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Baby stools and their differences

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Have you ever found yourself dialling the number of a parents support healthcare centre asking for help, when it came to understanding all about your baby’s poop, its hue etc.

Well yes, I suppose!!

Trivial it may sound, but the fact is that the colour, frequency, consistency and normal stool baby patterns have been layered with many misconceptions. Since decades, researchers are trying to help alleviate them and spare the little wonders from going through the unneeded interventions at times.

A quick insight in to one such conversation between a support advisor and a worrisome mother uncovered these observations:-

Going by the Hue of the Baby’s Poop
  • Greenish black colour stool:- The first stool of the baby is likely to be greenish black in colour during the two days after birth indicating that the baby’s stomach is cleared of a substance called meconium.
  • Greenish yellow and Yellowish brown:- As breastfeeding commences, this meconium is replaced with greenish yellow and yellowish brown coloured stools variating between mushy and seedy texture at times. This should be considered as a healthy start to your breastfeeding, with your fears of having an inadequate milk supply being completely masked.
  • Light and dark brown:- Usually formula fed infants have light brown and pasty bowel movements. The ingredients of the formula could also change the hue to a dark brown or black coloured stool. For e.g. this could be observed in an infant put on iron fortified formula.

Understanding the Consistency and Frequency Better
  • While changing your baby’s soiled diapers, if you persistently tend to observe green watery foamy stools, it should put you to think that the baby may be receiving low intake of hind milk while being breastfed. Some breastfeeding techniques that encourage the baby to sustain active nursing long enough on one breast will help him ingest adequate amount of total milk and therefore higher calorie hind milk thereby subsiding these symptoms.

  • A baby that has been receiving good amount of breast milk will usually have multiple stools everyday or once in every two to three days. However lack of daily stooling in a breastfed baby would be signalling that your newborn baby is not gaining weight well due to poor nutrition. This certainly becomes a matter to be discussed closely with the paediatrician. In the meantime make sure that no other medications are given to the baby from your end.

Thus by embracing effective latching-on techniques, increasing the duration and total number of feedings per day, you will also play a vital role in developing a normal stooling pattern for your baby.

Do not Ignore:- A baby having 12-16 bowel movements with an offensive odour during the 24-hour time period would be suffering from diarrhoea. Consistent watery bowel movements can lead to dehydration. So emphasis should be given to immediate medical referral along with continued breastfeeding.



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With 27 Vital Nutrients including Choline and DHA For Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women
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