Baby Stool

Baby stool colour and frequency of passing in a day depend on how you feed the baby. Baby Stool varies for breastfed babies, formula babies, and babies who have started solids.

Nature of Baby Stool

Your baby forms her first baby stool called meconium when she is inside your womb. Meconium consists of amniotic fluid and other items the baby has ingested while in the womb. The colour varies from dark green to black and is excreted from her body soon after she is born. The presence of meconium indicates that your baby's excretory system is functioning properly. Meconium is passed out during the initial few days by the baby.

When your baby starts feeding on transitional milk followed mature milk, the colour of the baby stool changes from yellowish green to yellow. If your baby's intake of foremilk is more than hindmilk, the baby stool continues to be green and are watery in nature. Once she begins feeding properly and starts consuming adequate amount of hindmilk, the baby stool is mustard yellow in colour. They are soft and are either sweet smelling or odourless. Occurrence of green and watery baby stool at times is normal. However consistent appearance of green and watery baby stool indicate sensitivity to a particular food in your diet or your medication or an infection.

If you are formula feeding your baby, the baby stool are yellowish-brown in colour. They also appear harder because your little one finds it tougher to digest formula than breast milk. Also, her baby stool has a stronger smell than a breast fed baby.

As you begin starting solids for the little one, the colour of her baby stool closely relates to what food she takes in. For example if she eats carrots, do not be surprised if her baby stool appears a bright orange. As her solids intake increases, the baby stool becomes thicker and darker. It also smells a lot. You may find food rich in fibre passing off in just the same way they went in. This happens only till her digestive tract is fully developed and you can avoid these foods for a few days.

I am exclusively breast feeding my four month old baby. How many times in a day should I expect her to pass baby stool to avoid constipation?

Congratulations on opting for breast milk as your baby's diet. The good news is that babies fed exclusively on breast milk rarely have constipation problems. She may pass two or more bowel movements every day for a week. After that, she may not pass baby stool for about three to four days or even a week. This is quite normal and does not indicate constipation if the baby stool is soft. Do not panic if you find slight variations in the baby stool every day. Remember to contact your doctor if you find drastic changes such as very loose, hard or smelly stools or mucous or blood in the baby stool.

Even if she has no constipation, it is common for her to cry and make sounds like grunts and groans while she passes her baby stool.

What is the frequency of passing baby stool for my formula baby? She is also in the process of just starting solids.

Formula food and solids are more difficult to digest than breast milk. So, it is advisable to ensure that your baby passes at least one baby stool a day to prevent constipation. You must also ensure that she passes this even if you decide to give both breast milk and formula.

My six month old baby is on a formula and solid diet. She has not passed her baby stool for three days and I am worried she may be constipated. Please tell me what I can do to help her without any medication.

If your baby is constipated, you must try to relieve her from this problem as soon as you can. Extending the time period for which the bowels remain full will cause the stools to harden because of water absorption. This makes it more difficult for her to pass the baby stool. Remember not to give her any over the counter laxatives without talking to your doctor. Although such medicines are not recommended, you can try the following tips to help your little one:

Tips to Help in Passing Baby Stool

• Make sure that your baby is getting enough fluids. Take care to see that the formula is prepared using the right concentration and contains the required amount of liquid. She must also have enough liquid intake with her solid diet.
• Make fibrous fruits and vegetables a regular feature in your baby's diet. Some examples of fibrous food are pears, prunes, ripe bananas and apricots.
• Lay your baby on her back and lift her legs up. Create a cycling movement. This stimulates the digestive tract.
• You can try massaging your baby's stomach in a clockwise direction. The massage can be done when the baby is being given a warm bath. You can also use lotion or oil after her bath to lubricate the skin and relax the baby. When the baby is relaxed, she will be able to pass her stools more easily.