Diarrhoea

It is commonly accepted that the evacuation of liquid or semiformed stools from 7 times a day to once every 7 days is normal in breast-fed babies. Formula-fed babies have more formed or even harder stools.

Defecation frequency and stool volume decrease from birth to 3 years of age when an “adult” pattern is reached. Infants pass 5 to 10 g/kg/day and adults an average of 100 g/day. Diarrhea is the frequent (more than three times a day) evacuation of liquid feces.

Acute diarrhea is often self-limiting and lasts for a few days. When persisting for over 3 weeks, this condition is considered chronic.

Diarrheal stools may be watery, acid, or greasy and may contain blood, mucus, or undigested food particles. Parents often worry about the color of their child’s feces. Red (blood) and white (cholestasis) are alarming, but all shades of yellow, brown, and green should be tolerated.