A loving and caring parent always notices the slightest changes in the condition of their child. In this case, it will not be difficult for him to determine what his child’s feces smell like. The smell of feces is the first and most accurate diagnostic criterion that a child may have health problems. By detecting an unnatural, foul odor in time, you can prevent many diseases. In this article we will look at what the normal smell of stool should be and what the sour smell of stool in an infant may indicate.
Breastfeeding norms
In the first 2-3 days after birth, the baby's feces are called firstborn or meconium. It consists of ingested amniotic fluid, epithelial cells and other substances. Meconium, characterized by a tarry consistency and black-green color, has no aroma.
Until the 10th day of life, the mucous membranes of the newborn are actively colonized by bacterial flora, and his intestines adapt to mother's milk. During this period, transitional stool is greenish in color and has a mushy, liquid consistency. It smells sour.
Subsequently, a stable individual defecation schedule is established. The baby's feces become mature. Its main characteristics are:
- yellow
- homogeneous consistency with minor inclusions of mucus and white flakes (undigested milk)
- thickness of sour cream
- unobtrusive odor reminiscent of kefir, cottage cheese or sour milk
The appearance of the stool of a breastfed baby depends on the mother's menu. Slight deviations from the given standards are possible. They should not frighten parents if the baby is gaining weight and does not show signs of anxiety.
Norms for formula feeding and complementary feeding
In a bottle-fed newborn, formed feces appear immediately after the passage of meconium. It has a thick, uniform consistency, a dark yellow or brown color and a typical odor, but not too pungent or putrid. A newborn's bowel movements occur 1-3 times a day.
Regardless of the type of feeding, after the introduction of complementary foods, the baby’s stool begins to gradually approach “adult” parameters. At the stage of adaptation to a new type of diet, pieces of undigested vegetables and fruits may appear in the stool, and their smell will be sour. If the baby does not suffer from tummy pain, gas or skin rash, then complementary feeding does not need to be cancelled. Over time, his gastrointestinal tract will adjust to solid foods.
Treatment
Before prescribing treatment, the doctor will send the child for a stool and urine test. Then he will prescribe a comprehensive treatment, which includes the following drugs:
- Smecta, Enterosgel - they are primarily prescribed, they help eliminate intoxication.
- Trisol, Regidron - help replenish the body with minerals and prevent dehydration.
- Loperamide, Nifuroxazide are antidiarrheal drugs that quickly eliminate diarrhea.
- Espumisan - will relieve the baby from gases and colic.
- No-Shpa, Papaverine - relieve spasms and pain.
When an infection is detected during diagnosis, the most complex complex drug treatment is used.
Alternative treatment, which is also used as prescribed by a doctor, will also effectively help relieve diarrhea. For these purposes, starch solution, rice broth, a composition of sage, caraway, gray alder and many other means are used.
Possible deviations
Sudden changes in the properties of feces or its uncharacteristic appearance from the first days are a reason for more careful monitoring of the baby. If the smell is very sour, pungent, putrid, swampy or reminiscent of the aroma of rotten eggs, and the discharge itself is green, gray or black in color and has a liquid or too hard consistency, then most likely the baby’s health is not in order. Possible causes of deviations in stool parameters:
- nutritional imbalance
- constipation
- allergic reaction to a nursing mother's food or formula
- dysbacteriosis
- lactase deficiency
- infectious diseases
Causes of childhood diarrhea
So, loose stools may be the cause:
- Improper diet or imbalance of nutrition, which results in vitamin deficiency.
- Intolerance to certain foods, such as milk, which is quite common in childhood.
- Allergies.
- Intestinal infections and poisonings. Children are most often susceptible to rotavirus and salmonellosis.
- Presence of worms.
- Enzyme deficiency. This category includes diseases such as cystic fibrosis, pancreatitis, lactase deficiency, and celiac enteropathy.
- Inflammatory intestinal diseases such as Crohn's disease, colitis, dysbacteriosis.
- Hormonal disorders.
- Taking medications, especially antibiotics.
- Stressful situations, for example, moving, climate change. In infants, abrupt weaning from the mother's breast can lead to stress.
- Failure to comply with hygiene standards.
- Overeating.
- ARVI.
Imbalance in nutrition
The appearance of watery, foamy stools with a sharp sour odor is a possible sign that the baby is receiving too much foremilk with a high sugar content. This is also indicated by anxiety during feeding and irritation around the baby's anus. But he is gaining weight normally.
To eliminate this problem, you need to hold the baby at one breast for 15-20 minutes or express a little milk before feeding. Thanks to this, the baby will be able to reach hind milk, which contains the substances it needs.
Allergy
The most obvious symptom of a food allergy is an itchy rash on the body. But in a newborn, this disease may also be accompanied by problems with stool. The feces become frequent, green, watery, foul-smelling, mixed with mucus and sometimes blood (in a reaction to cow's milk).
An inappropriate mixture can provoke such a picture during artificial feeding. It is better to choose it together with your pediatrician. Most likely, the baby will have to be switched to a hypoallergenic formula, in which cow's milk protein is additionally split or replaced with goat's milk. Treatment with antihistamines may also be necessary.
If the baby receives only breast milk, then the mother needs to reconsider her diet. Food intolerance is very individual, but most often allergies are caused by such treats as whole milk, coffee, factory-made baked goods, caviar, ready-made sauces, chocolate, crayfish, strawberries, and so on. Also, a nursing woman should avoid any dishes with synthetic flavors, dyes, preservatives and other harmful substances. All kinds of “chemistry” in food products have a detrimental effect on the functioning of the baby’s gastrointestinal tract, and his stool develops an unpleasant odor.
Mother’s overuse of vegetables and fruits can also lead to irritation of the intestinal mucosa: fruits contain not only vitamins, but also acids that pass into milk.
Lactase deficiency
Very sour stool odor may be a consequence of lactase deficiency, that is, a lack of the enzyme responsible for the absorption of milk sugar. In addition to the aroma, signs of this condition include foam in the stool, green color and wateriness, as well as increased gas production. The process of defecation is usually accompanied by a loud “pop”, the baby does not gain weight very well, and diaper rash appears on his buttocks. The diagnosis is confirmed by examining stool for carbohydrates.
To begin with, doctors recommend reducing the amount of whole milk in the diet of a nursing mother. If this does not help, then the lactase enzyme is prescribed. When artificial feeding, a low-lactose mixture is selected. In most cases, by 9-12 months, the baby’s body begins to produce a sufficient amount of the necessary enzymes. The only exceptions are severe cases of lactase deficiency due to genetic characteristics.
Dysbacteriosis
Dysbacteriosis is an imbalance of beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms in the intestines. In infants, it manifests itself in the form of rapid, liquid, green stools with foam, mucus and a foul odor. The baby suffers from flatulence and is not gaining weight very well.
This condition is diagnosed based on clinical manifestations and stool microflora analysis. Many experts consider this analysis uninformative, so they focus primarily on the condition of the baby. If there are real problems with his health and development, then a course of probiotic medications is prescribed.
There is no need to stop breastfeeding during treatment, because milk contains elements that accelerate the proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the intestines. And “artificial” children are prescribed a medicinal mixture with pre- and probiotics.
How to help your child
Before you think about measures to help your newborn baby, you need to determine the cause of the sour smell. To do this, visit a medical specialist to examine the baby’s digestive system. If the reason is non-compliance with breastfeeding techniques, then the duration of feeding increases to 30-35 minutes.
In addition, it is important for a woman to reconsider her diet. Foods rich in carbohydrates and sugars are excluded from the diet. Such products include all types of confectionery products, carbonated sweet water, and baked goods.
If the cause of the sour smell is dysbacteriosis, then the baby is prescribed a course of treatment with drugs containing beneficial microorganisms. To stimulate the growth and reproduction of these bacteria, the course of therapy includes so-called prebiotics, which are a breeding ground for bifidum and lactobacilli.
If there is an infectious-inflammatory process in the body of a newborn, he will need specialized treatment, including taking anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antihistamine medications. Such conditions are treated in a hospital setting under the supervision of a medical specialist.
Correction of hereditary metabolic diseases is carried out taking into account the nature of these disorders, the severity of the pathological process, as well as the individual characteristics of the child’s body.
A timely approach to eliminating this problem guarantees a return to normal living and nutritional conditions for the newborn baby. To avoid the development of negative consequences, parents should not resort to independent correction of functional disorders of the newborn’s digestive system.
Constipation
Constipation is a problem that formula-fed babies often face. Its signs:
- stool less than once a day
- hard stool that smells like rotten eggs
- painful bowel movements
The problem can be solved with the help of fermented milk mixture or laxatives prescribed by a doctor. In addition, it is important not to overfeed the baby. Constipation is rare during breastfeeding. In the first months of life, the baby can have a bowel movement once every 3-5 days. But if at the same time there is a soft stool, and the baby does not have a tummy ache, then there is no need to worry: the milk is simply absorbed without residue.
If there are characteristic signs of constipation, then the mother should pay attention to her menu. Protein products and refined foods help “strengthen” the intestines, while fresh kefir, apricots, prunes and beets “loosen” it.
Prevention
Diarrhea in a baby is a dangerous and unpleasant manifestation. To avoid such a symptom, you need to do the following as a preventive measure:
- monitor hand hygiene, wash them after every trip to the toilet or outside;
- fruits and vegetables must be clean;
- give products exclusively fresh;
- Meat, fish, eggs are well processed.
Diarrhea provoked by various factors usually indicates the development of some kind of infectious pathology, the treatment of which should be carried out as early as possible. If your stool smells like rotten eggs, this should never be ignored. Providing timely assistance to a child will protect him from adverse consequences.
We recommend: What to do if a child has diarrhea after taking antibiotics?
Infections
A sudden change in the smell of stool to a sharp and putrid one, accompanied by pain, vomiting and fever, may indicate the development of an infectious disease in an infant. The discharge is very liquid, frequent and unusual in color (gray, bright green).
In infancy, intestinal inflammation is most often caused by rotaviruses. The main danger of this condition is dehydration. Therefore, if alarming signs appear, it is necessary to call a doctor and provide the baby with something to drink. This may include oral rehydration solutions or breast milk. The uncharacteristic smell of an infant's stool can be one of the signals of emerging health problems. But don't panic. A real threat exists only if the little one feels very unwell. In all other situations, the problem can be solved with the help of minor corrections in the diet of the mother or baby.
In this video, the famous doctor Komarovsky will talk about intestinal infections in children.
What does a putrid smell indicate?
The pungent smell of feces in an infant indicates rotting of protein products in the intestines when the composition of the intestinal microflora changes, i.e. We are most often talking about dysbacteriosis.
A putrid stench from newborn feces appears when:
- Inflammatory bowel diseases.
- Slow motility of intestinal smooth muscles.
- Indigestion of a putrid nature.
- Dysbacteriosis.
- Various disorders of the digestion process.
The foul odor of feces, if there is mucus in it, indicates pathological processes in the intestines that appear as a result of allergic reactions , as well as exposure to an infectious or toxic agent on the baby’s body. Another reason for the appearance of mucus in excrement against the background of their unpleasant “odors” is dysbacteriosis. You can find out how and where to get tested for dysbacteriosis here.
If a strong stench from excrement appears in an infant, you should urgently contact a pediatrician for a thorough examination and identify the reasons that caused this condition!
