1 Etiology of the phenomenon

The following causes the appearance of dark feces in the baby:

1. In infants for 2-4 days of life, black feces is a common occurrence. Experts call such a feces meconium, and this situation can not be considered pathological. Meconium combines digested hair, bile, mucus, epithelial cells of the baby, water and amniotic fluid. Meconium appears in all babies. After some time, the baby's chair will acquire a regular consistency and a yellow or brownish color.
2. To cause a strong surprise in parents is capable of black or dark green stool, which appeared in a one-year-old crumbs. Do not panic at once, you need to analyze the list of products used by the baby the day before. If the baby used foods containing a high percentage of iron, the black color of the stool is the norm, since in this case, the oxidation of iron occurs in a reaction with the gastric juice. These products include, for example, bananas, apples, cherries, blueberries, as well as juices and vitamins.
insta story viewer
3. Along with this, the rich content of iron can be a mixture for feeding. If the baby did not eat the foods listed above, then, most likely, dark feces are due to the new composition of the mixture. In this case, do not cancel this mixture.
4. The appearance of black strips can be explained by the introduction of bananas into the baby's diet. However, parents in this case, there is nothing to worry about. After the intestines of the baby get used to this product, the situation will be resolved by itself.
5. The appearance of black stools in a baby can be explained by the use of activated charcoal.
6. The cause of the occurrence may be an intestinal infection. Along with this, the baby has abdominal pain, vomiting, fever, dehydration of the body in a relatively short period of time.
7. The only situation that should cause concern for parents in the appearance of a black stool is the development of internal bleeding in various segments of the digestive system. In such a situation, in addition to the appearance of a black stool, the child should feel worse overall health.

2 When urgent help is needed?

If the baby has nausea, vomiting, constipation of a prolonged nature, complaints of dizziness, pain in the abdomen, a sense of weakness, an unconscious condition, then one should immediately go to the doctors, since it is forbidden to stop internal bleeding at home. In this situation, the feces of the child become black due to the oxidation of iron from the erythrocytes.

To develop internal bleeding in the digestive system in children can not only due to the development of pathologies or formations in the gastrointestinal tract, but also as a result of the fact that the child has swallowed sharp objects, batteries, fish bones, and also due to regular feeding in the dry.

3 What should I do?

If parents notice that their stool has turned black, then first they should remember what their child used to eat the day before. In addition, you should study the instructions to those drugs that parents have given to their baby. It is possible that one of the side effects of the drug taken is the appearance of black feces.

It is worth watching the behavior of crumbs and the state of his health for some time. If, in addition to the black stool, there are no other additional symptoms, there is no cause for concern.

If everything is exactly the opposite, then in the shortest time you need to visit a pediatrician or call him at home. If the child is recently distinguished by irritability, capricious nature, poor sleep, reduced appetite and not in a hurry to play, then parents should be alerted.

It is mandatory to see a doctor in case of a black stool if:

1. The stool has turned black, but over the last few days the baby has eaten as usual and did not take any medications that help staining the stool black.
2. Decreased appetite, weakness, anxiety and disturbed sleep.
3. There was vomiting, a feeling of nausea and fever.
4. The child suffers from such pathologies as a stomach ulcer, Crohn's disease, hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, malignant formations and other diseases.

In case the baby develops internal bleeding, he may have the following symptoms of iron deficiency:

• pallor of the skin, mucous eyes and oral cavity;
• heart palpitations;
• rapid and shortness of breath;
• is a condition of weakness and loss of consciousness.

If these symptoms occur, do not give the baby and fluid. As an exception, you can give drinking water in small portions of about 50 ml at a time. The baby should be laid in a horizontal position before the arrival of physicians.

Upon admission to the hospital, the child will be provided with all necessary tests, including a general analysis of urine and blood, feces for bacteriological culture, biochemical blood analysis and a blood test for the determination of the blood group. All these studies are necessary to exclude the possibility of developing internal bleeding.

4 Summarizing the

It should be noted that black stools should not always be a cause for concern for parents. Therefore, it is very important that the child's parents keep calm and self-control when such an unusual sign arises. However, the discoloration of the stool may sometimes indicate serious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Especially watch carefully for those kids who have just started to crawl. After all, there is a possibility that a crumb swallowed a needle or toothpick, which can also lead to the development of internal bleeding. In any case, in order to protect the baby and exclude the possibility of dangerous consequences, it is necessary to show the child to the pediatrician. After all, the health and well-being of children lies in the plane of responsibility and care of their parents.