How is it normal for babies to have a bowel movement?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is expertly consulted by Master, Doctor Truong Thanh Tam - Pediatrician - Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.
The child's bowel habits including the frequency of defecation, the time of defecation and the nature of the infant's stools are characteristics that reflect the child's health. Mothers should have a habit of observing the color, remembering the nature of the infant's stools day by day to promptly detect abnormalities.

1. How is it normal for a newborn to have a bowel movement?

After birth, the newborn will pass meconium. This is a waste product formed in the fetus, including components such as amniotic fluid, and mucus. Meconium is quite tough and flexible, has a greenish-black color. Newborns will normally pass meconium within the first 24 hours after birth, or even as soon as they are born.
The normal number of bowel movements in an infant is not specified by a single number. When exclusively breastfed, an infant may have a bowel movement at least four times a day, or perhaps once every four to five days. The frequency of bowel movements can vary from child to child, but a healthy infant's poop should be yellow and soft, and the baby will gain weight steadily over the months.
For older or formula-fed babies, the number of bowel movements should be at a regular daily rate to limit constipation. If the baby's stool becomes hard and the baby often cries when defecating, parents need to take the baby to see a specialist for an examination.

2. Difference between breastfed and formula-fed infant poop

Breast milk is considered a good food for the health and intestinal system of the baby. The laxative effect of breast milk helps to increase the excretion of meconium. After that, the infant's stools gradually become lighter in color, turn yellow, and the stools are loose or viscous with lumps of fertilizer. The number of bowel movements in the early days is about 4 to 6 times per day, later it may be less because the child's digestive system gradually adapts and operates at a stable level.
For formula-fed babies, stools will have a thicker texture, not as bright yellow as breastfed babies, but are usually lighter or brownish. Formula feeding increases the risk of constipation because the baby's intestines cannot digest all the ingredients in milk. Babies usually have a bowel movement once a day when using formula. When switching from breast milk to formula milk, mothers should proceed slowly to let the baby's digestive system adapt gradually. This will limit the constipation caused by formula milk.
Newborn stools will gradually have many changes when the baby is changed in the diet, supplemented with solid foods or encountered other health problems. Solid foods often cause a baby's stools to become thicker and more patterned. Infant poop will be directly affected by the foods that the baby eats. For example, the stool will turn orange if the child eats a lot of carrots. Some foods, if not completely digested, will be excreted intact in the feces. These features will disappear as the child gets older with a healthy digestive system. Monitoring the nature of stools from day to day to understand how normal the baby's bowel movements are is essential.

3. What is abnormal infant poop?

In the process of development, babies will have to go through many different stages as well as face many diseases. Newborn feces will therefore also have many diverse characteristics, reflecting the health status of the child. Some of the unusual features of newborn stools that parents need to know include:
Diarrhea stool Pathological signs of diarrhea include a very loose stool texture, an increased number of bowel movements a day, There may be blood in the stool and the child's general condition is often exhausted and sick. Formula-fed babies have a higher risk of infectious diarrhea than breastfed babies because breast milk contains antibodies that protect babies from disease-causing microorganisms.
When bottle-feeding, parents need to pay attention to cleaning the compensation bottle and accompanying tools to limit the spread of pathogens. Children with acute diarrhea should be brought to medical facilities for examination and treatment, to avoid serious complications later.
Constipated stool In contrast to diarrhea, children with constipation will have dry, hard stools of small or large size depending on the case. Children often have to push a lot and cry when defecating because the stool is dry and hard, causing damage to the anal mucosa, sometimes there is blood outside the stool.
Breastfed babies are less likely to develop constipation because breast milk has laxative properties, making stools softer. Choosing to feed your baby formula or formula can increase the risk of constipation. To prevent constipation in children, mothers should strictly follow the instructions for preparing formula, use enough water to dissolve all the powdered milk. Increasing fiber in the diet, massaging the abdomen or practicing cycling can help improve constipation.
However, there are many diseases that can lead to constipation, if the baby's health condition does not improve when changing the diet and lifestyle, parents need to take the child to a medical facility.

Pale-colored stools When a child's stools are pale and accompanied by yellowing of the skin and eyes, it is likely that the child is suffering from biliary obstruction. Children should be examined by a specialist because these are manifestations of pathology in the liver and biliary tract. Early detection and diagnosis when the disease has not caused complications makes treatment more effective.
Blood in stools Blood in the stools can be a sign of many different diseases, the most common being constipation. Due to anal fissure, the small blood vessels around are broken, causing fresh blood to stick around the stool. In addition, bloody stools can also be a sign of infectious diseases. When the child's stool contains blood, parents should not be subjective and need to take the child to a medical facility immediately.
In order to limit the incidence of gastrointestinal diseases in young children, parents should pay attention to a diet to improve children's resistance. At the same time, add supporting foods containing lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, B vitamins,... snacks and less digestive problems.
Parents can learn more:
Why do you need to supplement Lysine for your baby?
The role of zinc - Guidelines for reasonable zinc supplementation
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