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The Colors of Newborn Poop
Author: Stef Daniel
Are you looking for the “scoop” on newborn poop? The truth is newborn poop can be quite alarming, ranging in colors from green, yellow, orange, and black.
For most newborns, the first bowel movement occurs within three days of birth. The first stool consists of meconium (fecal matter present in your baby’s intestines before he or she is born). The resulting stool will be pasty, thick, and sticky and can be black, green, or numerous colors in between. Parents need to look at their newborn’s meconium to make sure that it is not bloody or laden with mucous. If it is, you should give your pediatrician a call.
Once the meconium has passed, your newborn’s stool color and consistency will change significantly. It will become looser, possible runny, and will begin taking on a yellowish, seedy look. This normally occurs around the third or fourth day of life in breastfed babies and indicates that the mother’s milk supply is transitioning from colostrum to milk. In formula fed babies, the transition likely occurs more quickly.
The frequency of newborn poop also varies greatly. According to Dr. Jay Gordon’s The Color of the Day: Solving Bowel Movement Mysteries, most breastfed babies will produce stools anywhere from 1 to 10 times per day. Formula-fed babies will produce stool likely one to two times per day. Even so, he advises parents ‘not to freak out’ should your baby not have a bowel movement for an entire day. Instead, look for signs that they are constipated, straining, or uncomfortable, and call your pediatrician accordingly.
The color of your newborn’s stool will give you the best clues as to what is going on with your baby. Remember that stools vary from child to child, and can be influenced greatly by the diet of breastfeeding mothers.
What the Color Can Tell You
Green/Yellow/Brown: (an ‘ish” should be added to the end of each of these colors). This is normal in newborns, after passing the meconium. The poop can look like it has seeds in it and the color will be influenced by the amounts of meconium still in the digestive tract.
Frequent, Watery, and Green Stools: These factors can indicate diarrhea in an infant. Your newborn could be fighting a stomach virus or bowel infection. If this persists for more than 24 hours, you should schedule an appointment with a pediatrician because newborns tend to dehydrate quickly. Green stools (not bright) are normally a hint that something might be wrong – especially if the color suddenly changes from yellow to green. You should begin recording how often your newborn poops, and note any changes in your diet if you are breastfeeding.
Light Yellow, Bright Green, and Curd-like: These characteristics are normal and prevalent in most breastfed babies. This phase can last for several months, and the consistency will be loose, but not watery.
Hard, Pellet-like: Hard, rabbit-like, pellet stools usually indicate constipation. This is not very common in breastfed babies. Most infants with hard stools will shriek, cry, strain, or fuss when they are constipated. These stools are often accompanied by blood or mucous.
Black Stools: This is common in infants who are given iron-fortified formula. In breastfed babies, this can indicate that the mother’s milk has an excess of iron from her diet as well.
Red Stools: This can be a result of micro-hemorrhaging and often can be treated with a change in diet. In newborns who are constipated, there might be some tiny cuts near the anus as a result from pushing. If your child has red stools, you should call your pediatrician.
Luckily, newborn poop can be the least offensive of all the stages of poop. Once you begin feeding your child solid foods, the smell, consistency, and frequency will change rapidly. While it is important to keep mental notes about your newborn’s stool color and frequency, there is no need to be completely poop-focused! What may look out of the ordinary to you may be normal for your child.
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