The poop says it all: the 411 on your babies poop!
As a mom we will begin to focus on our little ones every little move, sound and yes their poop! This is one of the main ways we can tell our little one is getting enough of the right food and they are healthy.
Meconium: In the first few days your baby will have a tar-like look to it, it is called meconium. It is this color because the baby is expelling amniotic fluid since that is all they have been eating for the past 9 months.
Grainy green or yellowish brown: This is the transitional poop from meconium to either breast/formula milk fed baby.
Mustard yellow seedy: This is normal breast milk poop.
A brighter green frothy: This usually means the baby is getting too much foremilk and not enough hind milk, so try to empty one breast fully in a feeding before moving to the next.
Soft brownish or dark green: Normal formula poop.
Very frequent watery greener than usual: Diarrhea. This can be a sign of infection or allergy so contact your pediatrician to discuss this with them.
Very dark green blackish: This is an iron-fortified baby.
Brownish Mushy: When you little on starts solids, what comes in must come out and therefore the look, smell and color changes. When you give finger foods you may even notice some food still solid in the poop, this is also normal. Sometimes our little ones just don’t chew it enough. For example, raisins will show up whole.
Hard, pellit-like: This means your little one is constipated. It may even have some mucous or blood streaks in it from the straining. Try giving them prune juice if they aren’t on solids or if they are on solids prunes for breakfast.
Greenish with mucous streaks: This can mean your little one has a cold or has an excess of mucous (i.e. teething). In some cases this can also be an allergy so if it occurs more than 2 days call your pediatrician to discuss with them.
Bloody: Normal color with blood in it is normally a sign there is a milk allergy. If your child has been constipated the blood can be hemorrhoids or rectal fissures. Either one you should call your pediatrician.
Blood is poop but blackish: This means your child digested this blood and if they are breastfed they most likely got this from your breast from bleeding nipples.
POOPS YOU MUST CALL PEDIATRICIAN RIGHT AWAY: 1) Thick black poop made up mostly of digested blood (called melena). It’s dark and tarry like meconium but a bit firmer and less sticky. 2) Poop consisting almost entirely of red blood, this can be severe intestinal problems. 3) Whitish color, can signal liver or gallbladder failure. With any of these your baby will be unhappy as well, call the doctor a.s.a.p.
Their poop really does say it all! It can tell us whether our little one is healthy or sick, so pay attention to the look and color everyday. Welcome to motherhood! J
Be sure to visit author Make My Baby Smile
