The baby's stool changes during the first year in quantity, color and consistency.
We will tell you how you can find out by the contents of the diaper whether everything is in order with your baby.

How often should a baby walk “in a big way”?

The frequency of stools in newborns can vary greatly from baby to baby, but is still considered normal: some babies may poop after each feeding, others once or twice a week.
The most important indicator of a healthy stool is its consistency and the behavior of the baby. If the baby is happy and satisfied, and his stool is soft, albeit rare or, conversely, frequent, then everything is fine.
Children under the age of 3-6 weeks who are exclusively on breastfeeding often defecate 5 to 10 times a day. From 6 weeks infant starts pooping less often.
But it also happens that the child does not walk “in a big way” for 3-4 days. Do not worry, if the baby is not worried, then everything is fine. Breast milk is very well digested. Breastfeeding experts say, “Five times a day, or once every 5 days, both are fine.” But this only applies to breastfed babies.

The situation is different with babies who are on artificial feeding. The intestines should be emptied at least once a day, as such children are more prone to constipation.

Meconium is the original feces of a newborn.
A viscous, greenish-black, tar-like substance. Meconium is made up of everything a newborn has ingested and absorbed in the womb: skin cells, bile, mucus, intestinal cells, and amniotic fluid. Meconium is a reassuring sign that the baby's bowels are working properly.

How does the feces of a newborn change?
As soon as the baby processes the first milk, his feces become lighter. At first, it may be brownish or greenish in color, but gradually it will turn completely yellow.

What does the contents of a baby diaper look like?
The feces of a breastfed baby are different from an artificial baby. It is usually soft, sometimes flaky (or cheesy, sometimes speckled like small seeds, yellow or mustard in color with a sweet smell.)

Sometimes the baby's stool can become greenish. This means that you ate something unusual. But if the baby does not show concern, then you should not worry.

What does the contents of a baby's "artificial" diaper look like?
The smell is sour, denser in texture than that of a breastfed baby. The color is brownish.

Is it possible to know by the stool that the baby is not eating enough?
If your baby has bright green, frothy stools that look more like mud, then your baby is likely getting too much first (or starter) milk, which is low in calories and watery, and not enough hind milk, which is high in fat.
In this case, it is best to start the next feeding on the same breast that you gave him in the last feeding, and then transfer him to another breast.

What changes with the introduction of complementary foods?
Naturally, the introduction of complementary foods affects the color, smell and consistency of bowel movements. Depending on the type of food, they can be orange (carrot puree), pinkish (beetroot puree), etc. The stool becomes more dense, the color changes from yellow to brown.

Do medicines affect the color and smell of bowel movements?
If you give your child iron supplements, the stools may be dark green or even black. Don't worry, it's normal! If the stool is black, but you do not give the baby iron supplements, you should immediately take the child to the doctor.

What does diarrhea (diarrhea) look like?
If the stool is very liquid, sometimes foamy, which leaves traces of an “explosion” on the diaper or oozes out of it (and this is repeated more than five times a day) - it can be said that the child has diarrhea.
Infant diarrhea is most often yellow, green, or Brown color. In addition, it smells very sharp and unpleasant.
Diarrhea can be a sign of an infection or allergy. And, if it lasts for a long time, it can lead to dehydration, which can have very serious consequences for the baby.
If the disorder lasts more than a day, you should contact your pediatrician. Also consult a doctor if you notice traces of blood or mucus.
Breastfed babies are less likely to get diarrhea because the mother's breast milk contains antibodies that protect the baby from infection.

When can you talk about constipation?
If a child experiences pain in the abdomen during bowel movements, the feces are hard and lumpy, it is safe to say that this is constipation.
If constipation in a baby happens once or twice, then this, of course, is nothing to worry about. But if constipation occurs more often, it is better to consult a pediatrician.
Sometimes constipation indicates an intolerance to breast milk or its substitute, soy, or a sensitivity to one of its elements.
It is important to give your child plenty to drink if he is receiving complementary foods - feed the child cream or apricot puree, give him prune water or pear juice. Bananas often lead to digestive problems.

Inna Kurcheva, according to publications of pediatricians,
especially for "By itself".

Feces of a newborn baby - important indicator children's well-being. The frequency of the stool and its main qualities (color, density, smell, volume, the presence of foreign inclusions) indicate the work of the digestive system of the baby.

Also, according to these characteristics, you can understand whether the child eats enough, whether he has any diseases. Noticing changes in the frequency or characteristics of the stool, parents do not understand whether it is worth going to the doctor or is this the norm. That is why it is so important to know how often a child should poop and what his feces can be.

The norm is always something averaged and therefore various “deviations” are possible. It cannot be definitely said that "a newborn child should poop 8 times a day, and his feces must be green or yellow."

Any newborn is an individual, so the acts of defecation depend on many factors, including:

The most important thing that parents should worry about is that the stool should be painless, regular, without bloody inclusions, and the child himself should not experience discomfort.

1. Fecal frequency

First, meconium leaves the child - the first feces of a newborn, the color of which is dark green or even blackish, and from the 5th day a certain defecation rhythm begins to be established in the baby: from once every two days to 10 times a day.

Usually newborns poop during feeding or immediately after eating. However, feces in two days is also the norm, if only it is regular, and the bowel movement itself occurs calmly, without tears and strong straining.

An adult child does not poop so often: by 8 weeks, the baby empties the intestines about 3-5 times a day, by six months - 2-3 times, by 12 months - twice a day. If newborns poop once a day, then the rhythm persists further, only the consistency changes (the stool is already more solid).

1. Stool volume

How much a child poops depends on how much food he ate before. A newborn of the first month of life poops very little - about 20 grams per day. From the second half of the year, the volume of stool increases to 40 grams.

1. Density

The norm for a newborn child is a soft, gruel-like stool. However, liquid and rather thick feces also fall into the “normal” category. The ideal option for young children is rather liquid and homogeneous feces that are absorbed into the diaper, staining it in a characteristic color.

In older babies, the feces are harder, resemble a thick mushy consistency, by 12 months it is almost completely formed, but it is plastic and soft.

1. Color

There are many color variations for the stool for newborns. It can be yellow, golden, yellow-green, yellow with whitish lumps, brownish and green.

These shades are characteristic of breastfeeding, after breastfeeding, the feces darken and then turn brown.

1. Green chair

Often parents are frightened when they find a green or yellowish-swamp “surprise” from a newborn baby on a diaper.

A similar color of feces is the norm and is due to the presence of bilirubin in them. This pigment can be found in the feces of infants up to 8 months, so green feces- normal option.

It is worth worrying if suddenly the child has bowel movements Green colour although this has never been seen before. Probably, in this way his body reacted to the introduction of complementary foods, milk deficiency or some kind of disease.

1. Smell

In breastfed babies, feces have an unusual, slightly sour smell. If a child is raised on mixtures, then his feces will differ in a not very pleasant, slightly putrid or rotten smell.

1. Inclusions

Normal stool in newborns (both naturalists and artificialists) may also include various impurities, including:

• whitish lumps- such inclusions are associated with insufficient maturity of the digestive organs, as a result of which the child is not able to absorb milk in full;
• not fully digested food- such particles occur during complementary feeding and are associated with age characteristics in addition, perhaps the child is simply not ready for the introduced products;
• mucous impurities- mucus protects the gastrointestinal tract, so do not be afraid of its appearance in the feces of infants.

Parents should be alerted to the following excretion and impurities in the feces of a newborn child:

• purulent substances;
• bloody inclusions.

The presence of such secretions is an unfavorable sign, therefore, if purulent or bloody impurities are found in the baby's feces, the child should be immediately shown to the doctor.

How often does a baby poop while breastfeeding?

In a natural child, the process of emptying the intestines largely depends on how the mother eats.

If a woman observes the main principles of nutrition, then the baby’s stool is “normal”: frequent, yellow, mushy, without inclusions.

If the mother is fond of fatty foods, then the child’s intestines digest milk with difficulty, and therefore the baby poops less often, whitish lumps appear in the feces.

With carbohydrate-rich food, fermentation begins, as a result of which the stool is liquid, frothy, and the tummy begins to swell and rumble.

Experts say that the frequency of feces depends on the age of the babies, so a baby at 6 months does not poop as often as a newborn at 2 or 3 weeks. In general, the patterns of bowel movement are as follows:

Experts say that a newborn on IV (artificial feeding) may not poop as often as a baby who eats mother's milk. This is due to the fact that the mixtures in the intestines of artificial people are digested much longer than natural food for a newborn.

Features of bowel movement in newborns on IV are as follows:

1. For infants on IV, the same formula works as for a newborn who eats mother's milk: how much the baby eats, how many times it defecates. But since mixtures are usually given to a child not as often as breasts, then the artificial one poops less often.
2. With artificial feeding, the stool is more solid. This is why an artificial person can poop irregularly and even suffer from constipation (feces take longer to move through the intestines and have time to harden).

Among artificial people, irregular or liquid stool. Due to the confusion in mixtures, the intestines of a child on IV do not have time to adapt to the new composition and react in their own way - with constipation or diarrhea.

Constipation and diarrhea in newborns

An equally important topic that worries many parents is how to determine whether too frequent or rare, liquid or hard stools are a sign of a disturbed digestive system or some kind of disease.

Specialists identify 3 variations in the frequency of bowel movements in newborn children: constipation, diarrhea, or irregular defecation.

Each of these pathological conditions has its own characteristics.

It is possible to talk about difficult fecal eruption in a child on artificial or breastfeeding if any of the following signs(possible combination of symptoms):

The main causes of difficulty with bowel movements in a one-month-old baby are as follows:

• deficiency of milk in the mother;
• improper feeding (lack of water, excess food, unsuitable mixtures for artisans, early feeding);
• insufficient physical activity;
• immature gastrointestinal tract (for example, in premature babies);
• various diseases (diseases of the central nervous system);
• organics (intestinal obstruction).

If newborns poop very rarely, you must initially perform simple steps: make a light massage of the baby’s tummy, review your diet, or change the mixture for babies on IV.

If the initial measures are not effective enough, you should consult a doctor who will determine the exact cause of the difficult stool and prescribe the correct therapy - using glycerin suppositories, lactulose syrup or Microlax microclysters.

Too frequent and loose stools, which differ in consistency from individual or age indicators, are the main symptom of this condition. Diarrhea in infants is not spotting on diapers, which appears when gas is discharged.

The causes of diarrhea during infancy depend on many factors, including the child's age and health:

Diarrhea in newborns is dangerous due to dehydration, so it’s still better not to engage in amateur activities, but to contact a pediatrician.

He will determine the provoking factor, prescribe treatment, which includes changing the diet (purchasing a different mixture with artificial feeding) or taking medication.

Irregular stool

A similar problem is characterized by alternating delayed bowel movements with diarrhea or a change normal stool diarrhea or hard stools. The main reason is improper feeding.

If parents are faced with irregular bowel movements, it is necessary to change the child's diet. With a balanced diet, normal feeding and a suitable mixture, you should make an appointment with a doctor for a thorough examination.

All parents are concerned about how much and how often a newborn baby should poop. The process of defecation is influenced by many factors, so the concept of "norm" in this case is rather arbitrary.

However, any irregularity of the children's stool requires observation and consultation of a doctor, while the mother needs to monitor her own diet and purchase a mixture suitable for the baby.

Hello, I'm Nadezhda Plotnikova. Having successfully studied at SUSU as a special psychologist, she devoted several years to working with children with developmental problems and advising parents on raising children. I apply the experience gained, among other things, in the creation of psychological articles. Of course, by no means do I pretend to be the ultimate truth, but I hope that my articles will help dear readers deal with any difficulties.

What worries mothers most in the first minutes of their child's life is his health.

What will it be like?

How is it formed from birth?

One of the indicators of a child's health is the quality of his stool.

Newborn chair. How much should a newborn baby poop?

The baby in the womb receives nourishment through the umbilical cord. His intestines and stomach are formed in utero and were originally designed to process liquid food, best of all - breast milk. At birth, intrauterine food still remains in the intestines and stomach of the child.

Both the intestines and the stomach of a newborn are not ready from the first days of life to receive food from an adult, they can hardly cope with the absorption of breast milk and mixtures, not to mention more serious nutrition. Today, in almost all maternity hospitals, it is customary from the first moments of a child’s life to apply it to the mother’s breast so that he receives at least a few, but drops of such an important product as colostrum.

Colostrum contains all the most useful vitamins and minerals that are not found in other foods that are not released in such a huge amount along with the usual breast milk. It is colostrum that helps the intestines of the newborn to “start up” and start working in a normal, human mode, and not in utero.

In the first days of a child's life, his stool is called meconium. It has a greenish, brownish tint, may have impurities of mucus and lumps. Digested fetal food comes out with meconium. How many times a day should a newborn poop? In the first few days, when meconium is stool, the child can poop five, six times a day and this will be considered the norm.

How much should a newborn baby poop? In the first days of the birth of the baby, the staff of the maternity hospital will help the mother in this matter. Nurses make sure that the baby does not have blood in the stool so that he defecates within twelve hours of birth for the first time. Why is it so important? Because it is a sign normal development baby and the full formation of his intestines.

How many times a day should a newborn poop? What should be of concern?

Many young mothers are even afraid of the color of the baby's first bowel movements. But do not panic, meconium is a physiological phenomenon in children. It is very important that the mother monitors the frequency of bowel movements and consistency. If a child poops more than six times in the first days of life and at the same time significantly loses weight, this is a cause for concern, in some cases, for hospitalization.

The cause of such a pathological phenomenon can be various bacteria, mainly E. coli and other pathological microflora that has become active in the baby's intestines. Only qualified doctors can cope with this problem, but not the mother on her own.

How much should a newborn baby poop? Five, six times a day. But if he poops a dozen times, while often applied to the chest? What to do in this case? If there are no bloody streaks in the child's stool and he is gaining weight within the normal range, then such a process may indicate excessive intestinal peristalsis. In any case, the pediatrician determines the norm how many times a day a newborn should poop.

If a child defecates once or twice a day and at the same time feels fine, sucks well, does not act up, sleeps soundly, then everything in his body is functioning normally. But, if he twists his legs and cannot defecate, then the child has constipation.

There are situations when a newborn cannot defecate for a day, then in the maternity hospital they will give him a cleansing enema or prescribe a mild laxative. The cause of this pathology may be the underdevelopment of the intestines of the newborn or not proper nutrition nursing mother. It may be worth choosing a different formula for a bottle-fed baby.

Mothers who breastfeed their baby should follow the strictest diet in the first days of their child's life:

Exclude fatty foods, sour and spicy foods;

Avoid sugary waters and carbonated drinks;

Avoid foods high in salt and sugar;

Avoid products containing dyes and flavors.

Of course, the best option would be proper nutrition for the mother throughout pregnancy. But, if this was not possible, then she should try to monitor her nutrition from the first days from the birth of her child.

For those mothers whose newborns are prone to constipation, a special diet will be selected in the maternity hospital. Boiled beets with sunflower oil eaten by the mother very well stimulate the baby's stool. Women in labor should carefully listen to the advice of doctors and not allow experiments in their diet.

How many times a week should a one-month-old breastfed baby poop?

The ideal food for a child in the first days of his life is breast milk. There is no other better food for him yet, since artificial nutrition not so useful and not so well absorbed by his body.

The first month of a child's life is most important for the formation of his health. It is from the state of his intestines that his local immunity depends. Many mothers are concerned about the question of how many times a week should poop month old baby on breastfeeding? Doctors believe that breastfeeding a child receives much more nutrients and trace elements, as well as fiber than artificial feeding, so he should poop less than seven times a week in the first month of his life.

There are times when a breastfed newborn defecates once every couple of days. If the child eats well at the same time and is not naughty, then you should not worry. But if colic bothers him, then mom needs to reconsider her diet, remove White bread and replace it with wholemeal bread. The mother must follow a lactation diet. If this does not help to improve the functioning of the baby's intestines, you need to see a doctor. He will prescribe tests and a laxative, and will select an individual treatment.

How much should a one-month-old bottle-fed baby poop?

Many mothers are faced with the problem of choosing the right artificial mixture for their child. The thing is that each baby is individual, and the mixture is just an imitation of natural breast milk. Many mothers spend weeks trying to find the right formula-fed food for their baby.

So, due to the lack of properly selected nutrition, an infant in the first month of his life may begin to have problems with bowel movements. Many babies already at this age have dysbacteriosis - an insidious disease that brings a lot of inconvenience.

How much should a monthly baby poop? If he uses mixtures, then from once every couple of days. The best option will become a bowel movement two, three times a day. If a month old baby he poops several times a week and at the same time there are no impurities of blood, mucus in his feces and he has a normal, not sour smell - it means that everything is fine with the child.

Today, special mixtures with bifidobacteria and gluten-free have been created for children with problematic intestines. They are a salvation for many parents from sleepless nights and problems in the child with the intestines.

If the baby poops more than five times a day on artificial feeding, it is worth sounding the alarm and calling the pediatrician. The fact is that along with the release of feces, the child also loses fluid. Toxins begin to destroy his body, internal organs. Moms should not ignore this situation, it is better to immediately call a doctor.

Thus, each infant and one-month-old child is individual and it is not worth building standard development norms for everyone. It is worth remembering that the baby should poop at least once a day and at the same time feel good, and no more than six times a day, in the first days and month from birth.

Today, scientists have proven a direct link between the psychological situation in the family and the development and health of the child. If there are frequent scandals and screams in the family, then the baby may have problems with bowel movements and other health problems. The appearance of a child in the family is a responsible step and should be treated with all care.

Good day, dear moms and dads! Only you know how impatiently you can wait for the birth of a baby. Undoubtedly, you prepared for his birth, bought a dowry, and waited.

And then this happy moment came, but along with boundless joy, a feeling of confusion and anxiety appeared. After all, there were nurses and doctors nearby in the maternity hospital who could examine the child and help you in difficult times, and now you are alone. And somehow it's different.

How to understand if everything is fine with the baby, is he getting enough milk on time, is he healthy? The baby cannot tell you about this yet, but he does a very good job of showing you his condition. You just have to learn to understand the behavior of the crumbs and actions, his desires and needs.

Today we'll talk about how much should newborn poop. The chair of a child, to some extent, can talk about the state of his health, about how he works. digestive system. Whether the food that you offer him is suitable for the baby will also be seen in the quality of the stool. So, let's go in order.

What stool is considered normal for a newborn?

Depending on what the baby and his mother eat, the color of the stool changes. If a newborn baby is fed only breast milk, then there will be any shade of yellow and green. For example, if a mother eats a large amount of plant foods, which is commendable and correct, then the color of the baby's feces may be green. This is all considered acceptable.

Babies who are formula fed may have darker, mustard-brown, and even foul-smelling stools. The most important thing is that at the same time the baby is cheerful and calm. The consistency of the stool in newborns should be mushy. Which chair should be clear, but how much should a newborn poop? - This is a question that worries caring parents.

Normal frequency of bowel movements per day in newborns

If we talk about how many times a newborn poops, then, of course, there is no single norm and cannot be. In the first month of life, a baby can poop up to 7-10 times a day, and this is how many times it turns out. Note that artificial babies poop less frequently than those who are breastfed.

It happens that the baby does not fit the nutrient mixture, and he can have a delay in stool for up to two days. If at the same time the child is not bothered by gases, the tummy is soft and the child behaves quite calmly, no measures should be taken yet.

Stool retention - constipation in a newborn

For many children, at the end of the first month of life, it happens. Caring mothers immediately begin to worry and grab onto enemas and candles, thinking that the child has constipation. Although in fact, the reason is that the digestive system of the newborn adjusts its work and sometimes a slight delay in bowel movements is possible.

It is worth the wait and everything will work itself out. Of course, only on condition that the baby feels fine: there is no bloating, he has a good appetite.

In the event that when you change the diaper you see feces in solid form, then there is a high probability that the child has constipation and measures must be taken:

• review your diet if the baby is breastfed;
• change the milk formula for an artificial baby;
• talk to your pediatrician about your next steps.

Frequent stools - diarrhea in a newborn

As we have already said, in the first month the baby can poop every time after he eats, and this does not mean at all that he has diarrhea. Yet again. We carefully look at the quality of the chair.

If there is a very liquid, one might even say watery stool, then most likely it really is diarrhea (diarrhea). This condition is dangerous because it can lead to dehydration of the child's body and, as a result,.

By the way, your pediatrician will be interested in how much a newborn baby poops at every appointment. Be sure to tell the doctor what color the baby's feces are and how often he walks on the big one, this is very important for proper monitoring of the baby's health. Feel free to ask the doctor questions that interest you and for which you have not found answers.

Good health to your child, and to you, patience and understanding.