What meconium is, your baby's first poos

One of the first things to check after your baby is born is their stools (baby poo), also known as meconium.

And so that you understand it fully, our team of midwives at Happymami has prepared the following post for you: what meconium is, your baby's first poos.

From meconium to the definitive poo

Before we start, we should bear in mind that the meconium of a baby fed exclusively on breast milk may evolve differently from that of a baby fed exclusively with a bottle, which we will now detail.

Broadly speaking, meconium is the first poo of your baby, which they will pass during the first 24 to 48 hours of the baby's life; the poo is black and pasty. After this time, the stools become more liquid and less pasty, with a blackish-green colour (transitional poo).

After the first week of life, the so-called definitive stools begin: yellow in colour (sometimes greenish) and with a consistency similar to ointment or semi-liquid, lumpy and with white curds. What's more, if your baby feeds only at the breast, they will have practically no smell.

What is the poo of an exclusively breastfed baby like?

For a baby who is breastfed only, during their first day of life, they will pass the meconium.

It has a consistency similar to sticky purée. This meconium is the substance that fills your baby's gut during pregnancy and, under normal conditions, is not passed until after birth.

The transition from meconium to normal poo in a baby who is exclusively breastfed usually happens between day 3 and 5 of life, depending on the number of breast milk feeds. These first days, until the normal poo appears, are called transitional poo and it is usually green. At first it is a darker green and gradually becomes lighter, with a consistency typical of purée.

By day 4 to day 7, mum already has more breast milk, with the milk coming in. So your baby usually has a minimum of 2-3 stools a day.

There are also cases where the baby passes stools after every feed. I'll take this chance to tell you that perhaps, if family or friends are going to give you a gift, nappies can be more than interesting.

Continuing with stools, after 7 days we will have reached the baby's normal poo. It is characterised by a yellow colour, is liquid, explosive and has little lumps that can be brown or green.

This colour can vary, and it isn't important. What is most normal is that during the first 4 to 6 weeks of your baby's life, these stools are soft.

When your baby starts complementary feeding with other foods alongside the breast, the appearance of the poo changes: in some babies it becomes less frequent, harder and with a different smell.

Constipation in the baby fed exclusively on breast milk

Something super important, and that is why we want to highlight it in its own section, is the supposed constipation of the newborn.

It may happen that from the second or third week of your baby's life, they suddenly stop doing a poo every day, going as long as 3 days, a week or even 15 days.

And so, when your baby finally does a poo, it is completely normal, soft, just perhaps a little more abundant than usual.

This is completely normal, so much so that it has its own name: “infrequent stools in the breastfed baby”. It is not constipation and, after a while, your baby will probably start doing a poo more often again.

Why does it happen? The exact cause of infrequent stools in the breastfed baby (what you think is constipation in your baby) is not known.

But yes, one of the explanations with the greatest weight when it comes to explaining its aetiology is that breast milk is a living liquid that adapts perfectly to your baby's needs, being almost completely absorbed and leaving little residue.

The poo of the baby who is exclusively bottle-fed

If you feed your baby exclusively with a bottle, the pattern of your baby's stools will be more like the following.

During the first day of life, your baby will pass the meconium and, on the following days, will produce greenish transitional poo, just like exclusively breastfed babies.

The biggest difference is that the normal stools of a baby fed exclusively on formula will be brown, green or yellow.

And unlike a baby who is fed exclusively on breast milk, they will be less frequent and harder, like a paste.

And just like babies fed at the breast, these stools will change when your baby starts introducing the complementary feeding of the newborn.

What to watch for in your baby's stools during the first days

If your baby is still passing meconium or transitional stools 4 or 5 days after birth, and is also not gaining weight, we should “monitor” the breastfeeding technique.

What's more, the number of stools can be very variable, so much so that it can range from one stool after every feed to 2 or 3 stools a day.

In general, if your baby is breastfed, they will do more poos a day and softer ones than bottle-fed babies.

And very importantly, there are times when breast milk is completely absorbed and several days can pass without doing a poo, or it is quite irregular while your baby is well, so there is nothing to do.

My baby doesn't do a poo every day, what should I do?

As we mentioned earlier, if your baby is fed by exclusive breastfeeding but is more than 2-3 weeks old, it may happen that they don't do a poo every day. Don't worry: as long as your baby is well, is gaining weight properly and the poos they do are soft and normal, everything is fine.

Very important: you should not stimulate your baby's anus with your finger, a thermometer or any object to try to get your baby to do a poo every day.

Because you could achieve just the opposite: your baby getting used to needing that anal stimulation to do a poo. What's more, giving juices, laxatives or infusions is not recommended either.

Warning signs that should make you go to the paediatrician

As with everything, if you have doubts you should go to your paediatrician, but here are the warning signs regarding the baby's poo that should make you go to your paediatrician.

• Your baby does not pass the meconium during the first 24 hours of life (we mean that they do not do their first stool)
• In the first 2 weeks of life your baby, who is fed exclusively on breast milk, does not do a poo every day (above all they will check the breastfeeding technique and the weight gain to gather more information).
• Your baby's poo is very hard and dry, making it very difficult for your baby to pass it
• Very infrequent poo (bearing in mind the normality of the lower frequency we mentioned earlier)
• Poo that is greyish-white, and your baby's skin is yellowish.
• Poo from your baby with blood

Conclusion: what meconium is, your baby's first poos

As we always say, every case is different, and you should adapt this information to your own situation. If you have doubts about meconium and your baby's poo, go to the paediatrician, but in the end, if your baby isn't well, you will notice it.

And how we surprised you with the curiosity of 15 days without doing a poo being completely normal, right? Lots of encouragement, you're doing great, and remember to get nappies as gifts.

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