What baby poo looks like in the first days and months, how often it comes, and which changes need a doctor.
In short
- Colour changes a lot in the first week.
- Black, green, yellow and brown can be normal.
- Pale poo or blood needs a doctor.
The first days
Her first poo is called meconium. It is sticky and greenish black. It comes during or after the birth, or in the first 48 hours.
Over the next few days, it turns dark green. By the end of the first week, it is yellow or mustard.
Breast milk or formula
Breastfed poo is runny and yellow. It can look seedy. It hardly smells.
Formula poo is firmer and darker brown. It smells more. Some formulas turn it dark green.
How often
In the first week, most babies poo 2 or more times a day. A breastfed baby may poo at every feed. After about 6 weeks, she may go several days without one.
A formula-fed baby may poo up to 5 times a day at first. After a few months, this can drop to once a day.
It is normal for her to strain or even cry when she poos. She is not constipated as long as her poo is soft, even after a few days without one.
