Bowel movements
Your baby’s first bowel movement is called the meconium. This is usually dark greenish-black substance. Once your baby starts to feed, the stool colour will slowly change to yellow, brown or greenish. The stools are usually not foul smelling.
Don’t become obsessively worried about your baby bowel movements. The number of stools passed vary from one baby to another. Some babies may not pass stools for a duration of up to a week. The frequency tends to reduce as they grow older. As long as your baby is healthy, happy and gaining weight, there is nothing to worry about.
Loose stools are normal for babies. Breast fed babies tend to empty their bowels more frequently and their colours are yellowish and usually loose. Sometimes they may not move their bowels for a few days as their body system absorbs all the milk that they drink. This is not constipation and you shouldn’t worry too much as it is normal for most babies. If your baby passes very loose stools frequently and are watery and foul smelling, it could be diarrhoea. You should seek medical advice from your doctor immediately.
Babies on formula milk tend to pass firmer stools, brownier and smellier compared to breast fed babies. It is important to give them enough water in between feeding to soften the stools.
Constipation is also quite common during infancy. If your baby did not pass motion for a few days and the stools are hard enough to cause pain or discomfort, he may have constipation. If your baby is straining a lot to pass a hard stool and cries, consult your doctor and follow your doctor’s advice. Usually constipation can be relieved by giving your baby more water or fluid. If necessary, the doctor may prescribe laxative.
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