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Baby’s poo: How milk and food affect it?

Baby’s poo: How milk and food affect it?

Baby's poo: How milk and food affect it?

Baby's poo: How milk and food affect it?

 

Did you ever think that you’ll need to know and understand the colour and texture of your baby’s poo? Yes, it’s very important to know how your baby’s poo should look like or how often should your baby poo. A new mother’s role is very challenging. She needs to understand everything related to her baby – even her poo, in order to keep her baby healthy and safe. A baby’s poo tells a lot about her health. Let’s find out some important facts you should keep an eye on.

Your baby’s poo will change a lot during her first year according to:

  • Her age
  • Her milk (Breast milk or formula)
  • Her food (If she has started eating solids)

 

How many times in a day should a baby poo?

There are no fixed rules for this. A breastfeeding new-born may pass four or even more stools in a day. Some babies do not pass stools for five-six days in a row. So, you need not worry much about the number of times she passes stool. What should be taken care of are the colour and the texture of the stool. If your baby’s poo is soft and she is gaining enough weight, there is no need to worry. Babies that are formula fed need to pass stool every day, so that they are not constipated but, if they skip days and then can pass the stool easily without any discomfort, again you should be not much concerned about it.

 

What should my new-born’s poo look like?

After birth a baby passes meconium for the first few days. This is what the baby ingests in the womb before birth such as mucus or amniotic fluid. It can make your baby poo greeny-black in colour. This is a bit sticky and hard to wipe off. If you see this, it’s a good sign. It indicates that your baby’s bowels are functioning normally.

 

Poo of a breastfed baby

Baby's poo: How milk and food affect it?

When the baby have the colostrum (the first thicker milk from the mother), meconium is pushed out of the baby’s system. When your milk comes in, generally after two-three days of giving birth, the baby’s poo will change.

  • The colour of the poo will be lighter somewhat mustard yellow or bright yellow. This poo doesn’t have a very strong smell. It may even smell sweet.
  • The texture is loose. You may find some grainy mustard like substance in the poo which is absolutely normal.

 

Poo of a formula fed baby

Baby's poo: How milk and food affect it?

The poo of a formula fed baby is different from that of a breastfed baby.

  • The texture is bulkier like that of toothpaste. Formula is not fully digested as breast milk.
  • The colour is yellowish-brown or pale yellow.
  • The poo has a strong smell like that of an adult.

 

How will the stool of my baby change when she is introduced to solids?

There will be a significant change in your baby’s poo when she starts eating solid. The colour of the stool will be affected by the colour of the food. This doesn’t mean that when your baby eats carrot puree, her entire poo will be orange but yes, the poo may be slightly orangish. Some fibre rich food may go undigested and come out with the poo such as raisins or beans. As the baby gets older the poo becomes darker and smellier.

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Just make sure that your baby’s poo is neither very thick nor very runny. Both of these indicate that something is probably wrong with the baby’s food or baby’s system. Normal poo and correct weight gain are strong indicators of your baby’s good health. If you find your baby constipated or if she is straining a lot to pass stool visit the doctor. Blood spots in your baby’s poo may be a sign of a serious disease and should be discussed with the doctor at the earliest.

 

HAVE A SMILING BABY! 😉

 

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