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When I was a first-time mom or not, I was still in doubt about how to take care of a baby and how many and how many times I caught myself smelling the dirty baby poop diaper to know if everything is okay.
The odor may help, but even better than this ” tactic” is the color of the baby’s poop and the consistency it has . So let’s put the disgust aside and come on! Baby poop can make a mom worried, either because of the coloring or even the lack of it. But how to care for a baby that has some change in relation to poop?
Baby’s First Coconut
Well, first of all we must know that the baby’s first poop is called meconium , and this meconium can be very dark in color, almost black. Meconium is formed by the accumulation of liquid that the baby swallows while still in the belly, so this poop tends to be darker than the others that will come with the ingestion of breast milk or formula for newborns.
The color and texture of meconium changes and gives way to the poop of the newborn that can change if he exclusively breastfeeds or if he breastfeeds with complementary formulas or even just formulas.
And when poop is no longer meconium?
The poop of a baby that exclusively breastfeeds may be more yellowish in color, this means that the fat it receives from the mother’s breast is being processed correctly by the body.
But the baby breastfeeding may also have greenish colored stools, because as soon as they are born there is still meconium left and this can change the color of the stools. Babies breastfeeding can also have a more liquid poop, but that does not mean that he has a problem, on the contrary, it means that the baby’s intestinal transit is as it should be and over time it will normalize.
The faeces of a baby that uses artificial formulas may have faeces with a more greenish color and appearance ( not so greenish for an avocado color ) and also with white lumps in the middle, in addition to a more brown color as well.
In addition, babies who take formulas also tend to have a dry stool, so it is important to talk to the pediatrician about formulas that facilitate intestinal transit such as the new formulas on the market Nan Confort or Aptamil.
Usually babies that are fed exclusively with formulas may have more colic as well and the poop gets stuck and consequently the baby gets dry with constipation, because the formulas are heavier than breast milk.
Constipation Help
For babies who are constipated it is also worth talking to the pediatrician about measures and maneuvers to help the baby defecate. A maneuver that I learned while I was in the maternity ward and was indicated by a specialist nurse, is the swab technique. For this you will need two things:
- cotton swab
- Infant oil
See, only apply this technique if you have a lot of confidence, it will not hurt the baby. Wet the cotton swab with baby oil and also put some in the baby’s anus. Then do circular massages around the baby’s anus and very gently place the tip of the swab in the hole and make circular movements.
This will stimulate the anal muscle to expel the poop from inside the intestine. It always works and is much better than suppositories that are sold in pharmacies.
Feces Coloring
It is very important to know that the color of the baby’s poop is not a rule, not even meconium, but it serves as a basis to know if everything is okay, other aspects must also be taken into account, such as the smell, usually the odor of a baby who exclusively breastfeeds is sweeter and less intense than a baby who takes supplement.
The only caveat is the presence of blood in the stool, they can be due to some injury to the baby’s anus or intestine, but it can also mean some infection by bacteria, so it is very important to report to the pediatrician .
Poops that are too soft or too foamy should also be reported to the pediatrician as they may be indications of an allergy to milk protein or lactose intolerance, in addition to being excess protein in the mother’s milk. Babies who have more colic also have a greener poo when the most natural would be a more ocher color.
Usually newborn babies tend to poop at every diaper change, whether meconium or not, and it always happens for me! All the better because babies who are too lazy to breastfeed can stay awake longer with a diaper change. But taking care of a baby also involves changing diapers a lot, why not take a short walk since we are talking about poop?
Just separate everything you need, diapers, cotton or baby wipes and also the ointment against diaper rash or cornstarch. In girls the important thing is to always clean from top to bottom and boys do not forget to clean under the bag.
You also have to decide if you like the wet wipe more or if you want to use cotton with warm water. The ideal is to always leave them both at hand, because you never know which one will be better when cleaning the poop. Leaving everything by hand makes it easy and a lot to learn how to take care of a baby and the first diaper change with a poop can be quite an adventure, try to register this moment.
Over time finding out how taking care of a baby can get much easier, the fear we lose with the experience. If you have any homemade techniques to help dry babies poop, just leave in the comments that can help and a lot of other moms.
See also: Changing diapers literally speaking
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.