HOW TO UNDERSTAND YOUR BABY'S POOP

   As a first time mother, I was quite frightened when i saw my baby's first poop which was greenish black.This is referred to as meconium,your baby's first poop is this colour as a result of the amniotic fluid and all he's ingested in his mother's womb.My little one's poop gradually changed to a yellowish and seedy poop, there were times when it turned green too.O the shades of my baby's poop!

  So what is the colour of your baby's poop and what do they mean?Though talking about poop may seem like a messy business, it's important mothers pay attention to their baby's poop so they would know when to panic and when not to when they see the changing texture and colour of their baby's poop.so follow me as I decode the colour and texture of a baby's poop.

GREEN BLACK:This is the colour of your baby's first poop, otherwise known as meconium.this is made up of mucus and amniotic fluid and everything your baby took in while in your womb.

GREEN BROWN:your baby's poop gradually changes to this colour as he begins to take in breastmilk.

YELLOW:from three to five days after your milk supply is established, your baby if he's breastfed would pass out yellow and seedy poop.it's loose in texture .thus is usually the form your baby's poop would take if he's breastfed exclusively.

BROWN:If your baby is formula fed, then his poop would be light brown in colour and pasty more like toothpaste texture and may smell like an adult's poop.

GREEN:the possible reasons why your baby's poop is green ranges from:

Taking in iron fortified formula.

Foremilk/hindmilk imbalance (foremilk is the first milk that comes out and it's lower in fat and high in carbohydrates on the other hand, hindmilk is that which comes after your baby has  nursed for a while and this is richer and higher in fat and calories) so when your baby takes in more foremilk than hindmilk, it results in frothy and green poop.

Left-foremilk  right-hindmilk

A lot of green vegetables or if the mother ate something green that colours her diet.

Increased saliva during teething can also result in green poop.


BLACK:This could happen if your baby is taking iron fortified formula.it can also be a sign of    
intestinal bleeding, so whether or not you should call your pediatrician to ensure nothing is wrong.

RED:Blood or streaks of blood in your baby's poop could be as a result of food sensivity, diaper rash, tear in your baby's anus as a result of constipation.


         WHEN TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR BABY'S POOP AND CALL YOUR DOCTOR

1.when your baby's poop is consistently watery which means he has diarrhea.

2.if his stool is red or black, this may indicate bleeding.

3.you see a jelly like mucus in his stool, possibly infection or allergy.

4.when he repeatly passes hard stool, this means he's constipated.

5.if his stool is chalky white.this could mean he's not absorbing enough nutrients.