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Baby Has Black And Thick Stools. Is This Normal?
Question: My 4 month old baby has just done her first poo in 4 days. I have been mainly breastfeeding her but also supplementing her with a formula feed about once a day. Her poo was very thick and some of the lumps had a black appearance. More interestingly, there was lots of little strands of hair in it. She is also on 5mg of loses a day for silent reflux but this is the first time her poo has looked like this. She doesn't eat well and is waking every 3 or so hours at night still :(
Is this normal?
Is this normal?
Dear,
Thank you for the query on this site.
Young infants do get constipated from time to time on account of their having immature gastrointestinal systems. I have read the question and seen the photo that you have uploaded. I do not think there are any hair strands in the stool, but of course, I could be mistaken, since I am only looking at the picture.
Essentially, regardless of the appearance of the stool, I think she is normal if she has no pain, stomach bloating, and unusual amount of passage of gas or vomiting. In addition, let me tell you that reflux medicines do not cause constipation or the kind of change in stool color that you see in this stool. I would rest my mind unless she continued to do the same kind of stool. If that be the case, you could request her pediatrician to requisition a stool examination in the laboratory.
If you need any further clarification, feel free to contact me.
With regards,
Dr. Taher Kagalwala
Thank you for the query on this site.
Young infants do get constipated from time to time on account of their having immature gastrointestinal systems. I have read the question and seen the photo that you have uploaded. I do not think there are any hair strands in the stool, but of course, I could be mistaken, since I am only looking at the picture.
Essentially, regardless of the appearance of the stool, I think she is normal if she has no pain, stomach bloating, and unusual amount of passage of gas or vomiting. In addition, let me tell you that reflux medicines do not cause constipation or the kind of change in stool color that you see in this stool. I would rest my mind unless she continued to do the same kind of stool. If that be the case, you could request her pediatrician to requisition a stool examination in the laboratory.
If you need any further clarification, feel free to contact me.
With regards,
Dr. Taher Kagalwala
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Shanthi.E
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