It can be very difficult for any parent to deal with infant diarrhea. Most doctors will recommend that parents keep track of how many bowel movements their babies have a day. This will help when it comes to determining if your baby has infant diarrhea.
There are several ways that you can tell if your infant has diarrhea. Most parents keep very close track of their babies’ stool frequency pattern. Basically, you know how many times per day they usually go. Since they are growing and changing frequently at this age that number can change very often, according to www.webmd.com. If, however, you begin to notice drastic changes within only a few days, diarrhea could be a possibility. If your baby begins to have frequent stools within a short period of time, it probably is diarrhea. For reference, diarrhea is a loose, watery, unformed stool that happens more than twice a day.
Your doctor will probably ask you several questions such as, has their been a recent change in diet? If you are breastfeeding then they will also ask if there has been a change in the mother’s diet which may be the cause. I have also found that if your baby is just getting over a cold or if they are taking medicine than infant diarrhea is very common. An infection can also be the cause but the baby will have a fever in addition to the diarrhea. In most cases it will pass without serious incident. Your doctor will tell you however that the most important thing is to make sure that your baby stays hydrated. According to www.webmd.com breastfeeding regularly when your baby has infant diarrhea is a good way to help them recover quicker.
You should keep in mind however that if your baby has infant diarrhea for more than a week or a fever develops you should immediately take them to the doctor. According to www.babycenter.com, an infant who has an occasional loose stool is really nothing to worry about. The article also points out that the majority of diarrhea cases are not serious and will pass as long as your baby is still getting plenty of fluids.
In order to make sure than your baby is not becoming dehydrated you need to keep track of how many diapers they are going thought. Most infants will go through about six to eight diapers a day. If the number of wet diapers begins to decrease than this could mean that your baby is not getting enough fluids. If this is the case than you should immediately take your baby to see their pediatrician. Depending on how many months your baby is your doctor may suggest using an electrolyte solution in order to keep your baby hydrated.
If you are not sure if your baby has infant diarrhea than you should schedule an appointment with your babies doctor. They will be able to tell you exactly what to look for and how you can make sure your baby stays hydrated.
