Green baby bowel movements are normal. This condition can be caused by various things, from the milk consumed by the baby to the growth process. But sometimes, baby stools that turn green can also be a possibility of an illness.
As a parent, you need to pay attention to changes in the texture, amount, and color of the baby's bowel movements. Because, it is one of the factors that indicate the health condition of your baby.
Newborns will indeed pass stools that are dark green or black in color which is called meconium. Stool color in newborns is normal.
Changes in the color of a baby's bowel movements are normal during the growth process, ranging from black or dark green, yellow, orange, red, to green. However, for some conditions, green baby bowel movements can be an indication of a condition that the baby is experiencing.
What Causes Green Baby Poops?
When babies are introduced to solid foods, what they eat does not only affect the texture of the stool, but also the color. The green color in baby's bowel movements can come from foods, such as bean porridge, peas, and spinach.
In addition to the food consumed by the baby, there are several other factors that can cause green bowel movements, including:
1. Foods consumed by breastfeeding mothers
The food you eat can affect the quality of the breast milk you give your little one. Your baby's bowel movements may turn green if you eat a lot of green vegetables or foods and drinks that contain green food coloring.
In addition to food, iron supplements that you may be taking can also affect the quality of breast milk and cause green bowel movements.
2. Teething
When teething, the body will produce excess saliva. The little one could accidentally swallow the saliva. If too much is swallowed, it is this saliva that can turn the baby's stool green.
3. Foremilk or hindmilk
Green baby bowel movements can also occur because the baby consumes too much low-calorie breast milk (ASI) foremilk) or receiving too little high-fat breast milk (ASI hindmilk).
Foremilk is the watery milk that comes out first when the mother is breastfeeding, whereas hindmilk Breast milk is thicker and appears at the end of the breastfeeding mother's process.
To fix this, let your little one suckle on one side of the breast longer to get higher milk fat. In addition, you can also start the breastfeeding process with the side of the breast that was last sucked by your little one.
4. Your little one has allergies
The green bowel movements experienced by the Little One can occur because he has allergies. Allergies can be triggered by the food that the baby eats or if the little one is given formula milk.
Try to pay attention, if the baby's poop is green every time he is given breast milk or certain foods and the condition is accompanied by a rash, itching, the baby looks fussy, or often sneezes, then it could be a sign that the baby has allergies.
Immediately consult your baby to the doctor to find out the cause of the allergy and how to treat it.
5. Baby is sick
Green baby bowel movements can also indicate that he is suffering from an illness, such as diarrhea. You can suspect your little one has diarrhea if the frequency of your baby's bowel movements becomes more frequent than usual, looks weak, and has loose stools.
Diarrhea in infants is also usually accompanied by several other symptoms, such as:
- Fever
- Nausea and vomiting
- Not wanting to breastfeed or eat
- Stools that are dark in color or with blood spots
- dry mouth
- Don't shed tears when you cry
- Easily sleepy
- Looks weak or not as active as usual
- Skin doesn't feel flat after pinching
- Eyes or cheeks look more sunken
If you are aware of the above symptoms in your little one, then it could be a sign that the diarrhea he or she is suffering from has caused the little one to become dehydrated. The solution, give him breast milk more often than usual.
If you are able to eat solid food, give your baby more breast milk or milk and oral rehydration fluids (such as pediatrics or ORS) every time he has a bowel movement or vomits.
However, if within 24 hours the diarrhea does not improve, immediately take your child to the pediatrician. You also need to check your little one to the doctor if his green stool has been going on for more than 5 days and he looks weak, doesn't want to eat or drink, and is losing weight.