The baby has thick stool. What do you need to know? What do the different colors of baby stool mean?

With the birth of their first child, inexperienced parents face a number of completely new and unfamiliar problems: feeding, whims, bathing the child, development, night awakenings. Caring parents gradually gain experience and cope. One of the most common difficulties is how many times a day should a 1 month old newborn have bowel movements? What should a healthy baby's stool look like? After all, in a baby it is the best indicator of the functioning of the digestive system.

How many times a day is a 1 month old baby supposed to poop?

The frequency and appearance of a baby's poop cannot be compared to that of an adult. The first days after birth, the baby’s body gets rid of meconium, so greenish or black spots are visible in the stool, which usually disappear after a few days. The appearance will depend on the child’s nutritional characteristics:

• with hepatitis B the mass will be yellow or greenish, similar to thick sour cream. This is a homogeneous “mixture” with a sour odor. Occasionally, lumps, mucus, foam, or undigested food may occur. The color of the stool is influenced by the mother's food - she prefers vegetables, the baby's stool will be greenish. This shade is also the norm. The child gives out 15 grams at a time. feces, then the number will increase.
• Formula-fed or bottle-fed babies have dark, brown or mustard-colored stool. The stool has a more unpleasant odor; in quantity it can exceed feces per breastfeeding - 40g. However, parents have nothing to worry about if the baby is happy, gaining weight, sleeping peacefully and eating with appetite.

How many times a day does a one-month-old baby have stools when breastfed and bottle-fed?

Frequency of bowel movements - there is no one accepted norm; they cannot judge how many times a day a newborn should have stool at 1 month, on formula or breastfeeding. Each child’s body works differently: digests food faster or slower. Basically, the frequency of bowel movements depends on this.

Conventional meaning - on average, a baby can poop from 5 to 10 per day, often after a feeding session. It turns out that no matter how many times the mother fed, the baby soiled the diapers. It is known that children on breastfeeding defecate more often than artificial ones.

Formula-fed babies sometimes hold stool for up to 2 days. It's too early to be constipated. Parents need to feel the baby’s tummy and monitor their behavior. If the tummy is soft on palpation and there is no gas, then everything is fine.

Stool frequency of a 2 month old baby

During the first month, the newborn's digestive system actively adapts to the changes around it. To a new feeling of hunger and fullness, to the needs of food and, most importantly, to digest the food itself. These “works” are reflected in the frequency of stool, its appearance and the child’s behavior. As a rule, by the 2nd month, digestion gradually improves. Due to this, the frequency of the child's bowel movements may decrease.

When observing a baby, how many times a day should a newborn at 2 months on artificial nutrition have bowel movements - at least once or twice.

There are times when the baby abstains and does not poop for one, two, up to five days, but behaves calmly, he is cheerful, cheerful and does not complain of appetite. Then there is no reason to worry; most likely, the mixture or milk is completely absorbed, leaving nothing left behind.

There is also no specific norm for IV. Perhaps once a day, or less often.

Reasons to panic

Every mother, observing her baby every day, begins to study the child’s internal schedule and feel deviations. The best indicator of a baby’s condition is still his behavior. A healthy child who does not feel discomfort is in a good mood, he eats with appetite and is constantly gaining weight. His tummy is soft, he doesn’t worry about gas, nor does he have colic.

Of course, constipation is common for babies, but parents should not run for candles and give various enemas. The child’s body is just getting started and disruptions in the gastrointestinal tract are normal for him.

None of the specialists will say how many times a day a newborn should have stool at 1 month, the norm and where the middle is - 10 times a day or less. Every child has his own. Hardening of the stool can be a serious sign of true constipation. Then the following measures will help:

• for a breastfeeding baby, the mother needs to review her menu and choose products more carefully;
• For a baby with IV, check the formula; perhaps it is not given according to age or is simply not suitable.

If it doesn't help, contact a specialist. Hard stool is not typical for a newborn and can injure the fragile walls of the colon and cause additional pain during bowel movements.

In this article:

Immediately after giving birth, young parents face a lot of problems. It is necessary to accustom the baby to the breast, constantly change his diapers, give him massages, bathe him, and monitor his temperature. On top of this is the struggle with drowsiness and despair caused by a lack of understanding of the reasons for the child’s crying.

Any change in the color of stool causes panic, but often it is not justified. Stool in newborns can change in appearance, degree of mass density, and smell almost every day; you should not get upset right away, because this may be a variant of the norm.

You should know how the stool of a baby who is breastfed and mixed or bottle-fed differs. The first weeks of life are characterized by a gradual change in the color and consistency of stool, which continues to change depending on the type of feeding, its frequency, and duration. The introduction of juices or purees into a child’s diet also has a direct effect on the baby’s bowel movements.

The color and smell of feces: what they should be

Image from http://ponos-x.com/

In a newborn, feces do not have any specific odor; they are black or have a greenish color. At the same time, the stool is liquid and viscous. The child often defecates, but this can only be noticed by looking into the diaper. That is why doctors recommend that during the first months when the baby cries, first check the cleanliness of the diaper, and only then start feeding. Original feces (also called meconium) consists of everything that the child swallowed along with amniotic fluid during the months of stay in the mother’s womb. The appearance of meconium in a newborn indicates the normal functioning of the newborn's intestines.

In the period from 2 to 6 days from the date of birth, the baby’s stool may change its color to grayish or gray-green, and become thicker (the consistency of a semi-liquid ointment). This is typical for all healthy children during adaptation to a new way of getting food. From the second week, the stool becomes yellowish-mustard in color, sometimes brown with a faint sour-milk odor. The consistency of the bulk is liquid, with small white grains. Such stool indicates the normal functioning of the child’s gastrointestinal tract. The norm is a slight presence of mucus or a green tint with stable weight gain.

A variant of the norm is the case when the child’s stool is light brown or very dark brown. The presence of small greenish inclusions is allowed. In terms of consistency, there are two requirements for the contents of the diaper - it should not be liquid like water, and the feces should not be too dense. The smell may be pungent and unpleasant. This situation is typical for children who are mixed-fed. Similar indicators appear with the introduction of complementary foods.

It happens that pieces of undigested food are clearly visible in the diaper. If this occurs rarely, then there is no need to worry. Depending on the food, the stool may turn orange or burgundy. This is typical after eating carrots or beets.

Bowel movement frequency

At the age of up to 6 weeks, when breastfeeding, the baby has bowel movements 4-12 times during the day. With age, the frequency of bowel movements will decrease significantly. By two months, a child can delight his parents with fragrant stools both 4 times a day and 1-2 times every five days. These are standard indicators; a slight deviation in one direction or the other, provided that the color, smell and consistency comply with the norm, is considered acceptable.

Young parents sometimes confuse normal loose stools with diarrhea. Even if the child defecates once a day, but very copiously (even to the point of leaking feces from the diaper), there is no need to sound the alarm. In some children, the intestines work in such a way that bowel movements occur rarely, but in large volumes. This is not a pathological change. You should be concerned if bowel movements occur more than 12 times a day. In this case, the feces will not just be liquid, but watery; they will flow out from above, below, and along the sides of the diaper.

The absence of stool in a child for 4-5 days in a row, followed by successful bowel movements and with normal consistency of the mass, should not become a reason for changing the daily menu. This is a variant of the norm, and therefore excludes the possibility of any mechanical influence on the child in order to speed up emptying. Under no circumstances should you give your baby an enema, as this can cause a weakening of the normal reflex activity of the corresponding muscles. It is not recommended to try to help the child by irritating the anus with a thermometer or a bar of soap (although grandmothers will insist on using these methods).

What feces indicate pathology?

Cases when the baby's stool is of normal color, but it is too liquid or a little foamy, and has a strong sour-milk smell, requires increased attention from parents, especially when breastfeeding. If the presence of irritation in the anal area is added to the listed signs, and the baby himself begins to behave very restlessly, is capricious during and after meals, and is underweight, then this indicates a lack of hind milk in the diet. It is higher in calories, not as sweet and contains the enzymes necessary to break down milk sugars. All this is not present in foremilk, so you just need to change breasts less often.

If there is a large amount of mucus in the stool, and the stool is green, yellow or brown, then you need to focus on the baby’s behavior and well-being. If this fact does not bother him, then medical help is hardly necessary. Most likely this is a consequence of a recent cold or a harbinger of teething. Medical advice should be sought if such symptoms persist for several days in a row.

Soft and very thick brown stool can be either normal or pathological. If your child has recently taken iron supplements, there is no need to worry. You should consult a doctor if you have not taken additional iron. Then an examination is necessary to rule out internal bleeding.

Urgent medical attention is needed if the stool is excessively watery and has an unpleasant odor, and the child is not gaining weight well or even loses it. The reason may lie in allergies, poisoning or an infectious disease. Hard feces that come out in small parts with constant strong tension in the abdomen, accompanied by screaming and crying of the baby, indicate constipation. The reason may be in complementary feeding if it contains an ingredient that is not suitable for the baby, or in the mother’s incorrect diet.

Foamed green stool, which appears along with a specific “pop” and has a sharp sour odor, indicates pathology. If, in addition to everything else, irritation and redness appear around the anus, then you should immediately consult a doctor. Usually, with such symptoms, children stop gaining weight and are constantly capricious and behave extremely restlessly. The reason is lactose deficiency, both primary and secondary.

The appearance of blood in the stool, both liquid scarlet color and black blood lumps, should entail an urgent visit to the hospital. Most often, this is triggered by an allergic reaction to the protein contained in cow's milk; it can also be one of the symptoms of the development of bacterial infections. Based on the results of the examination, hemorrhoids or intestinal bleeding may be diagnosed. Both problems require immediate treatment. The case of digested blood lumps may indicate that the mother’s nipples are damaged, and the baby with milk swallows the blood oozing from cracks in the chest. For a newborn, this option is safe, although it is better to avoid such a scenario.

If intestinal problems are detected, you should seek medical help. This will help to diagnose pathological changes in the child’s body in a timely manner, accelerate the subsequent normalization of stool and restore the rate of weight gain. Doctors' basic recommendations often boil down to changing breastfeeding techniques.

Among them:

• feeding should occur in a position that is comfortable for the mother and newborn;
• It is important that the baby grasps the breast correctly and does not suck only the nipple;
• in some cases, it is necessary to increase milk production by applying the baby to the breast more frequently and pumping after each feeding;
• special attention should be paid to ensuring that the baby receives enough hind milk;
• the duration of feeding sessions should not be artificially limited;
• In the first months of life, you should not try to feed the baby according to a schedule; it is much better to do it on demand.

Always carefully examine the contents of your baby’s diaper - this will make it possible to promptly respond to any pathological change. But you shouldn’t panic at the slightest discrepancy with the norm.

Useful video

If the baby has to be artificially fed, it is necessary to take into account that his intestinal functioning changes. Accordingly, everything that is connected with such a prosaic and important process as pooping changes.

It would seem that with “artificial” everything should be simple - a sterile bottle, the same mixture. And there shouldn't be any problems. But it is not so. Each person’s body is unique, and a baby’s body is especially unique. So how should a bottle-fed baby poop and how is the stool of “artificial-fed” babies different?

Color

The color of the stool is darker. Although it may depend on the mixture itself, it can range from yellow to dark brown.

What should you be wary of??

If the color of the stool is unnaturally yellow or orange, there is a problem with the liver.

If it is green, this means various types of dysbacteriosis.

The only exception when there is no need to worry is when the child is under a week old. Green stool at this age is natural; it is meconium.

If it is very dark, almost black, it means there is blood in the stool.

Note to moms!

Hello girls) I didn’t think that the problem of stretch marks would affect me too, and I’ll also write about it))) But there’s nowhere to go, so I’m writing here: How did I get rid of stretch marks after childbirth? I will be very glad if my method helps you too...

Consistency

Formula-fed babies have thicker stools. Sometimes white, curd-like inclusions may be visible in it. This means that the proportions were not entirely correct, the mixture came out thicker than required, and was not completely digested. Or perhaps he overate a little this time, although the portion size was the same as always.

It may also be too thick, almost like in adults. This also indicates that the mixture was prepared incorrectly.

Ideally, the stool should look like a homogeneous mushy mass.

What should you be wary of??

• If the stool is too liquid, with foam, a putrid odor.
• Watery, mucus, streaked with blood.

Frequency

If the baby is bottle-fed, then the question of how much he should poop and how often comes first at first.

A newborn baby can recover very often in the first weeks, literally after every feeding. Over time, this amount is reduced, first to 3-4, then to 2 times a day.

What should you be wary of??

• If an “adult baby” several weeks or months old suddenly has stool 5-6 or more times a day - .
• If there is no stool at all for several days -.

In any case, if it even seems to you that your child is pooping somehow “wrongly,” it is better to immediately show him to a doctor. Bring your soiled diaper with you. And may your baby always be healthy!

Reading

It has long been known that the “contents of diapers” indicate the state of health of the baby. Almost every mother, looking at her child’s diaper, asks the question: “is everything okay with my baby?” In this article we will look at and tell you what kind of stool a baby should have, and which stool will be a cause for concern.

Features of a newborn's stool

Before birth, the baby has no bacteria in the intestines, that is, it is sterile. As soon as the baby is born, bacteria settle in the gastrointestinal tract, entering through the mouth due to touching the mother. Doctors advise placing the newborn on the mother’s breast immediately after birth so that the baby receives the necessary, beneficial bacteria.

In the first days of life, a newborn's stool is a black, tarry, odorless mass. This is original feces, also called meconium, it is formed from what the baby swallowed inside the fetus.

On the third day after birth, the baby's stool is loose and frequent, there may be lumps and mucus, and in some cases the stool may be watery. This is due to the fact that bacteria have entered the baby’s body and caused intestinal upset. Transitional feces in a newborn are more liquid than original feces and may have a gray-green color.

Babies who are breastfed have odorless stool, one can even say that it is sweetish and cheesy. After feeding with milk, it becomes lighter than usual.

On the 5th day, a newborn’s stool looks like mustard; the shade can be green-yellow, brown-yellow, and sometimes lumps similar to granular cottage cheese can be found in the stool.

How many times does a newborn have stool?

Within a month after birth, a newborn may go to the toilet three to twelve times a day, most often after being fed. When the baby turns 2 months old, he will defecate less often, quite possibly once every few days.

Loose stools (diarrhea) in a newborn

Since loose and frequent stools are the norm for breastfed babies, the concept of “diarrhea” in infants differs from the usual concept. With diarrhea, the feces of a newborn acquire a swamp color with dark green lumps, the smell resembles sour milk, and the consistency of the feces turns out to be watery; sometimes, lumps of curdled milk can be found in the composition.

In a bottle-fed newborn, the symptoms of diarrhea are almost similar to those in breastfed children, only the frequency of bowel movements differs, which is unusual for them.

Causes of diarrhea in a child.

The appearance of diarrhea in a newborn can be accompanied by a number of reasons:

• A sharp transition to another feeding, for example, changing the baby formula to another;
• Water change;
• If a mother who is breastfeeding changes her diet, this can also affect the baby.

There are many rumors that diarrhea can be accompanied by teething, but this is not true. After all, children cut their teeth from six months to three years, and this does not mean that children should suffer from diarrhea all this time.

During intestinal disorders, the mother should carefully monitor her baby, check the temperature, monitor appetite, and it is better to consult a doctor to avoid dehydration.

If diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting (not regurgitation, but vomiting), and you find blood in your baby’s stool, consult a doctor immediately!

Let's sum it up: This table shows almost all the symptoms of a newborn’s stool that you need to pay attention to, and which do not give cause for panic.

Everything is fine!
The newborn is 1-3 days old. The stool is black, has a paste-like consistency, and is odorless.	This is meconium, it is formed from substances that the baby fed in the womb. This means that your baby's intestines are working well and getting enough food.
The color of the baby's stool is gray, sometimes gray-green, and can be semi-liquid or ointment-like. The baby is approximately 3 to 6 days old.	This is transitional feces. Stool of this consistency means that the baby’s body absorbs mother’s milk well.
The child's stool resembles mustard in color and consistency, there may be mucus and small greens. The composition contains small inclusions, similar to cottage cheese grains. The smell is reminiscent of sour milk.	This means that the baby’s body absorbs breast milk well and quickly gains weight.
Newborn feces are green and mushy. The baby feels well and takes the breast with appetite.	It is a completely normal reaction of the baby to the foods that the mother eats in her diet.
The baby's stool is light brown or dark brown, thick, with occasional splashes of greenery. Has a pungent, unpleasant odor.	This is the normal stool of a bottle-fed baby, or a child who has started receiving complementary foods.
In a baby who receives complementary foods, the feces acquire colored shades. The child feels well and is gaining weight well.	Complementary foods may contain fruits, which can turn orange and even red.
Please pay attention!
The baby is gaining weight well, but he is nervous when breastfeeding, his stool is yellow with green spots, possibly with foam, has a liquid consistency, and has a sharp, sour milk smell. There may be irritation near the anus.	Such symptoms are typical for mothers who have a lot of milk. You should simply feed your baby less and change breasts as little as possible; the baby will receive less sweet milk and will receive milk rich in enzymes that break down milk sugar.
The baby takes iron supplements. The stool is dark brown, soft and thick.	If your stool changes when you start taking medication, this is normal. Otherwise, we advise you to consult a doctor.
The baby's stool turns yellow, green or brown and contains a lot of mucus. The child suffered from ARVI.	These symptoms indicate that the baby has an intestinal disorder after an infection. If there is mucus in your stool for several days, consult a doctor.
See a doctor urgently!
The baby is not gaining weight. His stool is frequent, loose, yellow, green or brown, possibly watery, and has an unpleasant odor.	Your baby may have an intestinal disorder due to an infection, allergy, or poisoning.
The baby has hard stool. During bowel movements, the baby screams and cries.	The child has constipation, which may be due to the mother's poor diet.
The baby's stool is green, foamy, and has a sharply sour smell. May be accompanied by irritation around the anus.	Consult your doctor immediately! This means that the baby may develop lactose intolerance.
The baby has bloody stool.	Contact your doctor immediately! This means that the baby may have intestinal bleeding, an infection, an allergy to cow protein, or hemorrhoids.

Situations when a baby’s bowel movements should not cause any concern:

Black or dark green feces in infants

It has the consistency of tar and no characteristic odor. The so-called meconium is the first bowel movement of a newborn; it consists of amniotic fluid swallowed by the child in the womb and cells of the intestinal mucosa. The baby should poop on the first or second day after birth. How many times he does this depends on his diet. Most bowel movements occur two to three times a day.

Green or gray feces in infants

Liquid consistency, barely perceptible odor. “Transitional” stool, which confirms that the baby’s body is working properly and the mother’s milk is being absorbed properly. Evacuation occurs on the second day; this characteristic accompanies the description of feces throughout the week. At best, the baby poops after each feeding, the number of times can reach 12, minimum 4.

The stool becomes lighter

It acquires a yellowish-brownish tint, liquid consistency, and a sour milk smell. The number of bowel movements is reduced to 2–4 times a day. This type of feces predominates in a baby from two to six months.

The stool turns dark

It becomes more brownish, the consistency resembles gruel, the appearance of inclusions can be periodically observed, and has a characteristic odor. This stool characterizes good absorption of mother's milk. So the baby should poop mainly after six months of life. Evacuation occurs up to 4 times a day.

There are cases when mother's milk is absorbed very well, and there is practically no undigested substance left in the baby's body. Baby poops only once to a couple times a week. Only when the baby’s intestines are filled with feces in the required quantity does emptying occur.

When a newborn's diet includes complementary foods, the stool may change color dramatically. There is also no need to worry about this, since this change may be caused by the body’s reaction to food that is new to it.

What should a baby's stool be like?

When should feces concern parents?

Almost all parents, until the child grows up to a conscious age, carefully examine their child’s feces. This is not caused by special interest, but by the desire to monitor the correct development of the baby and his state of health. They do the right thing, since a child’s stool can tell a lot.

The absence of feces can only raise suspicion in the case of a hard tummy in a newborn, when the child does not fart - then you should call a doctor. Basically, the baby may not poop due to the body’s good acceptance of the mother’s milk.

The opposite negative factor may be diarrhea. It consists of very loose stool, which in some cases can even leak out of a poorly fitting diaper. Such stool is fraught with dehydration of the baby, it can be caused by infection, allergy to any component of the diet.

Green, foamy stool indicates that the baby is underfed. Either the baby is lazy and makes little effort to get to nutritious milk, or the mother takes the breast early. Also, the reasons for foaminess in the stool can be attributed to the diet of the mother herself. Perhaps a nursing woman consumes a lot of synthetic substances that should be eliminated.

Hard stools are not typical for infants, but for older children. If such feces are detected in a newborn, it is necessary to monitor the next bowel movement. If the next time the child has difficulty pushing or pooping heavily, you need to consult a doctor. These symptoms belong to. Constipation is dangerous due to damage to the intestinal walls, and subsequently the formation of feces with blood. In such cases, feces may not only have red specks, but also have a black color (digested blood). Constipation is not uncommon in children who are just starting to eat something other than breast milk. Complementary foods may contain elements that are not digestible by the baby.

A baby's stool can cause concern for parents after ARVI vaccinations, as well as when expecting. In these cases, we mean a temporary disturbance in the digestive system. There is no need to be afraid of this.

When observing any changes in stool, you need to remember these important rules:

1. There is no need to stop breastfeeding your baby, even if the baby is diagnosed with breastfeeding. Breast milk strengthens the baby's immunity. No matter how many different substitutes and mixtures there are, none of them can replace the maternal contribution to the health of the baby.
2. Do not prescribe medications or dietary supplements to yourself or your child. It is much easier to worsen the condition of a small organism than the organism of an adult. Complications may be irreversible.

Having a wealth of knowledge about a newborn’s stool and its quantity per day, any parents will be prepared for certain changes in their baby’s body. No matter how much of this knowledge there is, mothers and fathers will still worry when looking into the diaper in the first month of the baby’s life.