After having a baby, you'll find yourself becoming obsessed with the number of wet and dirty diapers your baby has, and that's because your pediatrician and your nurses at the hospital have told you to watch it, because it's an indication as to how much food your baby is getting. Are they getting enough or not? And the number of wet and dirty diapers they have will help you determine that. So a lot of parents get really anxious if they notice a change in their baby's bowel habits. It's a very common question that a lot of mothers have. Typically speaking, a breastfed baby will have a bowel movement at least every day in the first 4 to 6 weeks of life. In fact, in many instances, they may have 8 to 12 bowel movements a day, they eat and then they poop, and then they eat and then they poop, and it just becomes this never-ending cycle, because when they eat, it stimulates their bowels. The stool is usually yellowish in color, it doesn't have much of a smell to it, and it has little flecks in it that kind-of look like mustard seeds, and it can be loose. It usually is very loose in fact, but if it's watery, then that could mean diarrhea, and it would be best to call your pediatrician.

Now once your baby gets a little bit older, it's typical for them to go up to a week without a bowel movement. This usually happens around 3 months of age, because they're growing so rapidly at that point that they're using every single drop that they eat. There's just not much left over. So you might notice these changes as your baby gets a little bit older. If their stool is soft and it doesn't seem difficult to pass, then there's no reason to be concerned, even if the bowel movements are spaced out. But if your baby is acting like they're constipated, they have to work really hard, they're straining, they're extra fussy, and then all that comes out is a few little hard pebbles, then that's a sign of constipation, and they might need a little bit of help getting regular again.

Now as for formula-fed babies, they typically have about 1 bowel movement per day, it's more greenish, tannish, or brownish in color, and it has a more pungent smell to it. But it's normal for formula-fed babies to also go a day or two in between bowel movements. Again, as long as your baby is having a regular cycle, they're not backed up for days, and they're not straining or having excessively hard stool, then it's probably fine. But if you ever have concerns, call your pediatrician and let them know about it. And after asking you more specific questions about your observations, they'll determine if there's an issue or not. Make sure to call your pediatrician if your baby ever has blood in their stool, if it's mucusy, if it's black or a whitish clayish color - those things all need to be brought to the attention of your pediatrician. If you have any other questions for me in the future, feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at [ Ссылка ], and recommend us to your friends and family too.

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