Baby Poop: What Should it Look Like?

Parenting a newborn baby is 30% cuddles, 30% diaper changes, 30% feeding and 10% obsessively googling baby poop on your phone. If you find yourself obsessing over the content of your baby’s diaper, don’t worry, you’re exhibiting totally accepted new parent behavior.

You’ve probably already discovered that changing diapers isn’t really one of the parenting highlights. In fact, you may have already tried to hand this job over to your partner. After all, it’s not really fair he misses out on the joys of breastfeeding, this way he gets his own special bonding activity.

Newborn babies poop a lot, but they will go less frequently after the first few weeks of life. This provides ample opportunity for you to stare into the murky abyss of your baby’s diaper and worry about the contents. As a general rule, if your baby is producing plenty of wet diapers and growing well, you don’t have much to worry about. If you do feel concerned, however, it’s always worth speaking to your healthcare provider for reassurance.

What should baby poop look like?

For the first couple of days, your baby will produce some stomach-turning poops. These dark, tarry monstrosities are known as meconium. These poops were already in your baby’s bowels at the time of birth. Your baby’s first gift to you, if you will. If these early stools are laced with blood or mucus, you should call your healthcare provider for advice.

For the next few days after that, your baby’s stools will look green in color. These are known as ‘changing stools’ as your baby starts drinking more milk. This change can happen earlier in formula-fed babies. By day five or six, your baby’s poops will be yellow because all of the meconium will have been expelled from his system. They may appear seedy and look a little bit like wholegrain mustard (sorry, you’ll have to find a new condiment to flavor your sandwiches with).

Formula-fed babies may poop less often than their breastfed counterparts. Formula-fed babies are also said to produce stronger smelling stools. If you switch from breast to formula feeding you will probably notice a change in your baby’s stools. They are likely to become darker and stronger smelling.

When to seek help

You’ll soon adjust to your baby’s poop routine, and you’ll know when something isn’t right. If you are concerned about your baby’s stools, mention this to your family doctor as soon as possible.

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

Meconium: Baby’s First Poop

It may be an unfamiliar term, but meconium is the name given to your baby’s first poop. So why the fancy name for poop? After all, there is plenty more where that came from.

Meconium tends to be a little different from subsequent bowel movements. It is green, sticky and has a tar-like consistency. You may also notice, meconium does not smell bad. But don’t get too psyched about odorless poops. It’s only because meconium does not consist of digested food. Instead, it’s composed of mucus, bile and cells that have been shed from the intestinal tract.

When can you expect to see this tar-like poop? In the majority of cases, your baby will have his first bowel movement after birth within the first few days of his life. There is not any special care needed to deal with meconium, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Since it is very dark, it may be a bit harder to wash out if it gets on cloths. But a presoak before washing clothes should do the trick.  Also, meconium is stickier than subsequent poops, so it may take a few extra wipes to clean your little one.

Keep in mind, the first few bowel movements containing meconium may be a very dark green or even appear black. Usually, most babies continue to pass meconium for the first day or two after birth. After that, it should be business as usually with your little one’s poops gradually turning yellow.

But don’t get too worried about the color. After meconium has completely passed, stool color may be everything from yellow to brown. If you notice your baby’s poop is red or white, it’s best to contact your pediatrician immediately.

Meconium Passage Before Birth

Did you know that in some cases babies pass meconium prior to birth? When this occurs, the meconium is excreted into the amniotic fluid. You may know this occurred because when your water breaks, your amniotic fluid may be a greenish color.

A baby is more likely to pass meconium prior to birth when they are several days past their due date. The main concern when meconium is present is that the baby will inhale it around the time of delivery, which can lead to breathing problems. When a baby inhales meconium it does not necessarily mean there will be complications.

Written by Mary Ann DePietro @ writerlady34

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.