Inquiry
A seven-month-old baby has two meals of complementary foods daily. The baby’s stool was previously yellow or brown, but recently it has turned dark green, stringy, loose, and has a mild odor. The baby poops 3 to 4 times a day and is in good spirits. Ask whether it is diarrhea and what dietary precautions should be taken?
Answer
This situation may be due to poor digestion of formula milk, but it is also possible for normal stools to turn dark green occasionally, especially when the baby is very hungry. At this time, observe whether the baby is passing smelly gas or showing signs of indigestion. Additionally, green stool may also be caused by poor absorption or non-absorption of iron in the formula milk, or it could be due to abdominal coldness.