Question
The child has loose stools and a tympanic sound when tapping the abdomen. The stool is free of pus, and the child has a bowel movement 2 to 3 times a day, which has been ongoing for two days. The child’s overall health is good, and they have received treatment but with no significant effect. There is a slight humming sound during sleep.
Answer
The child’s loose stools may be related to either physiological diarrhea or hunger diarrhea. Physiological diarrhea is common in newborns, with stools appearing yellow-green and free of mucus or blood, with normal appetite and mental state, and growth and development similar to that of same age children. It usually returns to normal after the addition of normal complementary foods. Hunger diarrhea, on the other hand, may occur when a child grows but does not receive enough or timely food supplements, leading to an increase in bowel movements, stools with mucus and froth, normal appetite but lower weight than their peers. The medical community believes that this type of diarrhea is due to increased intestinal peristalsis caused by hunger in children, which leads to an increase in bowel movements. Generally speaking, as the amount of food intake increases, bowel movements will return to normal.