More to Parenting – Deal with Baby Poop

Parenting is not just laughter, tears and groans. It is also full of trial and error. These tears, laughs and groans are not just from you but is something that also comes from your baby. Baby poops are one of the many things that newborn moms have to take care off. They worry if their babies poop is of the right colour or is it too runny. They also have to check if the baby is constipated or it does it often enough. In fact, these are some of the common concerns that all newborn mothers have to face.

Solid Poop vs Runny

The consistency level of the breastfed baby poop can be different. Out of all it rarely is hard and solid. Very often it is runny. In fact it is so runny and thin that many times it may lead you to wonder if your baby has diarrhea. Most often it is normal and not a case of diarrhea. However, if you feel that consistency of the poop is runnier than normal and also has a very distinct and different smell to it, then, in such case you can consult your pediatrician and consult if its normal.

Coloring

The normal colour of the baby poop who is breastfed is mustard yellow. However, initially when it mixes with meconium, the colour can be any shade of green or dark black. After the meconium is no longer there, then the colour of the baby poop can change shades. At this stage the shade of the baby's stool will change depending on the food you eat and if the food is heavily coloured. It is normally said that, if you have a lot of salad and then breastfeed your baby, the chances are that the baby's stool may end up being a shade of green.

On the other hand, as and when the baby starts eating baby food, then the colour of the poop may depend on the food that the baby eats. For instance, if the baby eats peas it may be green and in case the baby had carrots then it may turn out to be a tinge of orange. The colour of the poop will not remain constant and will change according to the food of the baby and as the baby grows.

Timing

Few babies who are breastfed, may experience bowel change every time the babies diaper is changed. Again there are some who may have it once or only twice in a day. Both the cases are normal when it comes to breastfed babies. If you there are days when the babies do not experience any bowel movement then do not panic. It is again something normal with breastfed babies. However, if there has been no bowel movement of your baby for a long period of time then you may consult your baby's health care expert.

Constipation

Normally when newborns experience bowel movements, they make noise. This happens because, at this stage they are still learning how to exercise their muscles which helps them in holding and controlling while pushing the poo. So they may make noise and groan and grunt until they learn to control the muscles. So until then they may sound constipated.

In any case, if you feel unsure about the status of the baby then you can consult your baby's health expert for further guidance.