Q&A
Baby's Bowel Movements
Question:
What is a normal baby poop supposed to look like and what is a normal number for bowel movements?
A newborn's first bowel movement is called meconium looks black and tarlike. It's actually a mixture of amniotic fluid, bile and secretions from his intestinal glands. Bowel movements will then turn to a dark brown color within three days, and then depending on what your baby is feeding - breastmilk or formula - takes on a different color.
Breastfed babies produce yellow, soft, liquid stools while the poop from formula-fed babies tends to be greenish, thicker and pastier. The frequency of bowel movements also vary, with breastfed babies commonly pooping with each feeding for the first month. Formula-fed babies, on the other hand, tend to poop only two to five times per day.
And as you start your baby on solids, expect your baby's stools to become firmer and less frequent. It's not unusual for his poops to take on the colors of his last meal or to contain undigested bits of food.
Abnormal poop
Because the texture and color of poop varies from time to time, it's actually easier to give you a list of abnormalities to look out for:
Looks hard and dry...
This is a sign of constipation.
Looks red or bloody...
This could mean a milk-protein allergy, an anal fissure or a bacterial infection in the intestines.
Looks liquid...
Your baby could be having a diarrhoea or formula intolerance.
Looks like mucus...
This could signify a milk-protein allergy or rotavirus (the most common cause of severe diarrhoea in babies) or a bacterial infection like Shigella.
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