One of the main worries that new parents have on their list is baby poop. They have a lot of questions related to the color, shape, and consistency of their baby’s poop. That is how we came across the following queries from concerned parents:
- How often should my baby poop?
- What does the color of my baby’s poop mean?
- What about the consistency of my baby’s poop?
- When should I start worrying about my baby’s poop?
If you have become a parent recently, congratulations, and good luck for the long road ahead, now, let’s go ahead and talk about the natural consistency and color that a healthy baby should have.
Normal Color and Consistency of Baby Poop
<p>You may have noticed that the first poops of your baby are generally black and tarry meconium, which is in the gut of the baby at their birth. When you are breastfeeding your child regularly, you will notice that the color of their poop will change from black, and start to get greenish. The color of the poop will vary again by the 5th day and will become yellow.</p><p> The consistency of the poop by the 5th day of breastfeeding should be like that of a soup, specifically liquid with seedy bits in it. If your baby’s poop is all liquid and doesn’t have any seedy bits in it, then you shouldn’t worry, as it is perfectly normal.</p>
Yellow poop
The reason your baby’s poop turned yellow is from the fat in your milk. In the first six weeks, the baby will gain weight, and poop around 3 to 4 times a day, while the poop may only be the size of a quarter. You shouldn’t worry if your baby is frequently pooping, because that is a sign of a healthy baby that is getting a lot of milk. If your baby isn’t pooping a lot, you should be concerned, and that is when you should schedule a weight check.
The weight check:
If your baby is around six weeks old and is pooping less than three times a day, or the color of their stool hasn’t turned yellow, then you should schedule a weight check. That will tell you whether there is something to be worried about, or it is a normal variation. Healthy breastfed babies will start pooping less often after six weeks, and may only poop once a week.
Causes of Green Poop in Infants
The standard color of poop for a baby will be green in the beginning, and you shouldn’t worry if your baby seems to be healthy and is gaining weight. The only reason your baby’s poop has turned green could be due to the following factors:
A tummy bug:
When your baby is sick, the color of their poop may change for about a week. Don’t stop breastfeeding even if your child is sick, because that is the source of nutrition for the kid, and will help the baby recover properly.
Oversupply:
Too much breastmilk for the baby can also cause problems in the baby’s gut, and cause green and watery poop.
