Newborn bowel movements - All you need to know

As a new mom, knowing all there is to know about your newborn is something you must take seriously. Apart from their feeding and sleeping habits, you also need to master their pooping habits. You need to know if they are pooping not frequently enough or if it is happening too frequently, and you cannot know this for sure unless you have mastered their bowel movements.

So, here are a few things you need to know about your newborn’s bowel movements

Frequency

The first thing you need to get right is the frequency of the bowel movements. Newborns have at least 1 to 2 bowel movements daily for the first few days. At one week to a few weeks, the bowel movements may increase to 5 to 10 a day, even after each feeding. This would reduce as they grow, and when they are around six weeks, this may reduce to as little as nothing a day. At this point, you may want to start getting worried, but this is normal, as long as they are not passing pebble-like hard stools.

Look

Your baby’s stools are bound to change as they grow and as their feeding habits change.

The first stool you’ll see from your baby is a thick, gooey, sticky dark green stuff called meconium. Then as they begin to grow, the color changes to a lighter green in the next few days, and as days roll into weeks, it changes to yellow. If your baby is exclusively breastfed, the stool will be runny, and if they are on formula, it is a little thicker.

Changes

As your baby grows and changes diets, the stool changes as well. When you move from breastfeeding to formula to more solid foods, the stool changes in texture, color, and smell. When you move to solids, the stool is thicker and has a stronger odor. You may also find small pieces of food in the stool.

Final thoughts

Always look at the diapers of your baby to see the changes in the stool, color, and smell. If it seems too strong, then your baby needs more fluid than they are getting. If something seems off about the stool, do not hesitate to go to the doctor, as the stool is often an indication of if something is wrong or not. All you have to do is look at the stool, and all the answers you need would be staring right at you.