Often a topic that is not usually discussed about newborns with people who do not have children (because of how unpleasant it may sound) is the subject of pees and poops; however, it is something that worries a lot to parents, both new and second timers and all possible subtopics around: smell, appearance, texture, quantity, etc.
The point is that pees and poops are the ideal metrics for assessing the nutrition of babies, which is why instinctively and by the way, it has become a topic of such interest and relevance, even though it is an open secret.
Meconium
It's a funny name, but it is the name of your baby's first poop; if you are a new mother and no one warned you about it, it may be the first scare you get.
It is composed of the remains of amniotic fluid the baby has swallowed while in your belly. Normally, the liquid is swallowed and expelled in the form of urine. At birth and during the first 48 hours, the baby will expel whatever is left in their system through the poop. It usually has a sticky consistency and a black-greenish, tar-like color, which is why many moms are alarmed and call the doctor, suspecting a digestive problem.
The importance of consuming colostrum, in addition to its nutritional properties, is because it helps to expulse meconium, which should be out of the system within the first 2 to 3 days after the baby is born, giving way to another type of poop.
Because of its consistency and color, meconium is unmistakable. Although it is not very common, there are cases in which the baby is not able to expel it, which is known as a "Meconium Plug", which refers to a plug that prevents the baby from expelling this first excrement, so it is necessary to be careful:
Transition Poop.
Once the meconium has been expelled, transitional poop appears, which, as the name suggests, are stools mixed between the last traces of meconium and the first traces of the breastfed baby's feces: they are grayish-green in color, with small mustard-colored specks.
This denotes that the baby is consuming and processing the breast milk in their digestive system. It usually occurs from 3 to 6 days of life. Once this time has passed, the typical breastfed baby poops are established.
As a note, it may be normal for one or two days to pass during this period when the baby does not have a bowel movement, which may be normal as long as the baby:
The fact that a breastfed baby suddenly stops pooping should not be cause for alarm if it is not accompanied by another symptom, remembering that the composition of breast milk is usually light, so its absorption is so complete that there is almost nothing left to expel in the feces.
With this said, it is crucial that if there is evidence of sufficient urine, and it should be light in color. If you suspect it is too dark or not enough, it could be a case of dehydration.
The common breastfed baby poop.
The stools of breastfed babies are usually orange mustard colored, sometimes with white lumps. They settle after the total expulsion of meconium and speak about the correct functioning of the baby's digestive system.
The amount of stool a breastfed baby makes is variable from here and until complementary feeding is introduced. Some babies defecate even after each feeding, and some only do it once every 5 to 7 days. We recommend that you be very observant about the frequency with which your baby poops and be aware of his behavior in general. If you do not notice alarming symptoms like the ones described above, even if baby has not pooped for a long time, surely it is nothing to be alarmed about, in any case, you can keep a record of their stools::
You can share this record with your pediatrician and get better guidance for your baby's specific case.
Poop consistency.
Do not expect your baby to poop with the same consistency as an adult or even a child. Remembering that their diet consists exclusively of breast milk, it is only normal to say that their stools will be more liquid than solid.
Is it diarrhea?
Talking about diarrhea in breastfeeding is more about frequency than consistency. When the amount of poop that the baby poops increases suddenly, it is called diarrhea, so it is very important that in the first days you pay special attention to your baby's expulsion habits to identify when there is an increase in the amount.
Is it constipation?
As we discussed above, a breastfed baby may suddenly stop pooping for several days. If there are no changes in his urine or other warning signs, there is probably nothing to worry about. Keep an eye out for any changes and consult your pediatrician.
In both cases, please avoid home remedies: no teas, water, laxatives, rice, bread, or other types of foods or liquids to "stimulate" the baby to poop or to stop diarrhea; remember that your baby is just adapting to the world and, during the first six months baby should be ideally and exclusively consume breast milk.
Their digestive system is immature, and introducing foods or liquids outside of breast milk will not only not solve the "problem" (if there is one), but can cause a severe problems such as gastroenteritis, botulism, liver failure, intestinal obstruction, and a terrifying list of potential health problems.
The only person who can prescribe anything besides breast milk should be your chosen pro-breastfeeding pediatrician.
The sometimes false lactose intolerance
In the world of poop, there is a special for section green poops because it is usually when these infamous stools appear that they are hastily diagnosed as lactose intolerance. The solution then is to replace breastmilk with formula.
We must clarify that lactose intolerance is, on many occasions, a false diagnosis and sadly even going unnoticed by several pediatricians, so explaining where green stools can come from is vital.
There are green stools with different shades, many times mustard-colored stools may take on a greenish color after a while, due to oxidation, creating confusion. Again: be very observant when you detect greenish poop: if it is not accompanied by any other discomfort, such as a swollen abdomen, too much gas, explosiveness when coming out, baby's discomfort, several occasions of green poops, etc. You should not worry too much.
But what if it is accompanied by discomfort? If green stools are accompanied by:
If this occurs every time he poops, then we are talking about a possible lactose intolerance, however, we must continue to investigate to try and recognize the origin before proposing solutions that probably, as we said, are more focused on restrictive diets or breast suspension before improving breastfeeding techniques.
Lactose intolerance is a low level or total absence of the enzyme lactase in the body, which is responsible for breaking down the sugar molecules present in milk for proper absorption in the small intestine. Lacking optimal levels, fermentation occurs in the intestine, giving rise to the symptoms indicated above.
So what is so bad about lactose intolerance? In addition to the discomfort this represents for the baby, if not treated hastily, it can result in weight loss or failure to grow properly, in addition to a risk of dehydration.
Can a breastfed baby be lactose intolerant? Yes, but it’s very rare.
Suppose there is a possibility that a breastfed baby is intolerant. In that case, however, we are talking about very specific cases, and with alternative health conditions that cause it, for example, galactosemia which is a congenital disease with which you are born and live with throughout life, the incidence is 1 in every 50,000 people.
If not my milk, then what causes the intolerance? There can be different situations, let's explore the most common ones:
As a final point, remember that intolerance can only be diagnosed by a pro-breastfeeding pediatrician, supported by evidence from laboratory studies and being sure that any of the cases described above have been ruled out.