Lets be honest, you had no idea how excited you would be about poop until you became a parent. Through practicing as a PNP I have known that to be true for a few years, but it wasn't until I became a mom myself, that I finally got to know the level of anxiety or joy that your baby's poop can elicit. And what's even better (well better might not be the best word here), is that other parents get it. Which means poop becomes a constant topic of conversation somehow, and at some point or another you realize you forgot to filter your discussion over a meal as other patrons glance your way with unhappy looks.
In starting this blogging venture, I always knew that poop would be featured. But when I get down to it, there are so many aspects of this that I want to share with you, so consider this to be part one of the poop discussion. I can't believe I just typed that...
Lets talk newborn and infant poop. The first week or so you'll see a transition from the thick tarry dark meconium to a green pasty substance, and finally ending up with something that is thin, watery, often seedy, and can be anywhere from pale tan to pea green in color - but most often somewhere in the yellow section of the color wheel. Or so you're told to expect. Here's the thing, as long as your baby is pooping on a regular basis, and you are working from something thick towards something thinner (pasty is fine still), and the poop is not black, white, or red - you're baby is very likely fine. Lots of parents look at pictures in books or on the internet or wherever (I don't want to know to be honest) and come in panicked with a dirty diaper in hand asking about why their baby's poop isn't just right. But poop is not a goldilocks thing, so if your baby is pooping, you're doing fine.
But what if your baby isn't pooping? Or is in pain when they poop? It's natural to assume that they are constipated, and often that they are in pain associated with constipation. But try not to jump to that conclusion just yet. Children and adults should poop at least once a day, ideally a few times a day. Infants don't follow these rules. The hospital may have told you that your baby needs to have X number of wet diapers and Y number of dirty diapers a day to confirm they are being fed. That's not how nutrition is measured any longer, and instead we look at weight gain, but the hospitals are slow to change their habits.
Formula fed baby's (and combination breast milk and formula fed baby's) will poop pretty regularly, sometimes multiple times daily and sometimes once every 1-3 days. Their poop may continue to vary on the spectrum of "normal", or they may develop a very routine looking poop. The reason for the variation has to do with the constantly developing and changing gut flora, or healthy bacteria that we all need to aid or digestive process. When you're new, so is your gut flora, and as it develops you will naturally digest differently over time, even if you are only eating the exact same formula day after day. Formula fed baby's do tend to experience constipation more than breast milk fed baby's, but this even is more rare than most parents think.
In an infant (before solid foods).... constipation is not straining alone. Constipation is not infrequent pooping. Constipation is hard, often dried and cracked, small balls of poop. Think rabbit pellets. Sometimes they can get backed up enough to have quite large stools instead of the small pellets, and these will definitely be cracked and dry. This is certainly a reason to ask for an appointment with your healthcare provider. It is not a reason to switch formulas quite yet. And it is definitely not a reason to assume that your child is allergic to dairy and switch to soy (soy actually IS constipating by the way). Do make sure you are mixing your formula correctly with the right water to powder ratio, but do not add extra water beyond the directions for your specific product as this will dilute the nutrients they need to grow and thrive. Some helpful home remedies to help with constipation (and gas) include warm baths, massaging the belly in a circular motion, and bicycle motions with the baby's legs. Gas is often confused with constipation (the straining is more often than not gas, rather than poop), so frequent burping and slow flow nipples help to reduce gas build up too.
Breastfed infants can poop ten times a day, or once in ten days. Yes, you read that correctly. I was personally blessed with a once a week pooper and trust me, it was something to be celebrated, not stressed over. Ben's longest stretch without pooping was actually 22 days. Because we were seeing a GI specialist for his jaundice already, I discussed this with them at some length and I was reassured that he was fine because he was gaining weight and peeing like a champion. Here are the two things to remember about breastmilk: there is very little waste, and it acts as a laxative (if there is solid waste to be produced). Obviously if an adult didn't poop for 22 days they would be in the hospital, likely for bowel obstruction, but my little man was just fine and we were blessed without many dirty diapers until solids start. All bets are off once they receive food other than milk.
The above information is hard for a parent to trust and to stomach themselves, and I get that. By all means I want you to call your medical provider and get the reassurance you need on this - whether through an appointment, a phone consultation, or a weight check with a nurse. But hopefully hearing this information helps you to accept that your baby doesn't have to poop when you poop.
So there you have it, the first installment of the poop series.
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