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What Causes Dark Brown Stool In An Infant?
Question: Hi. Is dark brown mucus in baby poop (pic attached) a cause for concern? My baby is 3 months old, (almost) exclusively breastfed with an occasional bottle of formula (once every 2-3 days). Thank you.
Brief Answer:
No need to worry
Detailed Answer:
Breast milk is the best option.
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.
I have gone through your query and understand your concerns. Let me assure you that for a baby of this age, it is normal to pass stool several times a day or even after each feed. Alternatively the child may pass stool once in 10 days and that is normal too. Unless the stool is hard and pellet like, you need not grow concerned. It is also normal to pass green stool or a combination of yellow stool. The green colour occurs due to rapid transit through large intestine where the bile pigments do not get adequate time to convert to the yellow colour of stool. It is also normal to pass green stool or a combination of yellow stool. It is OK for some mucus to be there in the stool. So long as the baby is exclusively breast fed there is nothing to worry. I would strongly insist you to abolish the occasional bottle feeding that you are giving. It would do more harm than good. All you need to do is to switch back to exclusive breast feeding and the production will increase automatically. All you need to do is to monitor the urine output. If the frequency is more than 6 times in 24 hours, you would know that the amount of feeding is adequate. If the amount of passage of urine is less or if the child is lethargic you would need to take the child to a doctor without delay.
I would insist you to get the mentioned stool sample (of which the image has been attached) tested (routine microscopy and OBT) to confirm that the dark streak is not due to blood. If the report is normal there is nothing to worry.
Regards
No need to worry
Detailed Answer:
Breast milk is the best option.
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.
I have gone through your query and understand your concerns. Let me assure you that for a baby of this age, it is normal to pass stool several times a day or even after each feed. Alternatively the child may pass stool once in 10 days and that is normal too. Unless the stool is hard and pellet like, you need not grow concerned. It is also normal to pass green stool or a combination of yellow stool. The green colour occurs due to rapid transit through large intestine where the bile pigments do not get adequate time to convert to the yellow colour of stool. It is also normal to pass green stool or a combination of yellow stool. It is OK for some mucus to be there in the stool. So long as the baby is exclusively breast fed there is nothing to worry. I would strongly insist you to abolish the occasional bottle feeding that you are giving. It would do more harm than good. All you need to do is to switch back to exclusive breast feeding and the production will increase automatically. All you need to do is to monitor the urine output. If the frequency is more than 6 times in 24 hours, you would know that the amount of feeding is adequate. If the amount of passage of urine is less or if the child is lethargic you would need to take the child to a doctor without delay.
I would insist you to get the mentioned stool sample (of which the image has been attached) tested (routine microscopy and OBT) to confirm that the dark streak is not due to blood. If the report is normal there is nothing to worry.
Regards
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Kampana
Answered by
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