Your baby’s changing stools
Your baby’s stools will go through many changes over their first few months of life, especially once you start to introduce solids! But the most obvious changes will be in the first few weeks of their life.
The first few days
Within the first 48 hours after birth your baby will pass meconium - a sticky, green-black substance, which can be difficult to wipe off. Passing meconium shows that your baby’s bowels are working normally. Meconium is the result of months of bile and mucous (amniotic fluid debris) accumulating in your baby’s intestines prior to their birth.Once all the meconium has worked its way through your baby’s system, their stools will change noticiably.
Breastfed babies
If you are breastfeeding, you’ll notice that your baby’s stool will be a mustardy or bright yellow colour and have a loose texture. It might even look as if it has mustard seeds in it sometimes. Your baby might produce 3-4 of these stools a day at first. They may then only go once every 2-3 days once breastfeeding is established. It is common in the first few days/weeks to change 10-12 nappies a day but this number will decrease as your baby’s feeding settles into a routine.
Bottle fed babies
If your baby is bottle fed their stools will be bulkier than if they were breastfed. The colour will be pale yellow or yellowish-brown and they should pass a stool at least once a day.
A change in your baby’s stools
Frequent loose stools or infrequent hard stools are not normal for your baby to have continuously, so it’s essential to check with your health care professional if you notice anything unusual.And lastly, remember it is very important to always wash your hands after changing baby’s nappy.