All the colors of the {poop} rainbow
One thing we don’t think about too much until AFTER the baby arrives is baby poop. You will soon figure out that newborn poop - especially that first week - goes through a whole rainbow of colors. And this can sometimes be alarming. ROYGBIV isn’t going to help you figure this one out…so read along to learn what is typical!
There’s a first time for everything
Your baby’s first poop is so special it has its own name - meconium. [muh-coe-nee-uhm]. It is dark, thick, and sticky. It is made up of cells, intestinal secretions, mucus, lanugo (the fine hair that covers baby’s skin), and bile. Usually within 24-48 hours but sometimes sooner and sometimes later, you’ll start to see the color change. This is a good thing. It means your baby’s digestive tract is working and they are clearing out what was inside in-utero and moving on to digestion of your breast milk or formula.
After meconium
Somewhere in the blur of the early days you’ll peel back your baby’s diaper and be surprised to see a different earth tone. Green, brown, yellow, and all shades and hues between are normal. Typically after meconium you’ll see the color transition to a dark green and then ultimately if breastfeeding to a yellow. Watch out for those stools that are half one color and half another… weird…kinda funny… and also 100% normal.
Over the course of your diaper changing journey, you will see not only variation in color but also stool consistency and odor. This has to do not just with your baby’s diet, but also can be an indicator of other bodily happenings like if they are coming down with a bug, teething, or taking vitamins.
Breast milk poop
The protein in breast milk is primarily whey which is a “soft” protein that retains a lot of water. If you’ve ever made cheese, the whey is the liquid portion that you drain from the curds and throw away. Typically babies fed breast milk will primarily have loose or soft stools that are yellow. They are sometimes described as “seedy” or “curdy.” They can often have quite a bit of yellow liquid that soaks into the diaper leaving little cottage-cheese like curds on the top of the diaper. Sometimes their color can change depending on what the lactating parent has eaten - taking on a more green color if a lot of leafy greens were consumed for example.
Breast milk poops can sometimes be pretty small due to the efficiency with which it is digested. There isn’t a large portion of undigested material leftover. And in general breast milk fed babies tend to poop more frequently. Again because whey is liquid, it is digested more quickly through the stomach and intestines. Most people tend to think that the poop of breast milk fed infants doesn’t smell (or at least doesn’t smell like poop).
Formula poop
The protein in standard formulas is primarily casein. Casein isn’t as soft as whey, and can result in stools that are thicker. More like a paste or peanut butter consistency. Typically formula fed infants will have stools that are more tan to brown in color. And in general, formula fed babies have fewer poops each day and they are larger. This is all related to the higher casein content of infant formula compared to breast milk. But don’t worry - both casein and whey are both complete proteins, supplying all babies with what their bodies need to grow and develop. Most people tend to think that the poop of formula fed infants is more smelly than that of breast milk fed babies.
Poop after the introduction of solids
If you think a baby's poop is smelly before you introduce solid foods, then you are in for a treat! At 6 months, once you start introducing purees and table foods to your baby in addition to their breast milk and/or formula, you start to see a lot more variability in color, consistency, and size. Each diaper of the day will be like opening a box of chocolates. “You never know what you’re going to get.” Also don’t be alarmed seeing the skins (or even entire pieces) of foods like blueberries, corn, tomatoes, etc. This is normal as their digestive system is learning to process fiber. And let’s be real - you probably see these things in your stools too!
As you learn your baby, so too will you learn their poops. If you have any concerns about what you are seeing in your child’s diaper and if it’s normal…take a picture. Share it with your baby’s physician at your next well child appointment. A picture says so much more than a thousand words.
