However, if your baby’s stool has a red shade and appears to be tinged with blood, parental concern is certainly warranted. Learn why this happens, what can cause blood in an infant’s poop and when you should seek medical attention.
What Does Blood in Stool Look Like?
Your baby’s bowel movements can provide some information about their overall health and nutrition. It might be odd to think that a stinky diaper can reveal so much information, but stool color, texture, and frequency can give parents and caregivers an idea as to how their little one is feeling and if any fussiness can be attributed to their GI tract.
However, blood in an infant’s diaper shouldn’t be taken lightly. It may appear to be bright red, coal black, streaky or flecked with blood.1 Blood may be in or on the stool or may be passed by itself.2 In other instances, the poop may look entirely red.3 Read on to learn why this may occur.
Reasons for Blood in an Infant’s Poop
Anal Fissure
A common cause of blood in babies stool is an anal fissure.3 An anal fissure is a small tear in the anus which is usually caused by the passage of large or hard stool.4 Anal fissures can cause painful bowel movements and bleeding, where the blood is seen on the outside of the stool and on a wipe after cleaning up after a diaper change.4 While anal fissures often heal quickly once constipation resolves, parents should change diapers often and take care while cleaning the area.4
Strep Skin Infection
Many parents may be familiar with strep throat, but did you know that the same streptococcus bacteria can affect your baby’s skin?5 In instances of perianal strep infection, the skin around your baby’s anus can become infected and the hallmark is a moist and bright red rash.5 It can also cause blood-streaked stools for your baby.2 Take care to wash your hands after changing your baby’s so that you don’t spread the bacteria to another member of your family.5
Bacterial Diarrhea
Diarrhea accompanied by the presence of blood in your baby’s diaper may point to a bacterial infection.2,3 Some examples of bacteria that may cause this are Shigella, Salmonella, E.coli 0157 or Campylobacter.2
Cow's Milk Colitis
Cows milk colitis is also known as a cow’s milk protein allergy, where your baby’s immune system overreacts to the proteins in cow milk, which can lead to inflammation and digestive upset.6 A baby with a CMPA can be fussy, hard to console and may pass stool with streaks or flecks of blood.2,6 It’s not an uncommon condition for infants and newborns, in fact it frequently presents within the first few months of life.2,6
Ingested Blood
It may be a strange thought, but your newborn may have ingested some of their mother’s blood during delivery.1 If you’re breastfeeding your newborn, your nipples may crack and bleed and your baby may ingest blood that way.1 In some instances, swallowed maternal blood has been responsible for bloody meconium in otherwise healthy newborns.
Hormones
Your newborn baby girl may experience some blood spotting in her diaper during her first few weeks.1,3 This is due to exposure to her mother’s hormones immediately before birth and should clear up over time, usually within a few weeks.1,3
Causes of Red Infant Poop That Isn’t Blood
While bloody poop may be an unpleasant surprise for a new parent, when an infant passes a stool that is simply red, there may be more confusion than concern. Some medicines, like amoxicillin and Omnicef, can turn your little one’s bowel movements an interesting shade of red.2 Once your baby is older and has started eating solid foods, they may experience red stools after eating red foods (especially beets) or consuming foods or drinks with red dye in them.2
When to Call a Doctor or Seek Medical Care
If you suspect that something is wrong with your child or see anything out of the ordinary in a diaper, don’t hesitate to reach out to their healthcare provider.3 Seek immediate medical attention if your infant exhibits any of the following symptoms:
- Blood in the stool or blood being passed without any stool.2
- Diarrhea with blood and mucous.2,3
- Black stool that resembles tar and is not green.2
If you suspect that the bleeding is due to an anal fissure, infection, or allergy, keep an eye on your child’s mood, behavior, appetite and bowel habits. Your baby’s doctor will be able to perform an exam to determine the cause of any GI issues. An infection may require antibiotics or a topical ointment.5 Your infant’s doctor may also provide topical creams to relieve any discomfort caused by an anal fissure and advice on how to avoid constipation.4 In the event of a cow’s milk protein allergy, your pediatrician may recommend that a breastfeeding mother cut out dairy, or that formula-fed babies are switched to a new formula that’s easier on their GI tract and doesn’t contain any CMP.6
For more tips on caring for your new baby, visit the Enfamil A+ hub for Feeding Issues & Solutions.
- https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/parenting/baby-poop-color-consistency-sometimes-surprises/
- https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Stools+-+Blood+In
- https://www.gov.mb.ca/healthychild/healthybaby/kits/scoop_on_poop.pdf
- https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/diseases-conditions/anal-fissure
- https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/aftercareinformation/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=abs1619
- https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/allergic-colitis
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8543549/