Pregnancy Tips - Things No One Tells You

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The things no one tells you no.33:
Baby poop

Mumofsix` featured blog about things no one tells you.

`I thought I would, every now and then,
add a little bit of info that
took me by surprise with my first baby.`

My mood while writing this blog:
Ok

The first poop your baby does is called myconium and it is black and sticky like tar. It can take quite a bit of cleaning to get this off and initially it is hard to know how hard you can wipe. I found girls easier to clean than boys in the first stages. A friend of mine told me that she plasters the babies bottom with vasoline when it is first born and it makes cleaning off the myconium much easier, I have not tried this myself but may give it a go this time around.

Remember to wipe girls from front to back so you don't introduce fecal matter in to the urethra ( Where the wee comes from) Boys are easier later on to clean because you can clean at any angle or direction you want.

Baby poop can vary between babies. Usually the first poo is black and then once your baby is receiving milk it turns to a yellow colour. Sometimes it can also go green if baby's tummy is a bit upset or teething but that is perfectly normal. Before baby starts solids, the consistency is usually very soft, often like whipped custard. Often formula fed babies have firmer poo than breast fed babies.

As baby starts taking solids it will change to a more familiar brown but may contain bits of meals that look undigested. Things such as raisins, baked beans, corn, carrot can all look like they did before they were eaten.

The amount your baby poops is also widely varied. Some babies will poo little bits all day, others will save one big poo per day and do it all the way up their backs and others may only go every second, third, fourth day. Some may even hold on for a week. Mums often worry that their baby is constipated if they do not go every day but it is very hard for a baby just having milk to get constipated. If you are concerned then a teaspoon of brown sugar dissolved in water can help.

Don't obsess too much about how much they poo. As long as they have plenty of wet nappies then you know they are getting enough milk.

4 Comments on Baby poop

promisedbygod - Saturday, 4 Jul
Buttered Popcorn totally - with a hint of caramel sometimes - but not if you feed them formula - then it smells nasty. My son actually would go 10 days at a time sometimes without pooping - but when he did - WOW, it was a force to be reckoned with, Thank GOD it smelled liked carmel corn! I was totally worried about this, but my midwife and doctor said if he wasnt acting uncomfortable or fussing, it was probably ok - Breastfed babies feeding from Mommies who are eating nutritious foods often have a lot less poop and can go for very long periods of time... my first two werentl like that so it was freaky at first - but sure made changing diapers easy (unti lthe Mother Load came in)

MTNWOMAN - Tuesday, 5 Aug
Newborn Poos that are yellow, lol, I always thought smelled like Butter Popcorn! haha! I guess it is churned up milk...lol

numberfive - Monday, 21 Jul
a wk omg i would go crazy my lil guy goes like 7 times a day

majds - Monday, 21 Jul
And little black stringy bits are completely normal after baby eats a banana!!!