The arrival of a baby to the world It is a blessing and a challenge. Everything we learn about them is taking place as we go along, no matter how many books we read, there is always a reality before our eyes that makes us fall into endless challenging situations. We know about meconium or dark stools when a baby is born, but we have some uncertainty when the Black poop in babies occurs outside of this period.
It is very important to take stock and decipher How are the stools of a baby presented? It is possible that some of the times they seem unusual and you get scared, it is completely normal. When the diaper appears dark and almost black, it can be due to several reasons.
Meconium
El meconium It is the baby's first bowel movement. It appears with a black color and a tar appearance, something quite unpleasant. Many midwives already warn of this fact before parents observe such a circumstance.
This substance is made up of dead cells and secretions from the stomach and liver. The baby, when it has been inside the mother's womb, has been fed through the placenta. But all he has inhaled through his mouth and lungs are his own skin cells expelled into the water and the amniotic fluid itself.
Hours after the baby is born expels all this waste through your digestive system. On other occasions, this meconium is expelled before delivery and inside the uterus, leading to health problems.
When the baby has black stools
When the baby grows and has a mixed feeding, You may have stools with another appearance than what we are used to. As the days go by, we can get used to these incidents, just like adults. However, one must be aware of what aspect it may present and if there is any type of alarm. The presence of stools with a black appearance is due to several reasons.
- Presence of blood. When stools are mixed with blood, it may have a dark presence. This blood is not synonymous with alarm, but may come from the throat, esophagus, stomach, or mouth. It will have gone through the entire digestive system until it mixes with its own food and ends up in a stool.
- By certain foods consumed. When the child has stopped taking milk as his main food, he will introduce others gradually and when his body accepts it. In this process of ingesting food such as chocolate, red meat or dark pastries can cause it to turn black. Likewise, children can ingest paint, plasticine, earth or some materials that can also change their color.
- when they are taken iron supplements. The same happens in adults, when iron supplements are being taken for some type of treatment, it is completely normal for the stool to appear dark. Nothing happens, it is simply an indication that the iron is being assimilated correctly.
What to do when we see black stools?
You have to remember the baby's behavior hours before. Keep calm and find a reason that help to know its origin. Perhaps the baby has ingested something of what we have already mentioned and we just have to hope that this fact does not happen again.
To make sure it is blood, you can check it by squirting hydrogen peroxide on stool. When it is added and its reaction is white foam, it is an indication that it is indeed blood. You have to think that this blood is from the baby itself or from some food such as liver or red meat that produce this color.
Even the remains of banana threads often blacken the stool, forming threads or black threads that attract attention. You have to remember if you have ingested something like this or similar. However, and in case of any doubt, the pediatrician can be consulted to find a feasible answer.