Detecting baby's health can be done in various ways. One of them is by looking at the shape, and also the color of the stool or poop or baby stool. The condition of the baby's stool is influenced by the intake of breast milk and other foods as life support. Different intake of course will also be different feces issued by the baby.
During the early period of birth, the baby will have a more frequent bowel movement so that the stool results will be different between babies who are exclusively breastfed and those who are not. Well, at this stage you can detect early health conditions through the shape and color of your baby's stool.
Hospital Pediatrician. Carolus dr. Ria Yoanita Sp.A said that normal baby stool color is greenish yellow. While the shape and texture of newborns tend to be soft like mush and will harden with age.
"So the color of the stool comes from the bile pigment that comes from the liver, namely bilirubin. This bilirubin is mainly what will color the stool and its original color is yellow-green. When this bilirubin enters the intestinal tract, the color of the stool becomes greenish yellow when the flow is fast, but under certain conditions, the color of the stool can be affected by the food or drink consumed, for example in breastfed babies or formula milk. In addition, drugs can also affect the color of the disease," said dr. Ria Yoanita in a dialogue with MAKUKU some time ago.
Health Detection Through Feces
To detect the baby's health, continued dr. Ria, Moms can see in two ways, namely by looking at the shape and also paying attention to the color. He added, detection of baby's health from the form of stool can be seen from the Bristol Stool Chart scale. The Bristol scale has divided 7 types of stool shapes that can describe health conditions. This method was developed in 1997 by a group of British researchers named Ken Heaton. Ken is a nutritionist from Bristol Royal Infirmary, UK.
"There are charts or tools that make it easier for moms at home to know the shape of their child's stool, diarrhea or constipation, namely the Bristol stool chart," said dr. Ria.
This method can be applied to all ages, including infants. The following are the seven types of stool according to the Bristol Stool Chart.
Health Detection Through Color
In addition to texture, detection of baby's health can be seen from the color of the baby's stool. According to dr. Ria, normal stool color is greenish yellow that comes from the pigmentation process and the flow of bilirubin. Then, what about other colors? Here's the explanation.
- Red
If your little one passes red stools, it can be harmless but can also be a worrying condition. Stool can be contaminated with blood due to bleeding from the lower GI tract, which is common, but can also be from the upper GI tract if the bleeding is profuse. There are various possible health conditions such as infection, constipation to digestive tract bleeding. It is recommended to do a health check to the doctor if the baby's red stools are worried about blood.
"The red color of the stool can come from blood, for example, which is most common in lower digestive tract bleeding. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding can also cause red stool color if there is a lot of blood. Don't forget if the red color is due to blood, it usually smells fishy. hurry to determine the color of red stool, because there are also some foods or drinks that cause red stool color, for example papaya, dragon, beet, red drinks, rifampicin drugs, and others," said dr. Ria.
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Black
Black stool results from a red to black color change due to the influence of mixing with stomach acid. If it is black because of blood, it can be caused by bleeding in the stomach, or the bleeding channel before the stomach, namely the esophagus, or it can also be caused by a heavy nosebleed. The thing to worry about is that black baby stools are a sign of health problems in your little one.
"What is scary about black stools is the occurrence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding such as stomach, esophagus, or severe nosebleeds. The black color results from the red color of blood mixed with stomach acid. You need to be careful if you smell fishy blood. causes a black color in the stool, for example beetroot, excessive chocolate cake, iron supplementation drugs, and others," added dr. Ria.
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White
Why is the stool white? This may be rare in children. Generally not caused by food, drink, or drugs. dr. Ria explained, the white color indicates a health problem such as bile disorders.
"The flow of bile/bilirubin from the liver to the duodenum. The channel that should drain bile is blocked or there is also a disturbance in the journey from the liver to the intestine. In infants under 1 month old, biliary atresia can occur, cysts in the bile duct, but it can also be caused by bile duct stones, liver disorders, large tumors that press the bile ducts, and others. Therefore, be careful if you find the color of white, putty stool in your child's stool, "added dr. Ria.
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Green
Green, brown, dark yellow, light yellow, orange colors actually indicate normal if not accompanied by other symptoms. However, if for example the color of green stool is accompanied by diarrhea, abdominal pain, it is necessary to find out the cause.
"So broadly speaking, if only the color of the stool is green, brown, dark yellow, light yellow, orange without any other symptoms or complaints, then it is actually normal," said dr. Ria.
These two methods can be an alternative to detect minor health conditions because they can be done easily without requiring the slightest cost.
If the color and texture of the baby's stool has shown signs of illness, you should immediately go to the doctor for a health check! Interested in trying to detect the baby's health with the two methods above? Good luck!
Reviewed by:
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dr. Ria Yoanita, SpA RS Carolus Jakarta dr. Ria is a specialist in Pediatrics. After completing his general medical education at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya Malang, he continued his specialization in Pediatrics at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia. |
Refrence:
https://www.idntimes.com/health/fitness/nena-zakiah-1/tipe-tinja-menurut-bristol-stool-chart/
https://health.kompas.com/read/2020/08/17/163200568/arti-warna-dan-bentuk-tinja-bagi-kesehatan?page=all
Transkrip Wawancara dengan dr Ria.
Picture :
https://www.shutterstock.com/id/image-vector/bristol-stool-chart-tool-faeces-type-1758939173
https://www.shutterstock.com/id/search/bristol+stool+chart
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