When you become a parent you may have lots of questions about your baby’s poo. What colour should it be or how many should they have a day? Knowing about what’s normal and what’s not can give us some insight into your baby’s health and how feeding is going.
First Poo is called meconium, it is black, sticky and thick. This sometimes can be tricky to clean! We expect one or more poops over a 24-hour period for days 1 & 2.
On Day 2 the poo may be dark green or still black. The poo should start to change in colour and texture by days 2 to 3.
By Day 3 we expect a green-brown colour, with the poo becoming more runny.
On Day 4 the poo may be more brown in colour, again becoming more runny. For both days 3 & 4 we expect 2 or more poops over a 24-hour period, but preferably more.
By Day 5 we expect poops to be yellow to mustard in colour, soft, and runny and they may have small curds in them which appear like seedy bits.
From Day 5 onwards we expect 2 or more poops over a 24-hour period, but preferably more. They should be at least the size of a £2 coin or more.
If your baby’s poo isn’t changing colour or they are having fewer poops than expected, please speak to a health care professional immediately. It may be a sign that your baby isn’t getting enough milk or something else going on.
From 6 weeks onwards, your baby may poo less often each day or go a few days or more between poops. Due to changes in milk composition, the poo becomes slightly thicker, if it has been a few days since the last poo it may be more brown in colour due to a longer time in the gut.
This usually isn’t a cause for concern if your baby is gaining weight well, having plenty of nappies, breastfeeding is going well with no issues, and the appearance of the poo is normal. However if there are issues with any of the factors mentioned, seek support from a health care professional or lactation consultant.
Changes to look out for in your baby’s poo! NB – if you are concerned about your baby’s pooping pattern, colour or texture, speak to a healthcare professional or a lactation consultant.
It is a red flag if your baby poos less often before 6 weeks.
If a baby goes a few days between poos and the appearance is normal, this isn’t constipation. Constipation is dry, hard poops.
Very frequent watery poo may be associated with allergy
The smell of your baby’s poo shouldn’t be offensive, it may smell sweet or yeasty. An offensive smell may be associated with allergy or illness.
Green poo can have a variety of causes. For example, Lactose overload, which usually is due to oversupply and it may cause abundant green foamy poops.
Infrequent small green poops may be due to the baby not taking enough milk.
Some other causes of green poo include allergy, antibiotics & illness. Excessive frequent mucous may be a sign of allergy or infection.
If you see any unusual colours such as black other than meconium on day 1/2, red, pale or white coloured poo.
All this and more on our video – Learn more about Poo with IBCLC, Ilayda!
