Green Poop in Month 7 Week Old Babies

Green poop is not a cause for an emergency. It is usually caused by too much bile in the stool, commonly associated with diarrhea. When food is moving too quickly through the GI tract, bile doesn't have time to break everything down completely. The poop may have solids in it as food may not have been digested fully. Green stool can also be caused by an excess of iron.

Green poop is more common in formula-fed babies than breastfed infants.

However, if the unusual color lasts for more than 5 days, there may be some other problem with your child's GI tract.

Red, black or white stool are causes for concern. Contact your healthcare provider if you see red, black, or white stool in your child's diaper or the toilet. Dark green stool can appear black but isn't likely serious.

Green Poop & Diarrhea

Infants or children with diarrhea typically produce stool the color of whatever they have eaten. For example, if your kid ate blue Jell-O and then had diarrhea, the toilet or diaper contents will likely be blue.

Babies with poop issues, like diarrhea, are more likely to be dehydrated. Dehydration is a threat to little ones, so be sure they are getting plenty of fluids.

It's important not to impose dietary restrictions on your baby without first consulting your pediatric provider. Babies require appropriate nutrition for healthy growth. Limiting them because you think they're gaining too much weight, or because you think they need to "diet" is a mistake. Every child needs access to a plentiful, healthy, balanced diet.

Constipation

Breastfed babies typically have looser stools than formula-fed babies. Constipation is rare in breastfed babies. Constipated babies have small, pellet-like poop that is difficult to pass.

Meconium

In the first few days of life, your brand new infant will have black poop. This is completely normal. If the black poop occurs for over a week, consult your pediatric healthcare provider.

Probiotics

For persisting green-poop-problems that aren't serious, try probiotics. Breastfeeding moms and babies should take probiotics to help boost a community of beneficial bacterial flora. We recommend finding a probiotic with Bifida factor and acidophilus. A good community of bacteria makes all the difference in your baby's digestion!

The Poop Rainbow

Black Poop

Black poop is considered a serious problem as this could indicate that part of the higher up digestive system is bleeding. Breastfeeding can sometimes cause cracked and bleeding nipples. Black flecks in breastfed babies may simply be blood from you. Dark green stool can sometimes be confused for black, so get your flashlight out.

White Poop

Chalky white poop is also serious. This means that your baby is not producing enough bile and has some issue in the liver or gallbladder. Bile is what turns poop brown, so white poop could mean that your baby isn't producing bile or there is a bile obstruction.

Bright Red Poop

Bright red or raspberry-colored poop that looks like mucus (similar to congealed fat) could be evidence of a serious intestinal problem. Contact your pediatric healthcare provider and collect a sample for the lab.

Dark Red Poop

If the poop appears normal with specks of dark red, this is typically caused by a milk allergy.

Dark red poop in hard pellets may indicate that your baby is constipated. The red is blood (streaked or spotted throughout) and is likely due to small tears in the anus. Add a little bit of prune juice (1 teaspoon for newborns, 1 tablespoon for babies) to the next bottle to soften things up.

Watery poop that is streaked with dark red is also a sign of a bacterial infection.

Dark Green Poop

Dark green poop results from extra iron floating through your baby's system. This usually creates thick, constipated stools. Don't stop giving your baby iron if your practitioner has recommended iron supplementation. Iron is necessary for brain growth and development and green stool is worth the benefits of iron.

However, some dark green stool can also be a sign of a protein allergy, likely due to milk.

Light Green Poop

Light green or lime green poop may be accompanied by a frothy, bubbly texture. This color is indicative of a foremilk and hindmilk balance from breast milk. Foremilk is the first milk from the breast and is sweet and thin. Hindmilk is richer and contains more fat as well as most of the nutrients your baby needs. Lime green means that the baby is snacking too much on the sweet foremilk. Keep your baby on the breast longer so they pull out the hindmilk. Another way to measure this is by weight gain. Babies who are getting hindmilk will gain weight faster.

If you are breastfeeding for at least 20 minutes per breast and the problem persists, lime green can be a sign of a virus. Save some of the stool for testing and contact your pediatric provider.

Pink Poop

Rosey pink is usually harmless and due to something your baby has eaten (i.e. beets, cranberries, tomatoes, fruit loops, cherry popsicles).

Light Brown Poop

Light brown poop that looks like hummus is normal for formula-fed babies. Thick poop that seems more like peanut butter could mean that your baby is constipated. If the "hummus" poop has a greenish tinge like guacamole, this is normal, especially if you've started solid foods.

Dark Brown Poop

90% of all diaper changes will be dirt-brown. This is a good sign that your baby's microbes are functioning properly, especially after you've introduced solid food.

Yellow Poop

Mustard yellow is the most common breastfed baby poop color and is totally normal. In addition, partially digested milk solids are normal and appear as little yellow-white seeds in the poop.

When to Contact your Pediatric Provider

Blood or mucus in the poop
Fever
Vomiting
Refusal to eat
Signs of dehydration (Decreased or dark-colored urine, not producing tears, sunken fontanelle)
Decreased activity

Finally, respond to this blog or contact us with questions or comments!

Green Poop in Month 7 Week Old Babies

Source: https://ghtkids.com/holistic-care/green-poop/