Baby Health: Poop 411

As prepared as you may think you are for parenthood, there is nothing that can adequately prepare you for the onslaught of newborn poop that's about to hit your house!

Soon after birth, your newborn should pass meconium, a totally nasty, greenish-black, stickier-than-all-get-out, tar-like stool.

After the meconium passes, your newborn's poop consistency and odor will vary depending on age and diet. So if it's green one day, don't freak. It's probably just the broccoli she ate yesterday.

Breastfed babies' stools differ dramatically from formula fed infants. For instance, the poop of breast-milk babies tends to resemble seedy Dijon mustard in color and consistency (and can get quite liquidy). Formula-fed babies' stools will be darker (yellow or brown) in color and firmer than a breastfed baby. A formula fed baby tends to produce larger and stinkier poops.

Within the first six weeks, you can expect your newborn to have at least one bowel movement per day. Breastfed babies tend to poop more frequently (sometimes as much as 10 times a day!).

Don't be alarmed if there is a little bit of blood in your newborn's stools, but if it continues or is more than just a spot or two, check with your pediatrician. It could be a sign of a milk allergy.

Also, don't panic if your baby goes a day without pooping. Even though you feel like heck when you don't poop for 24 hours, babies can sometimes skip a day no prob. But if your breastfed infant hasn't pooped in several days (or five days for a formula-fed baby), call your pediatrician to check on your baby's health.

As babies get bigger, they generally have fewer bowel movements (yipee!). Once you introduce solids, your baby's stool consistency and odor will change dramatically.

Consult your doctor if you notice any major changes in your baby's poops. And get ready, because you're about to spend half your life changing diapers ... or at least it'll feel that way!