Baby Poo – Know What It Tells You!

3 min read

Written by Editorial Team

Editorial Team

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.

Baby poo tells you about the baby’s well being

Is my baby’s poo normal?

Your baby’s poo might vary in colour and texture but that’s not something to worry about. The normality of your baby poo will depend on certain parameters like her age factor, feeding style or eating habits. For initial few days after your baby’s birth, she is likely to pass meconium, a blend of mucus, amniotic fluid and other things that she has devoured while being in your womb. Meconium has a sticky texture and green-black colour. Throw your worries apart because the colour and texture representation of your baby’s poo provides a positive indication that her vitals are performing properly

My baby’s poo while breastfeeding

During your pregnancy, your body starts making colostrum which is the first milk produced by your breasts. While breast-feeding, your baby intakes colostrum that flushes out meconium from her body and fills her body system with your milk. Eventually, the green black colour and sticky texture of your baby’s poo changes to a mustard yellowish colour with a loosened texture that might appear somewhat coarse at times.

For initial few weeks, your baby may pass poo at the time of feeding or thereafter. This will take a natural turn allowing her vitals to set its normal routine. The quantum and time of her poo passing will be consistent each day. However, subsequent to few weeks, your baby might start pooping only once in few days or a week. Consider it normal in as much as her poops are smooth and flexible.

My baby’s poo while formula feeding or combination feeding

The fact remains that formula feeding is heavy and slightly difficult for the newborns to digest. Your baby poo will pass heavy stool with yellowish brown color containing a strong odor. Babies who rely mostly on formula feeding encounter constipation problems more frequently as compared to breastfed babies.

My baby’s poo while switching from breast milk to bottle milk

Baby Poo

Your baby’s poo will change drastically as you switch her feeding from breast milk to bottle milk. Her poo will become darker and malodorous as compared to her poo when she used to suck breast milk. It is significant to consider a gradual shift from breast milk to formula one. A steady shift will let your baby’s digestive system get accustomed to bottled milk and negate constipation. As far as mothers are concerned, it runs out the risk of having caustic and inflamed breasts.

My baby’s poo while feeding solids

At times, it is difficult for your baby to digest threads smoothly. As a result whatever she eats will be reflected in her poo. For initial years, you might accost that the colour of her poo is similar to the nutrients that you have fed her. For instance, if you happen to feed her apple, you might observe reddish colour poo of your baby. With time, you will find a change in her poo routine. As she grows older and more likeable towards digesting fibre, her colour of the poo will become lighter and back to normal. As she experiences more diversity in foods, her poo will become darker and evil smelling.

When does your baby’s poo become a matter of concern?

If your baby’s poo is watery and the quantum of her pooping is more than normal then she is likely to suffer from diarrhoea
Your baby is said to have constipation problem if she is finding it tough to pass poo. In such cases, poops appear to be small and dry. Her abdomen is rigid to feel and her poops might have trace of blood.
If you encounter greenish poo in your baby’s nappies then it is the result of heavy intake of lactose. This occurs when your baby feeds frequently but does not get ample milk to stuff her.
Very pale yellowish poo is the symptom of jaundice that is quite normal in new-borns. A baby normally recovers from jaundice within two weeks of her birth.

All in all, a baby’s poo is an indicator of her health!

Editorial Team,

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.

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