Having bloody stool sends adults to the doctor's office for fear that they have colorectal cancer, but the presence of blood in infants' stool is rarely tied to such a serious disease. Common health issues in infants are the likely cause, and in some cases red or black stool isn't what it seems. Still, seeing blood in your baby's diaper can be worrisome and should be evaluated by a pediatrician.
Food and Medication Effects
It's possible that your baby's stool doesn't actually contain blood. Certain products cause stool to appear bloody, particularly red-colored foods, according to the University of Chicago's Dr. Joel Schwab, a pediatrician. These include red gelatin, beverages, candies and beets. Stools that look black also associated are with the presence of blood, but if your baby's doctor prescribed iron treatments, these could cause the stool to take on this dark color. Over-the-counter medications containing bismuth subsalicylate, used to treat stomach distress, also can cause black-colored stools.
Constipation
If your child's stool contains streaks of blood, he might have an anal fissure. The straining associated with constipation causes small tears in the lining of the anus. Constipation is not uncommon in infants, particularly when they transition to eating solid foods. Trying to pass hard, dry stools causes anal fissures to develop. These tears are highly prevalent in infants, affecting 80 percent of babies during their first year, PubMed Health reports. Bright red blood is evident on the outside of the stool or on the baby wipe. Having a bowel movement with a fissure often is painful and your child might try to hold her stool.
Common Infant Issues
Another common health problem in infants is gastroesophageal reflux. More than 50 percent of infants under 3 months old experience GER, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Part of the esophagus called the lower esophageal sphincter opens to release gas after you eat food. When the sphincter opens in babies, food or milk in the stomach can come back up the esophagus as well. In addition to blood in the stool, symptoms include feeding difficulty, coughing, spitting up and irritability. It's also possible that your infant has a cow's milk allergy, which causes loose, bloody stools. Cow's milk is used to produce infant formula; breast milk also contains proteins from the dairy products you eat.
Warning
Bloody stool could indicate more serious conditions. Your baby might have a gastrointestinal infection caused by parasites, bacteria or viruses. Necrotizing enterocolitis is another possibility that is most common in premature infants. Symptoms usually present in babies' first two weeks after childbirth. This condition involves intestinal inflammation that could lead to a life-threatening infection if left untreated. Bloody stool, vomiting, abdominal bloating, feeding problems and fever are a few of the signs.
References
- University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine; Pediatrics Clerkship: Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding; Joel Schwab, MD
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Bloody or Tarry Stools
- MayoClinic.com; Infant Constipation: How is It Treated?; Jay L. Hoecker, MD; May 2011
- PubMed Health: Anal Fissure
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse; Gastroesophageal Reflux in Infants; August 2006
- KidsHealth: Stool Tests
