If you’re a first-time parent, having a newborn can be exciting and terrifying at first. You’ll keep wondering if all those parenting books you’ve read work. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, new parents need to pay attention to these three activities of their baby: eating, sleeping, and pooping.
You’ll be spending the next months changing diapers (welcome to a new reality!), and next thing, you’ll be seeing poop and pee. Mommies and daddies, you have to monitor your newborn’s bowel movements.
“What’s considered to be normal baby poop?”
“Should I be calling a pediatrician when their bowels look different?”
It may be an odd topic but to talk about, but it will help you understand how to monitor their health.
Why should I pay attention to my baby’s poop?
It’s essential to check what’s in their diapers during the stage of being breastfed. The color, texture, smell, and frequency of your little one’s poop will help you know if they’re getting enough breastmilk. And as I’ve said, it’s also one way to know your baby’s health. Just a heads up, your pediatrician will be asking about the baby’s bowel movements too, come ready and prepared with all the info.
A change in frequency of their poop pattern isn’t always a sign that there’s something wrong (but don’t cross out that possibility too). It’s different for every newborn. Change in pattern could be a change in the baby’s diet or the breastfeeding mom’s diet.
The first few days since being born, breastfed babies will pass meconium; it’ll be tar-like in color and consistency. Don’t worry about this because it’ll become looser and lighter in color after a few days.
Is my newborn’s poop normal?
Normal breastfed newborn poop will be light-to-medium brown, green, or yellow. Expect also that the texture of their stool is soft to runny (sometimes the consistency of diarrhea). Since they’re only digesting breastmilk, they’ll reflect when they defecate, almost having the same thickness.
Some poop maybe seedy or grainy or resemble something like peanut butter. It’ll have a different texture when the newborn is being fed both breastmilk and formula or only formula. As long as the stool is runny, then there’s no need to worry.
Don’t worry about the whole room smelling like poop because there’ll be little to no odor that you’ll sense from them. Some parents don’t describe their baby’s poop as foul in odor but somewhat sweet-smelling. Other parents say that it may smell like milk or cheese.
Most newborns poop after almost every feeding or 4 to 12 times per day during the first six weeks since being born. If they poop less than three bowel movements a day, it may mean that they’re not getting enough breastmilk. Babies older than six weeks may poop less often, and it’ll be nothing to worry about as long as your little one is still feeding and gaining weight.
So, what’s expected in a breastfed baby’s poop?
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Stool color varies from light-to-medium brown, green, or yellow
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Soft to runny stool
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The stool will be grainy or seedy
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No foul odor
If you notice anything unusual in your baby’s poop and concerning changes in their bowel movements, consult your pediatrician as soon as you can.
References:
https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/breastfed-poop#overview
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/breastfed-baby-poop#what-is-normal
