Why do babies sometimes have mucus in their stool? Should we be worried?
Mucous stools, what is it?
New parents often have their eyes glued to the contents of their baby’s diapers, since their saddles can be indicative of his state of health. But it may, however, seem surprising to find mucus in those stools.
When a baby’s stools are mucous, there are white and viscous filaments, which actually look like mucus, or phlegm. THE mucus is produced by the baby’s digestive tract to lubricate it and help food flow. It is a thick, slimy-looking white substance that resembles nasal secretions.
Are mucous stools a baby’s first stool?
No, the mucous stools are not to be confused with a baby’s first stool, which is called meconium. These are very sticky stools, brown or black in color. They are made up of a mixture of intestinal mucus, amniotic fluid, and organic waste. The presence of meconium is completely normal in a newborn baby. After a few days, these stools disappear to give way to yellow stools.
Why does my baby have mucus in his stool?
This is the question that probably bothers you, what are these mucus in your child’s stools due to? Several causes are possible.
Firstly, this phenomenon can happen when the baby has teething. He drools and swallows a large amount of his own saliva, which will invade and therefore irritate his intestines. In response to this, the intestines will then produce mucus, which will then be found in the stool.
If your baby is sick, this can also explain the presence of mucus in the stool. If the baby’s nose is not clear, nasal secretions will run down the back of their throat and end up in their intestines and then in their stool. The mucus which is then in question is therefore that of the ENT sphere and not of the digestive sphere.
It may also happen that diet changes cause mucus in your baby’s stool. For example, if you have just introduced dairy products to your baby, when he was exclusively breastfed until then, a food intolerance to cow’s milk protein can cause this phenomenon, or even an allergy. An allergy or intolerance to another food that is difficult to digest can also explain the production of intestinal mucus. You can discuss this with the doctor following your child, or with a gastropediatrician.
If your baby is constipated, it may also be that the intestines produce abundant mucus to help the digestive system evacuate the stool, hydrating it. Again, you can discuss this with your baby’s pediatrician, solutions can be put in place in terms of his diet.
When should I be worried?
As we have seen, mucous stools are not a worrying sign, although in some cases it may be worth discussing it with the doctor. If this phenomenon occurs frequently and in large quantities, other avenues can be explored, such as the Crohn’s diseaseirritable bowel syndrome, cystic fibrosis, or even a bacterial or parasitic infection.
It can also happen that these mucous stools are accompanied by traces of blood. If it’s sticky blood filaments, the problem is probably a small anal fissure in your baby. This can happen when you are constipated, or when the stools are too hard. They are called bloody feces.
If, on the other hand, red blood is present in large quantities, this may be a sign of cow’s milk protein intolerance in children, especially if they are fed infant milk. If the blood is brown or black, it has first passed through the stomach and has already been digested. If the baby is breastfed, he may have swallowed a small amount of the mother’s blood, if she has cracks on her breasts.
If a sign seems worrying to you, do not hesitate to consult your doctor as soon as possible. Especially if the mucous stools are accompanied by vomiting, stomach pain, refusal to eat, changes in intestinal transit, weight loss, or presence of blood in the stool.
Sources:
Read also :
⋙ Meconium: how long does its evacuation in the baby’s stool last?
⋙ Parasitological examination of the stools (EPS): why take this examination and how is it carried out?
⋙ Constipation: from how many days without bowel movements should we worry?