What does your baby’s poop tell you?

WHAT DOES YOUR BABYS POO TELL YOU?

Baby poo is probably something you were expecting to deal with as a parent, but did anyone tell you how varied the contents of your newborn’s nappies could be? Runny or firm, light or dark, green, black or yellow, your baby’s poo can come in many different colours, shades and textures. Those nappy changes are a big part of any parent’s daily routine, but they can also be an important way of keeping an eye on your baby’s health. Learn what the colour, consistency and frequency of your baby’s poo can reveal about your little one’s health and development.

Your Baby’s  Poo — What’s Normal?

You might be wondering what healthy baby poo should look like. It’s a fair question, because the colour and consistency of your baby’s poo changes over time depending on various things, especially what your baby is eating. Here’s a rough guide to what you’re likely to find in your little one’s nappies over the first few days, weeks and months after your baby’s birth.

Meconium

Your baby’s first few nappies will probably contain a gooey, dark-green, tar-like substance, with hardly any smell. This is called meconium. This special kind of poo is made of things like the skin cells and other particles your baby swallowed along with the amniotic fluid while still inside your uterus. It takes a few days for all the meconium to pass out of your newborn’s system, but as this happens your baby’s poo will get lighter and runnier. Shifting from almost black to a yellowy green with less mucus present. Regardless of whether you’re breastfeeding or using formula, giving your baby colostrum (your very first, nutrient-rich breast milk) for the first few feeds can speed up the passage of meconium.

Did you know?

Some babies have their first poo during or straight after birth! If your baby hasn’t had a poo within 24 hours of their arrival, check in with your doctor or midwife who can take a look at your baby and make sure that everything’s okay.

Regular Baby Poo

Once the meconium is out of your baby’s system, regular poo can vary a lot, depending on how you’re feeding him or her. Here’s a brief guide to what your little one’s nappies could hold in store for you:

Colour

It might sound strange, but the sight of your baby’s first poo will be something you welcome! It’s called meconium, and will be dark, greenish black in colour, but this will change as your baby grows. Over the next few days it will start to turn brown, orange or yellow, depending on whether your baby is breast or formula fed.

Breastfed baby poo tends to be yellow, whereas formula fed baby poo can be yellow-green or a pale brown. Once your baby starts eating solid food, their poo is likely to turn into a darker colour.

Green baby poo might look strange, but it’s usually nothing to worry about. Some formula milks designed to help with digestion problems can cause green baby poo, but if it persists, talk to your midwife or  doctor to rule out any underlying issues.

You should always speak to a healthcare professional if your baby’s poo is black (after the first poo), red, grey or white, as these could indicate a health problem that needs to be treated.

Texture

When your baby does a poo for the first time, it will have a sticky, tar-like consistency. Be warned, this can be very stubborn to remove from baby clothes, not to mention your actual baby!

As your tiny tot grows, the consistency of their poo will change. Breastfed baby poo can be quite runny, and might have what looks like seeds in it - this is completely normal. Formula fed baby poo on the other hand, is likely to be firmer or more paste-like.

Baby poo when weaning. Change is ahead!

Once your baby starts to enjoy their first tastes of solid food, their poo may become more solid in texture. As such, it’s not uncommon for your baby to experience some constipation as they enjoy and adapt to new tastes and textures.

If you’ve noticed a change to your baby’s pooing habits, and you’ve recently switched from breast to formula feeding, then chances are your baby’s poo will be different in terms of texture, smell and appearance.

Frequency

So just how often should your baby poo?

As a general rule, your newborn baby might poo as much as four times a day during their first week, but this can reduce to around twice a day during their first year. However, this can differ depending on whether your baby is breast or formula fed.

Breastfed babies may poo every time you feed them at first, but as they grow and develop, it’s not unusual for them to go several days without having a poo. Formula fed babies may poo around five times a day when first born, settling to once a day as they get older.

The important thing to remember here is that all babies are different. So what’s normal for one baby may not be the same for yours. Ultimately, if your baby is gaining weight, not in distress and feeding well, there’s usually no cause for concern. Another consideration is their diet, as the frequency of baby poo when weaning will be different to how often breast and formula fed babies do a poo.

Smell

There’s no getting away from it, your baby’s going to create a stink! Particularly if they’re formula fed, as this tends to result in stronger smelling poos.  Breastfed baby poo doesn’t really have a strong aroma, beyond smelling a little sweet. 

Once your baby embarks on their weaning journey, the variety of foods will change the way their poo smells (spoiler alert:  it’s more than likely going to be much stronger!).

If you notice that your baby is producing consistently foul smelling poos, it’s always best to have a chat with your doctor to check that everything’s okay and put your mind at ease.