By – Varda Agrawal
Those who have read my earlier article, Green Poop – is it Normal? , must be knowing by now, why & when I goggled about Baby Poop … Never thought that I would ever Google about such a thing . You all will agree with me that once we become a mother, the smallest things suddenly become immensely important to us, more if it is related to our baby
While doing so, I found out that the little one may do a potty, of different consistencies & colors, each indicating different conditions off health & different phases of growth… Hence I thought, it is important to discuss with you.
Meconium / Baby’s first Poop
It is black or blackish brown potty, which is sticky, tarry. You may feel like your baby has a stomach upset, but let me tell you that it is not so. I remember, when my son did his first potty, I called nurse in the hospital & asked her, if everything is fine with my baby & whether he has a stomach upset.
So, don’t worry Moms, Meconium is made of amniotic fluid, mucus, skin cells, and other stuff ingested in uterus. Which gives such color & consistency to it?
Transitional Stool
When the little one is 2- 4 days old, his poop will lighten in colour & will become less sticky. It indicates that he has started digesting the breast milk & that his digestive system is working normally.
Healthy Breastfed Poop
If baby is exclusively breastfed, the poop will be yellow or slightly green and have a mushy or creamy consistency. It may look like diarrhea, having, and little seed-like flecks. The color may vary, depending on what you eat. If baby is comfortable & having no other symptoms, there is nothing to worry about.
Sometimes you will observe bright green and frothy poop, which symbolises, that baby is getting too much foremilk – the low-calorie milk & not enough hindmilk. It means that baby is not fed properly from both breasts.
Healthy Formula-Fed Poop
If your baby is Formula Fed, the poop will have paste like consistency & colour in different shades of brown. The smell is midway between the smell of breast fed babies & kids on solids.
Iron-fortified Poop
If the baby is given Iron Supplements you can expect dark green or almost black though not always. If your baby is not on Iron Supplements, yet having blackish poop, please consult doctor.
Solid-food Poop
When the baby starts having solid food, instantaneous change in the Potty is observed. The colour is brown to dark brown, smellier.
Poop With Partially Digested Food
The baby may have very small pieces of food in the potty of variable colour; depending on the food pieces. But there is no need to worry. This happens sometimes, since baby is not able to chew the food properly or the food may be passing very quickly through the intestine due to which it is not completely broke down.
You should call the doctor, if baby excrete such small pieces repeatedly.
Diarrhoea
You should know that baby is having diarrhoea, if he has runny, watery & very smelly stools. Te colour can be yellow, green, and brown. The poop is all over the diaper, & may even leak through the diaper.
Constipation
Your baby is constipated if he has hard poop, like little pebbles. The baby may be look uncomfortable while doing potty. If he occasionally does a very solid potty, it’s not a big issue. But if he does it repeatedly, it is an issue of concern.
Poop With Mucus
If baby’s diaper has a slimy poop, then it contains mucus. In normal case it may be due to the mucus in the saliva of the drooling baby, which remains undigested.
Mucus in the baby’s diaper is also a sin of infection / allergy. If you are confused, please consult doctor, to solve your confusion…
Bloody Poop
The blood in a baby’s poop can be bright red or blackish.
Whereas the blackish blood indicated the digested blood, blood looking like sesame seeds may be due to the baby is breastfed and swallowing blood from Mom’s cracked and bleeding nipples. You can consult to doctor to rule out the confusion, since blackish red blood also indicates bleeding intestines.
The bright red blood in the poop indicates many health issues, so it’s better to call doctor, to rule out the exact reason of bright red colour blood in the poop.
Normal poop, having tinge of red blood, indicates milk protein allergy.
Constipated poop with tinge of red blood is due to the blood coming out of little cuts at anus. .
Diarrhoea with red blood indicates a bacterial infection.
Note: – I have not included pictures, as it may give a gross feeling to same. After reading the information, if you still have any doubt… Go on Google images & search.
So Moms, after reading this article, don’t you think, while you take care of your little one his health & hygiene & food, little attention should also be paid to, what’s in your baby’s Diaper???? After all it tells you a lot about your baby’s health.
Happy Parenting!! Keep Reading …
Also Read, Green poop – Is It Normal?
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