How much a baby should poop – we study the feces of a newborn

While a newborn baby is still too young, and is not able to say how he feels, that he has pain, and in general – what he wants, parents can get some information about the child’s condition – in particular, about his digestive system – by carefully examining the feces newborn in a diaper.

COLADY will tell you how to study feces and how much a baby should poop.

See also: How much should a child eat from birth to one year – the correct calculation of nutrition.

Content:

What is meconium in a newborn and how old does it come out?

The first poop of a newborn is called “Meconium”, and they consist of bile, prenatal hair, amniotic fluid, epithelial cells, mucus, digested by the baby’s body, from what he swallowed while in the womb.

• The first portions of original feces appear 8-10 hours after childbirth or right during them.
• Usually, meconium is completely excreted in babies, in 80% of cases, within two to three days after birth… Then such feces are changed to transitional stools, which contains lumps of milk and has a greenish brown color.
• Feces of an infant on the 5-6th day they return to normal…
• The remaining 20% ​​of babies have original feces begins to stand out before birthwhen it is still in the mother’s tummy.
• The color of the original feces – meconium – in infants usually dark green, at the same time, it does not have a smell, but in appearance resembles a resin: the same viscous.

If the baby does not defecate after birth for two days, then there may have been a blockage of the intestine with feces (meconium ileus). This situation arises due to the increased viscosity of the original feces. Doctors should be informed about this, who will give the child an enema, or empty the intestines with a rectal probe.

See also: When colic in newborns disappears – how to help a child with colic?

How much should a baby poop per day?

• In the first days of life, during the first month baby poops about as many times as he eats: about 7-10 times, i.e. after each feeding. The number of bowel movements also depends on what the baby is eating. If he is breastfed, then he will poop more often than an artificial baby. The norm of feces in infants is 15g. per day for 1-3 bowel movements, increasing to 40-50 grams. by six months.
  • The color of feces in breastfed newborns is yellowish-green in the form of gruel.
  • The feces of an artificial child are thicker and have a light yellow, brown or dark brown tint.
• In the second month of life bowel movements of a baby who is feeding on breast milk – 3-6 times a day, for an artificial person – 1-3 times, but in a larger volume.
• Until the third month, while the intestinal peristalsis is improving, the child’s stool is irregular. Some babies poop every day, others – in a day or two.
  Do not be alarmed if the baby has not pooped for two days and does not show anxiety. Usually, after the introduction of solid food into the baby’s diet, the stool is getting better. Do not take an enema or laxatives. Give your baby a tummy massage or a drop of prunes.
• By six months it is normal for a baby to empty it once a day. If there are no bowel movements for 1-2 -3 days, but the baby feels good and gains weight normally, then there are no reasons for particular concern yet. But the absence of feces can “say” that the child is malnourished, he does not have enough food.
• By 7-8 months, when complementary foods have already been introduced, what kind of feces the baby has – depends on the foods that he ate. The smell and density of feces changes. The smell goes from fermented milk to sharper, and the consistency becomes denser

What should be the normal feces of a breastfed and artificially fed newborn?

When the baby eats exclusively breast milk (from 1 to 6 months), the baby’s feces are usually runny, which causes panic among parents who think their baby is suffering from diarrhea. But what should be the stool of a baby if he eats only liquid food? Naturally liquid.

When complementary foods are introduced, the density of feces will also change: it will become thicker. And after the child eats the same foods as adults, his feces will become appropriate.

Normal feces in a breastfed baby:

• yellowish-green color of mushy or liquid consistency;
• sour smell;
• with the content of leukocytes in the feces in the form of blood cells, mucus, undigested (visible) lumps of milk.

With artificial feeding, normal baby feces:

• light yellow or light brown, pasty or semi-solid consistency;
• having a fetid odor;
• containing some mucus.

Changes in the feces of a newborn baby – when to be alert?

You should consult a pediatrician if:

• In the first week of breastfeeding, the child is restless, often cries, and the stool is frequent (more than 10 times a day), watery with a sour odor.
  Probably, in his body there is not enough lactose – an enzyme for the absorption of carbohydrates from breast milk. This disease is called “lactase deficiency “…
• If the baby, after the introduction of complementary foods in the form of cereals, bread, biscuits and other products containing gluten, began to poop often (more than 10 times a day), became restless and did not gain weight, then perhaps he became ill celiac disease… This disease is caused by a lack of an enzyme that helps gluten to be absorbed. As a result, undigested gluten causes an allergic reaction that causes intestinal inflammation.
• If the baby’s feces are of a viscous consistency, grayish in color, with a repulsive odor and unusual shine, and the child is restless, then there are prerequisites to believe that this is cystic fibrosis… With this hereditary disease, a secret is produced in the body that impedes the work of all body systems, including the digestive one.
  After the introduction of complementary foods, this disease can be determined by the baby’s feces, which contains connective tissue, starch, muscle fibers, indicating that the food is not sufficiently digested.
• When a newborn’s stool is liquid or semi-liquid, with a significant amount of mucus or even blood, it may be caused by an intestinal infection.

  This disease associated with intestinal inflammation is called “enteritis“.

You should immediately consult a doctor if changes in feces are noticed in the newborn’s diaper:

• Greenish color and changed smell of baby’s stool.
• Newborn has too hard, dry stool.
• Large amount of mucus in the child’s stool.
• Red streaks in feces.

Colady warns: self-medication can harm your baby’s health! The diagnosis should be made only by a doctor after an examination. Therefore, if you find alarming symptoms, be sure to contact a specialist!