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  • when baby cries a lot (brief & simple)
  • #1. does your baby have a medical condition or gut problem?

It's normal for babies to have green stools and mucous in the stool

Dr Pamela Douglas23rd of Dec 202323rd of May 2024

baby with full diaper on bed

This page belongs to collection of short articles and videos in plain language, called When baby cries a lot in the first few months of life. Together, these articles and videos will give you a brief and simple summary of the Possums 5-domain approach to the crying baby. For comprehensive information on this topic, please consider reading The discontented little baby book. Please see your GP if you find blood in your baby's stool, as this needs to be assessed and monitored.

Green stools and mucous in the stool are normal for our babies, whether breastfed or formula fed. Sometimes there can be quite a lot of mucous.

But green stools and mucous in the stool aren't signs of worrying inflammation, allergy, lactose overload, gut dysbiosis or gut problems, despite what you might hear, and will not be a cause of your baby's crying.

Frequency and consistency of baby stools often vary in the one baby, too, and this changeability is more pronounced with the introduction of solids. You can find out more if you are worried your baby is unsettled because of gut pain here.

Acknowledgements

I'm grateful to Professor Sophie Havighurst, Ros June, and Caroline Ma at Mindful, The University of Melbourne, for their feedback on the articles and videos in When baby cries a lot in the first few months of life. They helped me keep the language plain and the concepts as accessible as possible, for this brief and simple version of the Possums 5-domain approach to the crying baby.

Recommended resources

Is your baby unsettled or having trouble sleeping because of gut pain?

Is baby unsettled or having trouble sleeping because of reflux?

Is your baby unsettled or having trouble sleeping because of allergy?

Is your baby unsettled or having trouble sleeping because of lactose?

Selected references

Huysentruyt K, Koppen I, Benninga MA. The Brussels Infant and Toddler Stool Scale: a study on interobserver reliability. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. 2019;68(2):207-213.

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Next up in #1. does your baby have a medical condition or gut problem?

Will probiotics help your unsettled baby?

crying baby; probiotic

Research shows that probiotics can help when your breastfed baby cries and fusses a lot

Research shows that probiotics decrease the amount of time that breastfed babies spend crying and fussing. All probiotic strains seem effective, but Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 has been shown to be the most effective.

Probiotics have not been shown to have this effect in fussy babies who are formula-fed.

Having said this, many or even most of the families I've seen over the years are already giving their baby a probiotic when they come to see me, yet their little one has continued to cry and fuss a great deal. It's only once we work together through the Possums five domain approach to crying and fussing, which includes The Possums Sleep Program, and important elements of Possums Breastfeeding & Lactation, that we start to see a much more dialled down baby. You can find out about the five domain approach...

more articles in #1. does your baby have a medical condition or gut problem?

  • 2

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    Check for medical issues if your baby cries a lot
  • 4

    minute
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    Will probiotics help your unsettled baby?
  • 7

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    How can you tell if your baby is getting enough milk from direct breastfeeding?
  • 7

    minute
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    Will burping, pausing for 'rest and digest', or holding baby upright after feeds make your baby more settled?
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