When you break it down, newborn babies tend to do three things – eat, sleep and poop. And if you’ve recently become a parent (congrats!), it may come as a shock to you just how many nappies your little one can get through a day.
Newborn poop isn’t very much like its adult counterpart, which can take you by surprise when you first start changing nappies! Here’s everything you need to know about what’s normal and what’s not in the world of newborn baby poop.
How often should a newborn poop?
While there isn’t an exact poop quota your baby should meet each day, on average, babies have about four poops a day during the first week of their life. This decreases to an average of two per day by their first birthday.
Breast milk is considered a natural laxative, so breastfed babies may poop at every feed during their first few weeks. Thankfully, this 'in and out' phase doesn't last very long, and they might not poop for several days after the six-week mark. Formula-fed newborn babies, on the other hand, can poop up to five times a day. This reduces to as little as once a day after a few months.
While all of this might seem like too much poop to handle, there’s generally not a lot to worry about. Some babies are quite literally pooping machines, while others can go a few days without pooping at all!
If your baby seems happy and is eating well, chances are things are fine (even if you need to change them 12 times a day), but it’s always best to trust your parenting instinct and speak to your GP, midwife, or health visitor if you're worried about your little one's bowel movements.
Types of newborn baby poop
There are different stages of baby poop, from meconium to normal newborn poop, and the colour and consistency may vary from day to day as their digestive system starts functioning. Let's run through each stage in more detail.
Meconium: Within 48 hours
Meconium is a baby's first poop and it's already in the bowel at the time of birth.
It’s dark, thick, and tarry, and can be sticky and very hard to clean up. It contains cells and other substances that line your baby’s digestive tract during pregnancy. This kind of poop usually subsides after three or four days. You should speak to your GP if your baby hasn’t passed any meconium 48 hours after birth.
Green poop: Day three to four
Greenish-coloured poop is usually a sign that the last of the meconium is leaving a baby's bowel. During this stage, their poop is still dark but has a green tinge as they start to digest milk.
Yellow poop: Day five to six
From around day five, your baby's poop may look like it has seeds in it. Newborn poo at this stage is usually runny, but not very smelly. If your baby is formula-fed their poop may have a slightly darker tan shade and might be a bit smellier!
