What causes children to pass raw stools?

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Nguyen Thai Ngoc Chau - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology, Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital.

Faeces with raw feces is one of the causes of slow weight gain in children. If this condition lasts for a long time, children may have rickets, malnutrition due to inefficient digestive system, inability to absorb essential nutrients for the body. So what is the cause of the child passing raw stool?

Go out raw feces is what the child eats is to come out that. When performing the residual residue test, it is found that there is still a lot of protein, starch, and fat in the stool. This is one of the manifestations of digestive disorders, also known as intestinal dysbiosis in children.

Children pass stools when they are solid, when they are viscous or sometimes with separate water. In raw feces, there is mucus, granular, foamy or even undigested food such as seeds, vegetables... Raw feces are usually yellow to green (like sauerkraut).

First, when seeing a child pass raw stool - that is, when a child eats, he or she eats the whole food, parents need to review how to prepare meals that are appropriate for the child's age. An important thing that few mothers pay attention to is the early feeding of babies, because the powder is not fully digested, so it is easy to cause raw stools. Starch is digested by enzymes amylase and ptyalin in saliva, but saliva is not secreted until 6 months of age.
Unscientific diet, lack of balance of nutrients, excess of many substances is also a cause of raw stool. Mothers often give their children a lot of protein and fat... so that their children can grow up quickly. However, the diet is not balanced between the groups of nutrients: protein, sugar, fat, fiber, vitamins and minerals, making the digestive system work unstable. If your child's diet has too much protein, too much fat, or too little vegetables, it can lead to digestive disorders because it can't be fully absorbed, leading to raw stools.
Continuous use of antibiotics also damages the digestive system of children. Antibiotics destroy both harmful bacteria and beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract, reducing the ability of the intestinal tract to absorb nutrients, leading to the condition of children passing raw stools, resulting in slow weight gain, rickets. Malnutrition . The unsanitary living environment is also the cause of the baby's immune system to reduce its capacity to function, reduce its ability to fight diseases, and make children more susceptible to bacteria, viruses, illness and the use of antibiotics. to treat. Since then, the baby's digestive system is damaged and suffers from the phenomenon of passing raw stools, slow weight gain.

When their children pass raw stools, many mothers give their children anti-diarrheal medicine. This is very dangerous because at this time, excess food is retained in the intestine, not being discharged, causing the risk of intestinal obstruction.
Experts advise that, if the child has raw, solid, lumpy, watery stools, and has a bowel movement 1-3 times a day, there is no need to worry. Mothers just need to take care of children, have a suitable diet to help them recover, eliminate toxins and residual substances.
For children from 0 to 3 years old: Parents need to be more careful if their children have live stools. If the baby is exclusively breastfed, but has raw stools in the first 3 months after birth and still gains weight to the standard, the mother does not need any treatment, even if the baby has bowel movements 4-5 times a day. In these cases, after 2-3 months the baby will recover and be healthy. And if the baby uses formula milk with raw stools, the mother needs to think about the possibility that the baby is not suitable for the type of milk being used, thereby making changes to make it easier for the baby to absorb.
If the child has diarrhea with raw stools showing signs of dehydration, the mother needs to rehydrate the child with electrolytes and fluids, and at the same time monitor the symptoms for timely handling. Especially, when the child passes raw stool more than 10 times per day, the mother should immediately think of the child with acute diarrhea.

It is possible for children to eat yogurt to stimulate their appetite, easy to digest, and parents need to improve their children's digestive system in other ways. The main meals still have to ensure enough 4 food groups, in which it is noted that minced lean chicken added to porridge will be very good for children with persistent diarrhea.
One thing to note for mothers is that babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months, given powdered food from the 7th month and need to be fed little by little, from thin to solid powder so that the baby can adapt to the new diet. diet from breastfeeding to eating starch. The use of digestive enzymes only has a temporary effect, if there is no improvement, parents should take the child to a pediatric specialist for advice.
Children with raw stools should eat foods rich in nutrients but easy to digest such as: stewed porridge or porridge with chicken (beef or sirloin), carrots, potatoes, pumpkin... In the recipe For the child's diet, the mother temporarily stops feeding fishy foods such as fish, shrimp, crab, eel... When the stools return to normal, all other foods can be given.
Food for children should be cooked, chopped for easy digestion, divided into many meals a day, should not give children too much in each meal. When the intestinal tract returns to normal, the mother should feed the baby slowly to monitor.
In addition, to prevent gastrointestinal diseases that young children often suffer, parents should pay attention to nutrition to improve resistance for children. At the same time, add supporting foods containing lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, B vitamins,... snacks and less digestive problems.
Parents can learn more:
Why do you need to supplement Lysine for your baby?
The role of zinc - Guidelines for reasonable zinc supplementation
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