My baby’s stool is dark
greenish-yellow !
All the meconium (a tarry greenish-black
substance) should be passed sometime after the first 24 hours. Now what you will see will
be transitional stools, which are dark greenish yellow and loose, sometimes
‘seedy’ in texture (particularly among breastfed infants) and may occasionally
contain traces of mucus. There may even be traces of blood, which is probably the result
of the baby swallowing some of the mother’s blood during the delivery. To be on the
safe side, save any nappy containing blood to show to the doctor. Transitional stools
usually continue for a period of three or four days.
My baby’s stool is black !
If the formula is iron-fortified, or if the baby is taking vitamin drops with iron, the
stool may be green, greenish, dark brown or black. In some children, the reaction between
the normal bacteria of the gastrointestinal tract and the iron sulfate in a supplement
causes the stool to turn dark brown, greenish or black. Studies have shown that iron does
not increase digestive discomfort. If your baby has black stools and is not taking a
supplement or a formula with iron, check with the doctor.
Frequency And Texture of Stools
I seem to be obsessed with bowel
movements!
The number of bowel movements their newborn has in a single day often surprises parents.
How does so much come out of such a tiny creature? What if she has got diarrhea? Like most
things about babies, there is no established pattern for the frequency of bowel
movements.
How many bowel movements are normal and what should they look like ?
Breastfed newborns may have a movement after every feed, sometimes as many as a dozen a
day. The number of movements should decrease progressively over the next month and may
dwindle to just one a day, or every other day. Some babies have several movements a day
for the entire first year.
It is also normal for breastfed infants to
have soft, sometimes even watery stools. Diarrhea seldom occurs in breastfed babies.
Frequent stools that are liquidy, smelly, and may contain mucus, often accompanied by
fever and/or weight loss mark the onset of diarrhea.
Can I tell if my baby is not getting enough food ?
Any breastfeeding mother whose newborn
has five or more movements daily can be assured that her baby is getting sufficient
nourishment. If your breastfed baby has very infrequent bowel movements and is not gaining
weight well, check with the doctor. It’s possible that she is not getting enough to
eat and thus has not much to eliminate.
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