the pus cell count is more than 8-10/hpf, it does not indicate infection. There is a phenomenon called gastrocolic reflex due to which the child may also pass stool after each feed. That does not mean that it needs to be treated with antibiotics. Just continue the feeds normally. Adequacy of the feeds would be evident if the frequency of passage of urine is more than 6 times over a period of 24 hours. If not, all you need to do is to increase the amount of breast feeding. Breast feeding is the best possible feed for a baby. If the child is breast fed exclusively, there is nothing to worry.
Although teething can start early, I doubt if that is the case. Teething is anyway not likely to be related to these problems. It is however not abnormal for a child of this age to start putting things in her mouth.
Hope that helps.
Regards
Dr. Diptanshu Das
It is normal for this age. No need to worry.
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.
I have carefully gone through the details provided by you. Let me assure you that in case of a baby of this age, green stools are absolutely normal and not a cause to worry about. You need not worry if the child passes stool 10 times a day or once in 10 days as both of these are normal for a child of this age. Unless the pus cell count is more than 8-10/hpf, it does not indicate infection. There is a phenomenon called gastrocolic reflex due to which the child may also pass stool after each feed. That does not mean that it needs to be treated with antibiotics. Just continue the feeds normally. Adequacy of the feeds would be evident if the frequency of passage of urine is more than 6 times over a period of 24 hours. If not, all you need to do is to increase the amount of breast feeding. Breast feeding is the best possible feed for a baby. If the child is breast fed exclusively, there is nothing to worry.
Although teething can start early, I doubt if that is the case. Teething is anyway not likely to be related to these problems. It is however not abnormal for a child of this age to start putting things in her mouth.
Hope that helps.
Regards
Dr. Diptanshu Das
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
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
