Let's face it: new parents can't help being preoccupied with the topic
of their baby's poop -- and for good reason. During the first few weeks
of your infant's life, the quantity, texture and color of your baby's
bowel movements are a great indicator of how he or she is thriving. We
went to pediatrician and mom Bonnie Fass-Offit, M.D., to get the
low-down on what's what when it comes to baby BMs:
Frequency
According to Dr. Fass-Offit, during the first week of life, formula-fed
babies will poop four to five times per day. By the second week, it can
drop down to one to two times per day. Meanwhile, once a mother's milk
comes in, breastfed babies commonly poop with each feeding and continue
at this rate for the first month. "Many parents of breastfed babies
mistake the frequency of bowel movements for diarrhea, but in fact this
is one of the best signs that things are going well," says Dr.
Fass-Offit, adding that diarrhea is actually uncommon in very young
infants since their gastrointestinal tract is still protected by
maternal immunities.
Texture and Color
Whether your baby is breast- or formula-fed, for the first two to three
days the stool will be black and tarry while she eliminates meconium,
her first stool. Bowel movements will then turn to a dark brown color,
and then, depending on whether your baby is getting breastmilk or
formula, take on a different color. A breastfed baby will have liquidy,
yellow stools, while a formula-fed baby has pasty, mustard-colored
stools.
Trouble Signs
Hard stoolsIf
your baby's stool is a hard, dry, little ball, this is a sign of
constipation. While parents are quick to blame it on the formula or
breastmilk, Dr. Fass-Offit offers a more common reason for
constipation: "Very often babies aren't pushing the stool out at the
right time. So when it sits in the rectum it loses water and becomes
more difficult for the baby to push out." She explains that an infant
has to learn to recognize the sensation of when it's time to go and
that breastfed babies may have an easier time of it "since breastmilk
more or less blows out on its own." Parents often mistake straining --
your infant might grunt or his face turn red -- for constipation. But
if the texture of the poop looks normal, then it's more likely that
your baby is just becoming accustomed to the sensation of eliminating
waste.
Red streaks of blood in stools
This can be due to a fissure in the rectum or, if you're breastfeeding,
cracked nipples that bleed into the breastmilk. Dr. Fass-Offit says
that neither of these incidents are cause for concern. However, if your
infant's stool is black or a red/jelly like consisitency you should
notify your pediatrician since this can be a sign of a more serious
problem, such as intestinal bleeding or blockage.
