Analysis for coprogram, how to properly collect feces. How to properly collect feces from a baby for analysis in order to get the most reliable result

09.29.2017 / Category: / Mari no comments

As an adult, a person has to know and be able to do many things. These actions will not always be pleasant, but they are necessary. One of these things is collecting your own or your child’s feces for analysis. Let's discuss how to properly collect feces.

General rules for collecting stool for analysis

Why were rules and instructions created in a seemingly simple matter? Collect feces for analysis, what could be easier, you will think, and you will be right and wrong at the same time. The accuracy of following the rules in this matter determines how many times you will go through this not very pleasant procedure for collecting a sample, retaking the analysis (which means wasting time, and possibly money) and the accuracy of the result.

We list the general rules that are important to follow when preparing for stool analysis and when collecting it:

1. Clean container.
2. The fresher the stool, the better.
3. Only spontaneous act of defecation.
4. Diet before collecting analysis.
5. Avoid taking medications a few days before stool collection.
6. Avoid various impurities.

Let's look at each point in more detail. Finding a container for stool analysis is not a problem now. You can use a special sterile container with a spoon purchased at a pharmacy, or get the same container (usually free of charge) from the laboratory where you are going to take the test.

Another option is to use a regular small glass or plastic jar with a screw-on lid, no more than 50 ml in volume. Such a jar must be carefully prepared: washed with laundry soap, rinsed repeatedly with ordinary clean water. Then pour boiling water over and dry. Such actions will be enough to cleanse it.

Disinfectants cannot be used. The container must be filled 1/3 with feces, and be sure to screw the lid tightly.

The next point tells us that it is better to donate freshly collected feces. If you can wait until the morning, then empty your bowels during your morning trip to the toilet, collect a sample and deliver it to the laboratory.

But what should those who “walk on a large scale” not every day do or are not sure that they will be able to collect it immediately before taking it? In fact, yesterday's poop is no worse. You just need to store it in the refrigerator at a temperature from +3 to +8, in order, firstly, to spare the sense of smell of laboratory workers, and secondly, to avoid the development of fungal spores, which sometimes complicate diagnosis (they can look like protozoan cysts).

There is no need to freeze stool if you cannot get it to the laboratory for analysis on the same day. Fresh feces for analysis are needed only in isolated cases: to check for hymenolepiasis and amoebic dysentery.

Important! Let's remember. To check for worms, dysbacteriosis, Giardia, occult blood, and coprogram, it is permissible to use feces collected yesterday.

It is necessary to prepare for stool examination and follow a certain diet.

A few days (approximately 3-5) before the test, eliminate any alcohol and foods that will increase fermentation in the intestines. For example:

• lactic acid products (yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, kefir, yogurt, fermented baked milk and others);
• carbonated drinks and juices (energy drinks, Sprite, Coca-Cola, Mirida, etc.);
• legumes (beans, lentils, peas);
• any bakery products;
• yeast products (kvass, cheese, baked goods);
• some fruits (grapes, apples, pears, peaches).

Also, 3-5 days before the stool test, you need to stop using any laxatives and rectal suppositories. If a couple of days before the test you underwent an x-ray of the digestive organs, and accordingly took barium, then you should wait a few more days so that its intake does not affect the result of the stool test.

As mentioned above, feces must be collected after a voluntary act of defecation, that is, an enema and other auxiliary means cannot be used.

An important condition is the absence of urine, menstrual blood and other sexual fluids in the collected sample. Therefore, it is recommended that a woman reschedule her test date if she starts menstruating. If such an analysis needs to be done urgently, then use tampons.

A special diet requires a fecal occult blood test, which shows whether there is asymptomatic bleeding in the digestive organs and their parts. 3-4 days before collecting the analysis, you need to exclude from your diet all foods that contain iron: meat, liver, tuna, apples, raisins, bell peppers, buckwheat, beans and others. Iron-containing medications should also be stopped.

Important! When buying a container at a pharmacy, pay attention to the fact that it must be in a closed bag, which means it is sterile.

Collecting a sample for research

When you have prepared for the analysis: you have bought a sterile container, given up all medications and followed a diet, it’s time to start collecting the stool itself. Collecting feces directly from the toilet is strictly not recommended, because water from it or urine may get into the sample. How to be? There are several ways to collect adult feces:

• take a dry, washed container, defecate in it and collect a sample, shake out the remaining feces from the container into the toilet, and throw it away. This method is convenient if a person’s stool is not formed.
• After peeing in the toilet, you can take toilet paper and roll it up several times. As soon as the act of defecation begins, put your hand with a piece of paper, “catch a piece” and place it in a special container;
• After peeing in the toilet, cover it with cling film, defecate, and collect a stool sample. Remove any residue from the cling film, wrap it in a bag and throw it away.

It will be more convenient to collect feces from a child from a potty, to which he can be transferred from the toilet as soon as he pees in it, or using the methods described above.

The sample volume is the same for both an adult and a child, approximately two full spoons included in the container for stool analysis.

If you are very squeamish, then when buying sterile containers, also take disposable gloves, and maybe a medical mask.

Children's affairs

As we can see, collecting a sample for stool testing and meeting all the conditions is not so difficult. But how do you collect the stool of a newborn who poops whenever he wants, and not when you need to get tested? Naturally, the easiest and most optimal way is to let the baby defecate in the diaper, and then collect the sample with a special plastic spoon in a container.

Of course, it is better to wait until the baby poops profusely, otherwise you will have to scrape the feces out of the diaper, which is unacceptable. Since the sample will include substances that retain urine in the diaper, the urine itself, and particles of diaper fabric.

If you know for sure that the baby will poop immediately after eating, then you don’t have to wear a disposable diaper. Place an oilcloth under it and a diaper on top, and after toileting, collect the fecal matter in a container.

Feces in infants (age from 4 weeks to one year) may become more formalized by the age of one year. But it’s also easier to collect a sample from a diaper than to force an uncomprehending baby to poop in the potty.

If your baby has problems with bowel movements, give a gentle tummy massage to stimulate bowel movements.

As a rule, a stool examination is one of the first tests that a pediatrician prescribes. Such analyzes are very informative, so do not refuse them, even if you are very squeamish.

Every person in his life has been faced with the need to submit excrement for laboratory testing, but not everyone knows how doctors recommend taking a stool test.

A coprogram, or an in-depth study of a stool sample in a laboratory setting, may be prescribed under various circumstances.

Most often, stool donation is needed if there is a suspicion that the patient has ailments of internal organs.

Sequence of actions when passing the analysis

• frequent nausea accompanied by vomiting;
• diarrhea;
• flatulence;
• unpleasant taste in the mouth;
• discomfort of varying severity in the abdominal area.

Not everyone knows how to properly take a stool test. On the other hand, most people are aware that in order to obtain the desired effect, a certain sequence of actions must be followed.

For example, wipe the area where the injection will be given with alcohol, or not eat food before donating blood for analysis.

To recover from any disease, you need to follow your doctor's recommendations for taking medications.

However, when it comes to submitting stool for analysis, then basically everyone for some reason believes that there are no rules and there cannot be any.

However, an incorrectly tested stool sample can ultimately lead to a misdiagnosis, which is a very serious matter.

Meanwhile, there are several simple rules, adhering to which, you can avoid incorrect interpretation of the analysis of an excrement sample.

First, you need to carefully prepare to collect a sample for analysis.

To do this you need:

• empty the bladder, then perform hygienic treatment of the perineum with warm water and soap;
• Dry thoroughly with a clean, dry towel;
• prepare a sterilized container for receiving feces;
• collect some feces, about 1 tsp. into a prepared jar;
• Immediately take the stool sample to the laboratory for testing.

Many people do not know how to pass feces correctly and defecate directly into the toilet.

This cannot be done, because in this way water, foreign bacteria and particles of detergents and hygiene products can get into the feces, which will significantly distort the results of the analysis.

Therefore, either a sterilized baby potty or a duck should be used to collect the stool sample.

If neither one nor the other is available, then you can stretch a plastic film over the toilet seat and perform an act of defecation directly on it. It would be useful to remind you that the film must also be clean and sterilized.

Patients, not knowing how to take a stool test, wonder why such strict hygienic rules are followed when defecating.

Feces, being the end result of the digestive tract, its composition clearly shows whether a person has any pathologies of internal organs.

And if the stool analysis contains foreign external impurities that can be regarded as a product of the gastrointestinal tract, then an incorrect diagnosis may be made.

Therefore, before taking a stool test, you must follow all medical recommendations.

Diet before taking the test

On critical days or in the presence of hemorrhoidal diseases accompanied by bleeding, it is best not to take tests, because they may contain blood particles that will be perceived as a symptom of serious illnesses.

Before taking the test for coprogram, it is advisable to adhere to a certain diet for 2-3 days so as not to burden the gastrointestinal tract with work.

According to Schmidt, you need to eat as follows:

• limit the number of kilocalories consumed to 2 - 2.5 thousand per day;
• drink a lot of dairy products, up to one and a half liters per day;
• per day you can eat 200 grams of mashed potatoes, 1-2 boiled eggs, 100 grams of ready-made porridge, 1 piece of white bread, stewed pureed vegetables.

This kind of diet is considered the most gentle on the intestines. Nutrition according to Pevzner is somewhat different.

If you adhere to it before taking the test, you can use:

• unlimited number of calories per day;
• fried meat and potatoes;
• 4 pieces of white bread;
• fresh vegetables and fruits with plenty of plant fiber;
• refined sugar.

It is assumed that such nutrition, due to the heavy load on the digestive organs, will help to quickly identify hidden pathologies and diseases when taking a stool test.

However, the decision on this or that type of nutrition, before taking the test, must be made by the doctor, taking into account the patient’s complaints, his medical history and other relevant circumstances.

3-4 days before taking the test, it is advisable to stop taking all vitamins and medications so as not to distort the results of the coprogram.

If you cannot stop taking medications, you must notify your doctor about which medications you are taking.

It must be remembered that vitamin complexes containing bismuth and iron, as well as activated carbon, can turn stool black.

Excessive consumption of blueberries has a similar effect, and drinking beets or beet juice will make the stool test red. It is best not to take antibacterial drugs before taking a stool test.

If a stool test is taken to identify the so-called “hidden blood”, then it is best to give up not only blueberries and beets, but also the consumption of meat offal, which contains a lot of iron, 5 days before submitting a sample of excrement for analysis.

They can also turn stool black.

How to take a stool sample from children?

Under no circumstances should you use enemas or laxative medications before taking a stool test.

The act of defecation must be natural, otherwise, as a result of artificially increased intestinal motility, fecal masses do not have time to fully form, and deciphering the coprogram may show the presence of undigested food residues, which might not have been present during the normal course of defecation, and the doctor may suspect that the person has, for example, inflammation of the pancreas glands.

Feces begin to lose their biological properties immediately after defecation, therefore, the sooner a sample of excrement gets to the laboratory, the cleaner the coprogram will be.

It is optimal to take the test immediately after collecting it. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to do this - many people naturally empty their bowels late in the day, and stool tests are taken in the morning.

Then it is necessary to hermetically seal the container with the excrement sample and place it in a dark, cool place. You can store it this way for no more than 5 hours.

When taking a stool test, children usually cause much more trouble than adults.

Therefore, there are some nuances for this procedure:

1. Feces cannot be collected from a child’s diaper - its absorbent qualities can disrupt the properties of feces and distort the result of the analysis. It is best to first give the child a abdominal massage to stimulate the act of defecation, then put him on a clean, dry diaper and wait for bowel movements;
2. The baby may be constipated, but the test still needs to be taken. In this case, you should consult with your doctor about the possibility of using children's laxatives or suppositories, and thus still collect a stool sample;
3. the child may not want to sit on the potty or defecate on the diaper. Therefore, you need to try to calculate the time of the baby’s bowel movements so that the sample is as fresh as possible and does not lose its properties for laboratory study.

Some procedures to examine the intestines using X-ray equipment involve taking barium sulfate, which, when removed from the body, changes the color and composition of stool.

Therefore, it is necessary either to notify the doctor that such procedures have recently been performed, or to refrain from collecting stool for analysis for 2-3 days after studies related to barium intake.

If a sample of excrement is given in order to study it for the presence or absence of helminth eggs or Giardia cysts, then approximately twice as much stool should be taken as 1 tsp.

In this case, it is best to use both scrapings around the anus and feces taken during bowel movements.

How to take a stool test, in what cases is it necessary, and are there any specifics for collecting material for different studies - questions that patients often ask their doctor when receiving a referral.

Feces are the end product of digestion, the contents of the distal colon, excreted during defecation. Fecal masses are formed during the passage of food components through the entire gastrointestinal tract, therefore, by their condition and properties, one can judge the condition of all parts of the digestive system.

Fecal analysis is a study of the physical, chemical and microscopic features of the composition of feces, identifying pathological components or impurities for the purpose of diagnosing diseases of the digestive system or assessing the effectiveness of therapy. A general analysis of stool to determine the digestive capacity of the stomach and intestines is called a coprogram. In the laboratory, the physical properties of the sample are examined: color, smell, quantity, shape, consistency, pH.

Careful adherence to the rules of preparation and technique for collecting material largely affects the reliability of the coprogram result.

Before defecation, it is recommended to empty the bladder, then thoroughly wash the external genitalia. For hygiene procedures, it is better to use soap without foaming additives or fragrances. To prevent urine and water from getting into the stool, thoroughly wipe away the moisture with a towel.

You should prepare in advance the container in which the stool analysis will be delivered to the laboratory. This can be a sterile glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, but it is best to use a special plastic container for collecting stool with a spatula built into the lid (available at a pharmacy). You need to take care in advance about the container from which the feces will be collected for analysis. This can be a dry and clean vessel, or you can attach plastic film to the surface of the toilet. After defecation, 10-15 g of feces are taken into a prepared container using a spatula. It is important to remember to sign the container before submitting it to the laboratory.

Is it possible to collect material for analysis in the evening and submit it to the laboratory in the morning? This option is acceptable, but it should be noted that it is recommended to deliver the biomaterial to the laboratory no later than 8 hours after its collection. In this case, it is recommended to store the container with the evening stool sample at home in the refrigerator, at a temperature of +3 to +5 ºС. You can’t freeze yesterday’s material. How long can collected stool be stored in the refrigerator? For general analysis, feces can be left on the middle shelf of the refrigerator for 6–8 hours.

It is prohibited to collect material for research earlier than two days after an X-ray contrast examination of the digestive tract (irrigoscopy, barium passage). It is better for women during menstruation to refrain from submitting stool for testing, but if the test cannot be rescheduled, a vaginal tampon is used during bowel movements.

Stool intended for analysis must be formed naturally; enemas or laxatives should not be used. Three days before stool collection, it is recommended to exclude medications that affect peristalsis, composition and color of stool (sorbents, antibiotics, contrast agents, motility agents, rectal suppositories).

On the eve of the stool test, you need to exclude from the diet foods that contribute to discoloration of stool (tomatoes, beets, rhubarb), excessive formation of gases in the intestines, diarrhea or constipation.

Features of collecting material for other studies

Fecal occult blood test

A week before taking a stool test, you must stop taking iron-containing drugs, ascorbic acid, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetylsalicylic acid. Three days before the study, exclude foods containing iron from the diet (meat, offal, white beans, bell peppers, apples, green onions, spinach).

Normally, stool is cylindrical in shape and has a compacted, homogeneous consistency; the color of stool can be various shades of brown; the water content in stool is about 80%.

Fecal analysis for helminth eggs

When conducting an analysis for opisthorchiasis, difficulties are encountered in diagnosing the early stage of the disease. For greater reliability of detection of helminth cysts, it is recommended to take larger quantities of stool than in other studies.

A test for enterobiasis allows you to more accurately identify the presence or absence of pinworm eggs. To obtain reliable results, you should not toilet the anal area or empty your bowels before collecting material. A plastic container with a long cotton swab is suitable for collecting material. Use the tip of a cotton swab to scrape the perianal folds, carefully lower the swab into the container and close the lid tightly. To obtain the most accurate results, it is recommended to carry out the analysis three times.

Bacteriological analysis of stool

Analysis of stool for the intestinal group allows you to determine the presence of pathogens of intestinal infection. Also, bacteriological testing allows you to determine the sensitivity of the identified infectious agent to antibacterial drugs. Three days before the study, you must stop taking antibiotics, iron supplements, laxatives, and rectal suppositories. It is recommended to exclude meat dishes from the diet and not drink alcohol. The material is collected in a special sterile container (container). To eliminate errors and obtain reliable results, feces should be taken three times.

Stool intended for analysis must be formed naturally; enemas or laxatives should not be used.

Collection of stool for analysis in children

A diaper or oilcloth is used to collect material from infants. If the stool is liquid, it can be poured from a diaper or oilcloth into a jar. For constipation, abdominal massage can be used to stimulate bowel movements in newborns; in some cases, a rectal gas tube can help cope with the problem.

If the child already goes to the potty on his own, the same rules for collecting material are followed as for adults. Before collecting a stool sample, the pot must be washed clean without the use of disinfectants or cleaning agents.

Indicators determined by stool analysis

Normally, stool is cylindrical in shape and has a compacted, homogeneous consistency; the color of stool can be various shades of brown; the water content in stool is about 80%. The smell of feces in a healthy person is unpleasant, but not offensive. With a normal diet, the stool reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline.

Microscopic examination makes it possible to determine the presence of connective tissue, muscle fibers, neutral fats and acids, plant fiber and starch in the feces. With normal digestion, connective tissue is absent in stool analysis, stool does not contain neutral fats and fatty acids, small amounts of muscle fibers may appear after eating meat. Digestible fiber is not normally detected; the amount of indigestible plant fiber depends on the nature of the diet. There are no starch grains in the feces of a healthy person.

Chemical testing includes the detection of protein, bilirubin, blood cells, stercobilin, and allows us to determine the amount of cellular suspension (erythrocytes, leukocytes and epithelial cells) in feces. Normally, in a healthy person, there are no red blood cells in the feces; single leukocyte cells and a small number of squamous and columnar intestinal epithelial cells may be found.

Video from YouTube on the topic of the article:

Stool analysis can reveal dysfunction of the intestinal tract, liver and pancreas. In correctly collected material, specialists will also be able to see the presence of eggs of various helminths, blood and bile acid. How to properly prepare your body and collect tests? There is nothing complicated in this procedure; it is enough to follow a few rules.

How to properly take a stool test - necessary materials

To collect feces we will need:

• Clean container.
• Stick or spatula.

The containers for storage and delivery can be anything, the main thing is that it is dry, clean and can be closed. Baby food jars, medicine bottles are suitable for these purposes, or you can purchase a convenient plastic container at any pharmacy.

How to take a stool test correctly

To obtain reliable results, you need to adhere to some rules:

• The sample for submission should only be obtained by natural voiding. The patient should not use enemas, suppositories, teas or laxatives for the final purpose.
• The day before, exclude from your diet foods that cause discoloration of stool, diarrhea or constipation. These include carrots, blueberries, beets, cabbage, dried apricots, and dairy products.
• X-ray contrast studies during which the patient takes barium sulfate are prohibited 2-3 days in advance. Because of this, stool changes its structure and acquires a white coating.
• It is better for women not to take tests during menstrual bleeding. But, if samples need to be taken urgently, then you need to prevent blood from getting into the stool by using a regular tampon.
• Immediately before collection, empty the bladder and wash the perineum with clean water and soap.
• Please note that feces should not come into contact with the surface of the toilet, otherwise they will quickly acquire a different composition. To avoid this, experts recommend placing a clean bag or plastic container in front of the anus during bowel movements. After this, you need to put on rubber gloves and transfer the sample (one teaspoon will be enough) into a container for delivery to the laboratory.
• You can collect a sample from a baby directly from a diaper or diaper. The main thing is that there are no drops of urine in the feces.

Indicate information about yourself on the containers for collecting samples - last name, first name, address.

How to take a stool test correctly - collection time and storage

The accuracy of the results is affected by the freshness of the collected material. Ideally, feces should be donated within 2 hours of a bowel movement. But, if due to circumstances this is not possible, the feces should be placed in an airtight container, sealed tightly and stored in the refrigerator. The sample is suitable for delivery within 10-12 hours after collection.

Where to take the collected stool test

The collected tests, which do not require special examination, are accepted for diagnosis at the clinic at the place of residence. You must first contact your local physician and get a referral. Reception of samples starts at 7.00 and continues until 9 – 10 am. Laboratory assistants work quickly, and within 3-4 hours you will be able to collect the final results from your doctor.

If there are no special instructions from the pediatrician, for simple general urine test collect better morning urine(there are different types of tests, when, for example, daily urine is collected).

Amount of urine for analysis.– it will be enough if the small jar into which you pour the urine is filled to a centimeter (for example, a baby food jar).

Taru You must first wash thoroughly with detergent and sterilize (or at least rinse with boiling water).

Collecting urine

So, we collect urine from newborn girls and boys using a special pediatric urinal:

1. We have this sealed sterile pediatric urinal:

2. Wash your hands with soap.
Open the outer package. We take out a sterile bag. It looks like this:

3. Tear off the piece of paper from the adhesive tape:

4. Now our urinal is ready to be stuck on:

Yellow cross- the same bottom of the adhesive plate. It should be between the anus and the genitals (this is done so that poop does not get into the urine test):

5. Place the child on his back, spread his legs (after thoroughly washing him). Make sure the perineum is dry:

1. For a boy– insert the penis into the hole in the adhesive plate and press the adhesive part tightly to the skin.

2. For a girl– we start gluing with a yellow cross, glue the cross to the area of ​​​​the skin located between the labia and the anus. Then we glue the entire sticky strip, moving from the cross to the pubic area.

6. Now - we wait.
The child can be carefully dressed in loose clothing or wrapped in a blanket to keep warm.

To avoid damaging the sofa, place something under your baby.

To speed up the process, breastfeed, give her some water to drink, and turn on the water tap.

Then pour the urine into a urine container:

Alternative way

1. For an already running baby
Use cleanly washed with soap (even better - brand new) plastic bag. A clean bag is cut from the sides and tied around the legs. That's all! We wait.

Tear the plastic bag at the sides and tie it around the child’s legs:

This creates a pouch between the legs that collects urine:

2. For a very young baby
Place the bag under the baby. Some of it will leak out, don’t forget to put some oilcloth on it!, but the collected amount is quite enough for analysis. Take a clean(!) plastic bag:

Place the baby on the bag. Some of the urine will leak out, but the rest will be enough for analysis, use an oilcloth:

It will be very good to breastfeed the baby; almost all tiny babies pee while eating their mother.

Transfer the collected urine from the bag in a sterile container(special disposable plastic, which are sold in pharmacies or any other glass). Baby food jars work well.

Remember that the child needs be sure to wash it before collecting the analysis.

3. If there are no clean bags, but there is a sterile one
jar..Put the baby on the diaper. Press his knees to his stomach and hold them with one hand. Place the jar under the baby with your other hand, without touching the genitals. That's all! We wait.

4. For babies who can stand
In the morning, turn on the warm water in the bathroom in advance to warm up the cold bath. As soon as the baby wakes up, take him to the bath, hold a jar under him and say words encouraging the baby to write: “pee-pee, pee-pee...”.

The sound of rushing water and your call signs will not take long to arrive.

5. If at all trouble with collection analyzes
At night, after swimming / washing, in a fresh disposable diaper / clean panties for potty training, with clean hands, put a piece of sterile cotton wool. In the morning, with clean hands, remove the cotton wool and squeeze it into a urine jar.

WHAT NOT TO DO

There is no need to squeeze the described diaper into a jar and submit this jar to the laboratory.
First, the urine is filtered. Secondly, fabric fibers get trapped.

WHAT QUANTITY OF URINE OF A NEWBORN IS NEEDED FOR ANALYSIS

If you fill a jar (baby food or a special plastic one) 1 cm from the bottom, this will be quite enough.

Collecting poop

Many parents are concerned that it is very difficult to get their baby to poop in the morning. Some parents even decide to have an enema. As pediatricians say, this is not at all necessary. If the baby poops in the afternoon before the day of the test, this is a completely suitable option. Provided that the collected analysis is stored in the refrigerator.

So, to collect this analysis, you will need a sterile container (plastic jar) to collect stool. Just like urine collection containers, it is sold at the pharmacy and is quite inexpensive. This container has a convenient spoon attached to the lid.

Dear grandparents! The time for glass mayonnaise jars or matchboxes, which were previously used to collect samples, is over. Don't skimp on your baby! Analysis of stool, like urine, must be free of foreign impurities.

It is unlikely that it will be possible to specifically wash the child before defecation, because... The exact time is unknown neither to the parents nor to the baby himself. Therefore, it is enough to carry out normal hygiene procedures in accordance with the baby’s regimen.

The easiest way to collect feces is from a disposable diaper, but provided that the feces are collected on the surface without “picking” it out from the depths of the diaper. You can use a regular diaper from a diaper; this is the option that pediatricians usually recommend.

Collect solid or semi-liquid feces using a plastic spoon attached to the lid of the container.

If the baby's stool is loose, but stool collection is necessary, parents will have to get creative. An alternative is to wait until the baby poops on a medical oilcloth and then pour the test into a jar. You can try to collect completely liquid stool using the urine collector mentioned above, attaching it below the genitals.

After the analysis is received, if it was collected the day before - don't forget to put it in the refrigerator. In the morning, do not forget to attach it with an elastic band to the container with feces your direction for analysis and take the jar to the clinic.

When the baby grows up, the procedure for collecting tests will become much simpler. Both urine and feces can be collected from the pot. You just need to remember that before collecting tests, the pot must be washed clean, but without using cleaning products. It is enough to wash it with baby soap and rinse thoroughly with water.

Another way

From about three weeks of age, many babies begin to experience tummy pain. This may be a physiological process that manifests itself in the form of intestinal colic and bloating. But if the above symptoms are accompanied by frequent regurgitation, loose and frequent stools with impurities of mucus, greens, streaks of blood, or, on the contrary, the child has frequent constipation or skin rashes, then often the diagnosis for such symptoms is: intestinal dysbiosis.

You will need

Clean oilcloth diaper;
- A sterile container or test tube for collecting feces; - A gas outlet tube; - ;- The skill of massaging the baby’s tummy.

Instructions

1. How to collect stool for analysis of intestinal microflora in an infant?

The collection of material for analysis, in this case stool, is carried out in the first half of the day.

If your baby defecates at the same time every day, remove his diaper and put a clean oilcloth on him. Wait for the intestines to empty.

2. To help the baby, you can massage his abdomen. Place your palm on the navel area, and with light pressure, in a circular motion, in a clockwise direction, massage the tummy. Your hand should be dry and warm so that the baby does not experience any discomfort from the massage. Periodically press your legs, bent at the knees, to your stomach. Placing the baby on his stomach also stimulates defecation.

3. If for some reason the baby does not have independent stool or suffers from constipation, then feces can be obtained by stimulating the anus. Mom can use a gas tube for this purpose. For this procedure, lay out an oilcloth, place the child on it on the back or right side, bend the legs at the knees. The tip of the tube is lubricated with petroleum jelly and inserted into the child’s anus 0.5-1 cm. Within 2-3 minutes, bowel movements occur. If this does not happen, give your baby a tummy massage and exercises as described above. After 15-20 minutes, repeat stimulation with a gas outlet tube.

4. Collect feces from the oilcloth with a spoon into a sterile container. The volume of collected feces should be approximately 5-10 grams (1-2 teaspoons). When collecting material for analysis, it is important to maintain sterility as much as possible, and perform all manipulations after thoroughly washing your hands.

5. Sign the child’s last name, first name and age on the container. You also need to indicate the time of stool collection.

6. The container with stool must be delivered to the laboratory within 3-4 hours after collection.
The container can be placed in the refrigerator for a short time.

note

Do not freeze the tube containing stool.
The material collected the day before is not suitable for research.

Enemas and laxative suppositories should not be used as a defecation stimulant so that the laboratory material does not contain foreign impurities.

Useful tips

It is better to transport the test tube with feces to the laboratory in the cold in the summer; you can use a cold pack.

Storage of analyzes

You can store the collected tests in the refrigerator, away from the freezer, for up to 10-12 hours.

Rules for collecting tests from children: