You are removing diapers of your little one and a sense of fear strikes you! Streaks of blood are found in his stool! Though blood being found in kids stool is common, but it sends shock waves for sure. In the initial phase of breastfeeding blood is established in the stool of babies.

Read More: Why Is My Baby’s Poop Green?

Why blood emerges in the stool of babies?

Blood is found in the stool of a baby in a couple of forms.

• In the form of red stains that is found in stool
• If any form of allergy or infection happens in the stomach and is digested. Here the blood would resemble a blackish colour.

Most of these situations have common causes, and let us now analyse the conditions paving way for blood in an infant’s stool.

Read More: All About Baby Poop: 11 Ways to Decode a Baby’s Poop

Anal fissures

Infants are prone to it, and if babies are constipated their stool becomes hard.  If babies are exclusively breastfeed runny stool is common and this resembles large pellets. Exertion of the muscle of anal sphincter leads to passing of tough stool.

Treatment

Just like any form of abrasive fissure in our body, anal fissures subsidize or heal on its own. If the condition becomes severe, a doctor may prescribe ointments (tropical)

Colitis

Is an inflammation of the inner space in your colon, and a component of large intestine? Minute sores develop in the intestine, where pain could emerge or may not. This tends to cause blood in the baby’s stool and the main reason is attributed to genetic trends. The immune system of a baby is not developed and this makes them susceptible to infections. It is observed that bacteria evade over the intestinal wall and degeneration of it may cause spike of blood in the stool of infants.

Treatment

Anti-inflammatory drugs are normally prescribed by the doctors to have a control over the inflammation emerging in the intestinal walls. The objective is to help the immune system to combat the infections.

Crohn’s disease

Pretty much similar to Colitis, it is a disease plaguing the large intestine. The distinction from colitis is in a pathology and physiology context. You cannot pin point any clear reasons for the occurrence of it, but genetic mutations have a role. If there is someone in your family who has been effected by Crohn’s disease then the chances of kids developing this infection is all the more.

Treatment: No clear cut treatment can be prescribed as a course of treatment. To keep a tab on this condition, the doctor may prescribe a host of medicines and the nature of it is dependent on the severity of the condition.

Allergies

Any type of allergies particularly food can cause blood in babies stool. This could be followed by mucus. Often kids are prone to allergies to milk (formula or cow milk) rye, barley or oats. It is a matter of great concern for babies who have just taken up to solid food

Treatment:  the effects of allergy could roll over to your entire life, but it is something that could be managed with precautionary medicines.

How to prevent blood in your baby’s stool?

Some common steps in order to mitigate on spotting stool in the blood of an infant at an early stage.

• Best source of food is breast milk- during the first six months of your baby; breastfeeding is the best remedial measure. It is embedded with antibiotics that keep the infections at bay. Your immune system becomes more efficient.
• Periodic inspections- anal opening of a baby needs to be check on a frequent basis to detect any infections. If you feel that something is disturbing, and then takes them to a doctor on an immediate basis.
• Have an eye on various allergies- when an allergy, is detected, make it a point that the allergens are kept away from the baby. The baby should not be attended after you have had those foods.

To conclude watching the stool of a baby on a regular basis, would detect any irregularity. If any abnormality is found, it is better to seek medical attention at the earliest juncture. A timely intervention is a remedy that a problem may need.

If the blood in the stool of a baby goes untreated, then the condition aggravates and various medical complications may spring up. There is no need to worry if you are following remedial measures that are prescribed by your physician. The key is early detection and preventive measures to remove the blood in the stool of your baby.

References

https://www.livestrong.com/article/198922-blood-mucus-in-a-babys-stool/

https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/treating-bloody-stools-in-children