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Pooping while feeding baby


How often should a newborn poop?

Yes, it's normal if your baby is pooping after every single feeding. You’ll quickly discover that when it comes to newborns, poop frequency comes in a wide range of normal.

Some babies are just more productive poopers than others. It’s perfectly okay to end every feeding with a diaper change, or to not see a single bowel movement for a few days. Your baby pooping a lot probably isn’t an issue, unless you’re changing three or more extra-watery diapers a day. In that case, it could be diarrhea, which is something to let your baby's doctor know about.

How often should a newborn poop?

It varies. Poop habits differ a lot from baby to baby. The average frequency is one or more bowel movements daily. But some newborns produce five or more dirty diapers a day in their first 2 weeks of life, while others go for days without pooping.

It’s not unusual for newborns to poop a lot, since they spend most of their waking hours eating. In general, breastfed babies poop more than formula-fed ones. In fact, your baby may poop while nursing and again once they’re done – which is why you may want to wait a few minutes after you're finished breastfeeding before swooping in with a clean diaper.

Because breastfed poops contain more liquid, they’ll look more watery than the stools of formula-fed babies. (See real photos of the different kinds of baby poop here.)

When a breastfed newborn poops after every feeding during the first few weeks, take it as a good sign – it means they’re getting plenty of milk. Even though formula-fed babies may have less frequent bowel movements than breastfed babies, it's normal for them to poop after every feeding as well.

The frequency of your baby's bowel movements may start to slow down by the time they're around 6 weeks old, but some babies continue their pattern of pooping after every feeding for much longer. (It’s not uncommon for some 1-year-olds to poop five times a day. )

How long can a baby go without pooping?

If your baby hasn’t had a bowel movement in a few days, there’s no need to immediately fear the big “C” (aka, constipation). Babies can go days, or even a week, without producing a dirty diaper. A breastfed baby can go even longer – as long as two weeks without pooping if they haven’t started on solid foods yet.

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If the bowel movements your baby does make are soft, constipation probably isn’t an issue.  Exclusively breastfed babies rarely get constipated because breastmilk is an economical food. Your baby gets just what they need, with little waste leftover to poop out.

True constipation in babies typically happens from a change in diet, a lack of fluids, or an illness. The telltale sign is hard, dry stools. If your baby is constipated, they may get extra fussy and look like they’re straining uncomfortably when they try to go.

Should I ever be worried about my baby pooping a lot?

Generally, if your baby's bowel movements are fairly consistent and they’re acting like their usual self, frequent poops aren't a cause for concern. However, if there's a sudden change in your baby's pooping pattern and their stool becomes watery, check with their doctor. Very watery bowel movements could be a sign of an infection.

Call the doctor if your baby has any of these other poop-related symptoms:

  • Pulling their legs up to their stomach (a sign that their tummy hurts)
  • Straining to have a bowel movement
  • Poop that looks like small, hard pebbles or is extra watery
  • Irritability
  • A swollen belly
  • Blood in their poop

If my baby is pooping a lot, are they more prone to diaper rash? 

Babies who have frequent bowel movements can be more susceptible to diaper rash. Constant contact with stool can irritate the sensitive skin on their bottom.

The best way to prevent diaper rash is to keep your baby’s bottom clean and dry. To start, change their diapers more often. Wash their skin clean with warm water during each change.

You may want to coat the area with a diaper rash cream or a product containing zinc oxide or petroleum jelly to create a barrier. And instead of putting on a new diaper right away, let your baby go diaper-less for a little while each day so their bottom can fully air dry. If these tips don’t relieve the diaper rash, give your baby's doctor a call.

Read more:

A new parent's guide to baby poop

Age-by-age guide to feeding your baby

How much formula newborns and babies need

Color, Texture, Frequency, Smell, and More

During the first few months of life, breastfed babies typically pass stool several times per day. Their stool will also be a soft-to-runny consistency, and mustard yellow in color.

It’s important to monitor your baby’s diapers during this period, including checking the color, texture, and frequency of their bowel movements. These are good indicators that they’re getting enough breast milk. This is one way you can monitor their health in between visits to the pediatrician.

Read on to learn what to expect from your breastfed baby’s stool, and when to talk to a doctor or lactation consultant.

Over the first few days of life, breastfed babies will pass meconium. This will be tar-like in color and consistency. After around 48 hours, the stool may become looser and lighter in color. Then, within another day or two, the color of breastfed baby stool is usually mustard yellow or yellow-green. It may also be watery or contain mini-white “seeds.” This color is normal.

As your baby grows and starts solid foods, you may notice changes to the color of their stool. It may be more greenish-yellow or tan-brown in color.

Always let your pediatrician know if your baby has stool that is:

  • red
  • bloody
  • black
  • pale-grey or white

This may or may not be a sign of illness. Your doctor will be able to evaluate your baby and give you peace of mind.

Expect your breastfed infant’s stool to be soft to runny in texture. It may also be watery, almost like the consistency of diarrhea.

The texture may resemble mustard and contain small, white seed-like particles.

Each bowel movement should be about the size of a United States quarter (2.5 centimeters or larger.)

If your breastfed baby is passing hard, dry, or infrequent stools, they may be constipated. However, constipation is very uncommon, if not rare, in breastfed infants who are well. If your baby is just having infrequent stools, especially after 6-weeks old, it’s likely normal. On the other hand, if your baby has hard, dry stools along with the symptoms listed below, they’re most likely ill, rather than constipated:

  • vomiting
  • having a dry mouth
  • not wanting to breastfeed
  • being fussier than usual

Seek immediate medical care for these symptoms.

Your infant’s stool may not have a smell for the first few days. After they pass meconium, many parents claim their breastfed infant’s poop still doesn’t smell very foul.

In fact, it may smell slightly sweet or have a smell resembling popcorn. Other parents have reported their infant’s stool smells like hay or porridge.

Usually, as long as your baby is having frequent bowel movements and their stool is soft, the smell isn’t a concern.

Let your pediatrician know if you notice loose, green stools, or a smell you’re worried about. Your baby may have an allergy or intolerance to something in your diet.

Breastfed babies have frequent bowel movements. Expect at least three bowel movements each day for the first 6 weeks.

Some breastfed babies have 4 to 12 bowel movements per day. Your baby may also pass stool after each feeding.

If your breastfed baby is having less than three bowel movements a day, they might not be getting enough milk. Your pediatrician will be able to check if they’re gaining enough weight. If they’re gaining weight, having fewer bowel movements generally isn’t a problem.

After 6 weeks of age, some breastfed infants will poop less frequently. Some babies have only one bowel movement a day, while others only pass stool every other day or every few days. If it’s been several days since their last bowel movement, it will likely be very large.

If your baby is happy, feeding, and appears to be gaining weight, having less frequent bowel movements after 6 weeks of age isn’t anything to be concerned about, but let your pediatrician know if you’re worried about the frequency of your infant’s stools.

You may notice changes to your infant’s stool anytime there’s a change to their diet, such as when they start eating solid foods. If your baby switches from breast milk to formula or vice versa, you’ll also notice a difference in the color and texture of their stool.

Formula-fed infants typically have a more solid stool and it may be more yellow-green or tan in color.

Some weight loss (5 to 7 percent) is normal in breastfed babies during the first few days of life. Most breastfed babies regain their birth weight after 10 to 14 days.

If your baby is gaining weight steadily after returning to their birth weight, they’re likely getting enough to eat. Steady weight gain means that they’re gaining weight most weeks.

Let your pediatrician know if:

  • Your baby isn’t gaining weight. Their pediatrician may recommend working with a lactation consultant to confirm your baby is latching properly and getting enough breast milk.
  • Your baby isn’t feeding well or passing stool, or they’re passing hard stools. These may be signs of constipation or illness.
  • Your baby is passing black, bloody, or green frothy stools. These may be symptoms of an illness.
  • Your baby’s poop is unusually watery and more frequent. This may be a sign of diarrhea.

Over the first months of your baby’s life, it’s important to monitor their diapers carefully. Checking their poop’s texture and color is a good way to confirm your baby is healthy and getting enough breast milk.

Usually, a slight change in color or texture isn’t anything to worry about. That’s especially true if your baby has recently switched to solid food, formula, or was sick with a cold.

Let your pediatrician know if you notice any blood or black stools in your baby’s diaper, or have other concerns. Your baby’s doctor may also ask about their diapers at your well-baby checkup appointments.

how to recognize, causes, treatment, how to stop diarrhea in a baby?

Every mother knows that babies poop frequently: a breastfed baby may have the same bowel movements as the feeding frequency. And babies often have tummy ache and colic due to the fact that the gastrointestinal tract is completely immature and is just beginning to be populated by beneficial bacteria. Therefore, it is not always clear to a young mother whether everything is fine with her baby. How do you know when something is wrong? nine0005

For a baby under three months old, the normal frequency is three to six times a day if the baby is breastfed, and about two times a day if he is bottle-fed. At the same time, the frequency of the stool can also change normally, due to the fact that the baby was nervous or the mother changed the menu. Therefore, when talking about diarrhea in a baby, they first of all take into account not how often he poops, but the volume and nature of the stool, as well as the behavior of the baby himself.

You can suspect diarrhea in a baby if he poops twice as often as usual, the stool becomes much thinner (in a breastfed baby, it is usually liquid and poorly formed), changes color, pathological impurities appear in it: a lot of mucus, blood, foam, undigested food particles, if complementary foods have already begun. The behavior of the baby also changes: he cries, presses his legs to his chest, or, conversely, stretches out to the line. The tummy may swell and growl. nine0007

If the diarrhea is caused by an infection, the child has a fever and becomes lethargic.

Causes of diarrhea in infants

The most common cause of diarrhea in infants is dysbiosis, that is, a change in the composition of the intestinal microflora. This may be due to a viral or bacterial infection, but is usually due to other causes such as:

  • late attachment to the breast;
  • artificial feeding;
  • products not according to age; nine0020
  • use of antibiotics;
  • food allergy;
  • lactose intolerance;
  • chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (ulcerative colitis and others).

One way or another, all these conditions disrupt the normal balance between beneficial and harmful microbes in the intestines, and consequently, digestion and intestinal motility: too much fluid remains in the intestinal lumen, which causes diarrhea.

Treatment of diarrhea in children

Seek immediate medical attention if:

  • there is blood in the baby's stool;
  • diarrhea accompanied by vomiting;
  • the child has a fever;
  • the baby stops peeing or peeing less than four times a day;
  • no tears during crying, skin and mucous membranes become dry;
  • fontanel sinks;
  • the baby's skin, if folded, does not straighten out immediately.

If your baby is stable, you can try to manage the diarrhea on your own. Change diapers more often: feces irritate baby's delicate skin. If complementary foods are introduced, cancel it, leave only breast milk or formula that the baby eats constantly. nine0007

Give the child a drink. Adherents of breastfeeding argue that the baby has enough liquid contained in breast milk. This is true, but only if the child is healthy. During diarrhea, fluid loss increases several times, and it is dehydration that is the most common cause of death from intestinal infections. You can supplement it with plain boiled water, but it is better with a special solution of salts, which are also actively lost during diarrhea (Regidron, Trisol, Ringer's Solution, Humana Electrolyte). If the child is older than nine months, you can give rice water. nine0007

To restore the normal balance of microflora, you can (and should) give probiotics. The best option is a complex of bifido- and lactobacilli. Both are important for normal digestion and microbial balance. You can start taking probiotics before visiting your doctor.

Note
Probiotics are sold in pharmacies in various forms: tablets, capsules, sachets (powder in sachets). However, it should be remembered that for young children, complex microorganisms in the form of drops are most convenient for use. nine0005

If diarrhea does not stop within two to three days, be sure to contact your pediatrician.

Statistically, children experience at least one or two episodes of diarrhea every year until they are five years old. Therefore, diarrhea in itself is not yet a reason for panic: usually its cause is the immaturity of the baby's gastrointestinal tract and the disruption of the normal balance of microflora. Most of the time, you can deal with this problem on your own. But, if the child has a fever, blood appears in the feces, there are signs of dehydration: the skin and mucous membranes are dry, there is little urine, there are no tears, the fontanel sinks, consult a doctor immediately! nine0005


How many times should a newborn poop

03/25/2021 Reading time: 6 minutes