Question

What should I do if my baby has diarrhea? The baby has loose stools, occurring 2-4 times a day, sometimes more or less in quantity, and with milk residue. This has been going on for more than ten days. Previous treatment and effects: Taken Simethicone, Mommy Love, and it got better for a couple of days, then it recurs the next day. What kind of help do I need: How should I treat it?

Answer

  1. Constipation refers to hard stools that are often granular, with decreased frequency, and the child may cry and strain during defecation, or even have blood on the surface. This is often caused by the child’s preference for certain foods and irregular defecation. Sometimes, a lubricant enema may be needed to relieve constipation.
  2. If the stool is yellow mucous-like or purulent with blood, it may indicate that the child has an intestinal bacterial infection or dysentery; if it is watery and looks like egg whites with a sour smell, it could be viral enteritis.
  3. When fresh blood is present on the surface of the stool and the stool is soft, with the child calm and painless during defecation, it is often seen in rectal polyps; if the stool is hard and the child strains more during defecation with pain, it could be due to anal fissures.
  4. If the stool is black, also known as tarry stools. Black stools can occur if the child has eaten animal blood, liver, and a lot of meat, or taken iron or carbon supplements. If these factors are ruled out, black stools usually mean that the child has upper gastrointestinal bleeding, which can be common in diseases such as gastrointestinal ulcers, polyps, and worm infections.