Patient's question:
The baby is four months and five days old and is eating formula and rice porridge. However, the baby has two to three bowel movements every day. The first one is relatively dry (but not very hard), while the last one or two are looser (thick and sticky). What could be the reason for this? Today, his second bowel movement also had a little bit of blood in it. I'm so worried.Doctor's answer:
Hello. First of all, I wish your child a speedy recovery! Let me talk to you about "blood in the stool." Blood from gastrointestinal bleeding is expelled through the intestines. This results in bloody stools or entirely bloody stools. The color can be bright red, dark red, or black, like tar. The color of the bloody stool depends on the location of the bleeding, the amount of blood, and how long the blood stays in the digestive tract.Lower gastrointestinal bleeding (small intestine, colon, rectum, anus) often results in bright red or dark red stools. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (esophagus, stomach, duodenum) often results in black, tar-like stools.
Causes of blood in the stool are generally categorized into bright red stools, black, tar-like stools, and occult blood stools.