Diarrhea in infants

Our son, when he was one year old, got a severe case of diarrhea and it lasted for 3 days. We ended up going to the emergency room after he was completely dehydrated and it was a painful experience. He completely recovered after the doctors gave him intravenous fluids and we were in the hospital for 2 days. It is very hard to find a vein for injecting the IV fluids when the person is dehydrated and it was heart breaking to see the way the nurses had to find a vein. We learnt a lot during that experience and I am putting together this hub as a guide to deal with infant diarrhea and how to treat diarrhea in children. Some babies may become lactose intolerant during diarrhea and in these cases it is advisable to avoid any milk products. After recovery from diarrhea, our son had no problem drinking and digesting milk. Make sure to consult with your pediatrician before deciding to stop breastfeeding or to stop feeding milk. It is very important to feed the baby with fluids like pedialyte during diarrhea.

Call your pediatrician right away if:

1. Infants under 3 or 4 months old has diarrhea.

2. Diarrhea persists in infants for 3 days or longer.

3. Diarrhea stools containing blood or pus.

4. Your baby has fever and vomitting.

5. No urine in more than 6 hours.

Signs of dehydration

Dehydration in babies is a serious problem and you should always watch your baby from not getting dehydrated. Here are some signs that your your baby is dehydrated.

• Decreased urination: If your infant has no wet diapers for 4 to 5 hours. Fewer wet infant diapers than usual in a 24 hour period..
• Infant has dry eyes and crying with few tears or no tears.
• High fever
• Sunken abdomen, eyes and cheeks.
• Infant is less active than usual.
• Your baby is thristy
• Dry skin, dry mouth and tongue
• Fatigue

Possible causes of infant diarrhea

1. Bacterial infections: Several types of bacteria consumed through contaminated food and water can cause diarrhea. Common bacteria include Salmonella, Escherichia coli(E.coli), Campylobacter.

2. Many viruses cause infant diarrhea. Some of them are Rotavirus, Herpes simplex virus, Cyptomegalovirus. Rotavirus is the most common cause of acute diarrhea in babies and young children. It usually affects children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years. When children have rotavirus, their stools contain large numbers of germs. Rotavirus can spread easily. It could spread by coming in contact with an infected diaper and not washing hands properly afterward by touching a toy that has germs on it.

3. Parasites: Parasites can enter the body through foods and water and settle in the digestive system. Parasites that cause infant diarrhea include Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium and Entamoeba histolytica

4. Reaction to medicines: Antibiotics, blood pressure medications, antacids containing magnesium and cancer drugs can cause infant diarrhea

5. Bowel disorders: Infant diarrhea can be a symptom of irritable bowel syndrome.

6. Intestinal diseases like crohn's disease, infalmmatory bowel disease and celiac disease often lead to diarrhea.

7. Teething and change in mother's diet if the baby is breastfed.