By Anne Smith, IBCLC
Fan Question:
“What is normal for a breastfed baby in regard to bowel movements?”
For the first couple of days after birth, your baby will pass dark, tarry meconium stools. This is the stool she has been storing since before birth. Within a day or two of your milk coming in, her stools will change in both color and consistency.
These early transitional stools may be brownish or greenish, and will be loose and unformed (kind of a pea soup consistency).
By the time she is 4 or 5 days old, she should be having “milk stools”: Yellowish and seedy, sort of like a mixture of mustard and cottage cheese.
She should have at least 2-5 substantial bowel movements in each 24 hour period, and may pass a stool every time she nurses during the first few weeks of life. If she isstooling less frequently, it may mean that she is not getting enough milk.
Once babies pass the newborn period, (4-6 weeks old), it’s not unusual for them to poop every few days, or even go a week or longer between bowel movements.
This infrequent stooling is often a concern for new moms because they are so used to their newborn babies pooping many times a day, but as long as the baby is healthy and her abdomen stays soft, there is no reason for concern.
Constipation doesn’t mean just pooping infrequently – it means that the stool is hard and dry when it comes out, and is painful to pass. A baby who is nursing exclusively (no supplemental formula or solids) may strain and be a little uncomfortable when she passes a stool only once every few days, but when she does finally poop, it will be liquid and not hard.
This article has more information about your baby’s bowel movements:
http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/qa/babys-bowel-movements-poop-happens
Anne has been helping moms reach their breastfeeding goals for over 35 years, as a La Leche League and an IBCLC in private practice since 1990. Breastfeeding six children gives her a unique combination of first hand experience as well as professional expertise. In 1999, she started her website,www.breastfeedingbasics.com, with lots of information on breastfeeding and parenting, and a wonderful group of bloggers, including Abby from The Badass Breastfeeder, Rachelle from Unlatched, and Marie from Anarchy in the Sandbox.
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