There are many mothers who become obsessed with what appears in their baby’s diaper. The diaper is an effective tool to know if the baby is healthy or if there is a problem. Babies have to pee and poop every day. At least the diaper should be changed 3 to 5 times daily and in all the changes should be the diaper full of pee.

Newborns usually make their first stool in the first 24 or 48 hours of life. It’s a black poop, thick and sticky, called meconium. After a few days of transitional stools, very liquid and of a grayish-green color, they begin to make the typical stools of the child’s chest: semi-liquid, golden yellow (sometimes brownish or greenish), with good smell and very frequent.

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Many babies poop every time they breastfeed, although some do less, only 4 or 5 a day, and others do more poop between shots, and they exceed 20 a day.

To learn how to decode your baby’s poop you will need this practical guide that will undoubtedly help you.

The decoding of the poop

Black and sticky poop

As said above, when the poop is black and sticky, we are talking about meconium. Meconium is what your baby defecates in its first days of life. It is the amniotic fluid that is swallowed while in the womb. It is usually black, dark and with a sticky consistency.

Dark green poop

If your baby’s poop has a dark green color instead of mustard yellow, it usually occurs especially in babies who drink formula milk. It happens because in some of these milk they have a high iron content. If you are breastfeeding your baby, it may be because you are taking an iron supplement.

Cacas with red stripes

The red streaks in the stool indicate blood and may be the result of constipation. They are usually caused by cuts that occur when the baby struggles to squeeze when trying to poop. If you have red stripes in more than two diapers, go to your pediatrician to see how to solve the problem according to the degree of constipation of your child.

Bright green poop

Bright green poop can occur because of an imbalance in milk. For example, it occurs when the baby was fed from the mother’s breast but in short periods and can receive more milk at the beginning of each feeding in each mother’s womb. If the baby is fed more time in each breast, the balance can be restored since the final milk of the breast is also important for the baby’s health.

Hard Blow

If your baby’s poop is hard then it can be a sign of constipation. If you see that your baby has trouble pooping then you should place your baby on his back and move his legs as if pedaling on a bicycle to help the bowel movements move better.

Yellowish poop (the same color as mustard)

If you are breastfeeding your baby, poop will change to a yellowish color. It may even seem that in your baby’s feces there are some seeds, but this is because of the texture. If you feed your baby formula milk then the poop will also be the same, yellowish and with mustard color. It is usually a very smelly poop.

Loose, watery and brown poop

If your baby’s poop is loose, watery and brown, then probably he has diarrhea and you have to act fast because a baby with diarrhea can become dehydrated in a matter of hours. If your baby has diarrhea you will have to go to the pediatrician as soon as possible or go to the hospital if necessary.

White

It can indicate problems of poor digestion due to the lack of bile, a liquid produced by the liver that helps digest dietary fats and that is responsible for the dark color of feces.

If this color persists for more than 2 or 3 days, you should go to the pediatrician, because the baby may be with a problem in the liver and end up losing weight due to poor digestion.

Reddish

They can occur due to the ingestion of foods such as beet, beans or dwell. However, red stools can also be a sign of blood in the intestinal tract, which can be caused by problems such as intestinal infection, constipation, hemorrhoids or food allergy. It is being necessary to go as quickly as possible to the pediatrician.

If the red color is not due to increased dark food intake, the doctor should be sought immediately to identify the presence and cause of intestinal bleeding.

Dark brown

It can be a blood signal due to lesions in the gastrointestinal tract or due to the presence of wounds in the mother’s nipples, which can cause the baby to swallow blood.

In addition to this, the dark brown color can also be a sign that the baby is taking supplements such as iron, which end up darkening the stool.

In the case that supplements are being used, the change in color is normal and should only be observed if the stool improves after the medication is finished. However, if the dark color does not present an apparent cause, it is important to visit the pediatrician as soon as possible to identify the problem.

Greenish-brown

It is normal. It results from a mixture of solid foods. Although it is typical to see feces that go from greenish to brown when a baby begins to eat solid foods. It is possible that parents see this color in their baby’s diaper, even before.

The color of these stools is usually normal; But if the baby has other symptoms that concern parents, they should contact the doctor.

Therefore, the important thing to remember is that you must be aware of changes in the stool of the baby and the rhythm of intestinal transit, as sudden changes or accompanied by other symptoms such as fever, pain, swelling and irritation, may indicate the presence of diseases.

References:

 http://www.mypregnancybaby.com/baby-poop-decoder/

https://www.health-foundations.com/blog/decoding-baby-poop-everything-you-need-to-know