Bloody Stools in Babies

Parents continually check their baby's stools to make sure they are a normal color and texture. Bloody stools are enough to panic any parent but aren't always a result of a serious condition and according to Dr. Jim Sears M.D., almost every baby will pass at least one bloody stool during infancy. Bloody stools in babies can occasionally be a result of a serious underlying condition that must be addressed by your pediatrician immediately to prevent serious complications.

Minor Causes

• In many cases, babies with bloody stools may be experiencing allergic colitis, caused from a lactose or protein intolerance in the breast or formula milk they are consuming. Babies who have allergic colitis will have bright red streaks of blood in their stool. Breastfed babies and formula fed babies can both develop allergic colitis. Babies who are breastfed that develop allergic colitis can be treated by removing milk and dairy products from the mother's diet. Formula fed babies who develop allergic colitis usually have intolerance for soy proteins and must be switched to an elemental formula.

Severe Causes

• Intussusception is a common cause of bloody stools in babies that tends to develop during the time babies are introduced to solid foods. According to Carol Miller, pediatrician at University of California, San Francisco, intussusception causes colic-type pain that occurs in waves that increase in frequency and intensity. Intussusception is a condition where a baby's intestines become inflamed and swollen which results in blocked and possibly torn intestines. The condition can cause intestinal tissue to die and will produce dark red, jelly textured stools that may contain mucus. Babies may also seem sweaty, lethargic, show signs of dehydration and their stomach may become distended with a sausage-like mass evident in the upper mid or right abdomen region.

Treatment

• According to Annie Stine of the Babycenter Medical Advisory Board, if your pediatrician suspects that your baby is experiencing bloody stools due to intussusception, the diagnosis will be confirmed by ultrasound, CT scan or special x-ray studies. After visual imaging provides a positive diagnosis, a radiologist will then attempt to push the intestines back into place using a barium or air enema. If your baby has a torn intestine due to the condition, surgery will be required to remove blockage, and in cases of severe blockage, small sections of the intestines may be removed to remove the blockage.

Considerations

• Iron preparation medications can cause a baby's stool to appear dark or bloody and will disappear when the baby has finished taking the medication. Beverages and foods that contain red food coloring can also cause a baby's stool to appear red or blood-like but are not the result of a serious condition.

Warning

• Babies who have bloody stools as a result of allergic colitis should be treated and monitored by a pediatrician and especially those that are experiencing abdominal pain, vomiting and poor weight gain due to the condition.