Not all parents know, but a newborn’s stool for breastfeeding is different from an artificial baby’s stool. In addition, during the first month of life, bowel movements change their color and texture several times. Consider the phased changes in stool in a newborn.
Chair from birth to 6 months
After birth, the chair is represented by a black with a greenish tint viscous mass. These stools do not smell; this type of stool is called meconium. Some mothers are surprised to see black liquid in diapers, because their child has not really eaten yet. But these feces are what the baby managed to swallow in the womb.
By the end of the first week of his life, a newborn’s stool on breastfeeding acquires a light shade. Now this is a gray-green mass of a denser consistency. This is due to the fact that the baby begins to digest colostrum and mother's milk.
When a child's bowel movements are yellowish with a greenish tint, similar to a mushy mass with a mild odor, this is a normal stool in a newborn, do not worry. Sometimes there are white lumps in such a thinner, but this is also a normal occurrence during breastfeeding.
Many mothers are squeamish and cannot see the baby’s stool. But by the color of feces you can find out about the health of the baby. For example, foamy green stools indicate lactase deficiency. And when the mixture is introduced, the stool becomes darker (between dark yellow and light brown) with a sharp characteristic odor.
What changes with the addition of complementary foods
The stool of a newborn on breastfeeding with the addition of complementary foods acquires a harsher smell, changes color to a darker with lumps. In fact, the
color of feces depends on food, for example, when consuming
iron-containing foods, the stool turns black, after a banana or rice porridge, the bowel movements are yellow-brown.
With the introduction of fruits and vegetables, the chair acquires an even harsher smell, becomes denser and constantly changes color. For example, beets give a reddish tint, carrots turn orange, prunes give black feces. During this period, the newborn has stool with lumps, which are obtained due to undigested vegetables and fruits. Most often, the remnants of undigested food indicate that the baby does not chew food.
Abnormal stool in a child
It is worth worrying when a stool from a creamy gruel turns into diarrhea or constipation.
Diarrhea in a newborn looks like water, with a characteristic smell of yellow, brown or greenish. With constipation, feces are brown or black in the form of pebbles. When such phenomena are one-off, this indicates a reaction of the body to new food.
Sometimes bloody or mucous discharge can be seen in the bowel movements - this can be the norm if the baby has a so-called period of saliva, as well as if the nipples bleed when feeding the mother. However, mucus and blood may indicate an intestinal infection. Thus, if the abnormal stool of a newborn while breastfeeding is repeated more than two times during the day, you should consult a doctor.