Being a new parent is a daunting task. When you change a poopy diaper, you may encounter a wide range of colours and textures. which tells you about your baby’s health.
Normal Frequency and Colour
Seeding yellow, and green are all common baby poop colours, nothing to worry about it.
Some Newborns poop frequently after every feed and some poop every five to seven days. If the baby poops once a week, and the abdomen is soft, not distended, and relaxed not irritated, then you can have peace of mind. Stool colour texture and pattern change according to the age and feed of the baby especially during the first year of the baby. Poop colour tells you about your baby’s health. Some most commonly seen poop are described below:
Greenish Black
The first stool is expectedly black, with a tar-like texture. This is called meconium, and it occupies mucus, skin cells, and amniotic fluid. It’s very sticky and you may need a whole tub of wipes for cleaning. This is only in the first few days of life.
Mustard Seedy” Yellow
After passing meconium, first few weeks babies have three to four mustard-yellow, seedy, loose stools. Most common in breastfeeding babies.
Bright Yellow
Bright yellow poop in breastfeeding babies. It could be more frequent than usual and extremely runny, it could be diarrhea. Diarrhea can increase the risk of dehydration.
Orange
Orange poop occurs from pigments present in the baby’s digestive tract. It happens in both breastfed and formula-fed babies.
Red
When the baby starts taking solids or from something else, such as blood. If the baby takes a red food such as tomato juice or beetroot then see if their next stool returns to its normal or not. Red poop also because of blood in the baby’s bowels from an intestinal infection, milk allergies, or from anal fissure.
Dark green
Most common in babies who are starting weaning that is green in colour, such as spinach and peas. Iron supplements can also cause green poop.
White
White poop is an Alarming sign. This shows that babies do not produce adequate bile in the liver that helps the digestion of food. White poop is not normal in any age group and needs addressing by the doctor.
Gray
Related to digestive system problems so need to address healthcare professionals.
Brown
Toddlers poop daily or every other day and the texture is soft-formed, like a log shape. It shouldn’t be hard or lumpy.
Black
Black tar-like stools are normal in newborns. If the baby is more than three days old, the black stool is not normal. Malena is a black thick stool, which is a sign of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract.
Monitor your baby’s stool carefully, this is the only way to point out health problems that your baby can’t tell u about it. If any abnormalities are seen feel free to consult the Paediatrician.