In your baby's first few days, his poop will look like tar — black, sticky, and hard to remove. This is meconium, a thick, dark green or black paste that fills a baby's intestines in utero and must be eliminated before he can digest normally. If you're lucky, he'll have eliminated most of the meconium in the hospital. If not, you'll be wiping it off at home. (It's sticky stuff, and may not come off with plain water. Try a little baby oil on a cotton ball.) Following the meconium, your baby's bowel movements will turn yellow-green.

If you're breastfeeding, your baby's poop will resemble seeded, slightly runny Dijon mustard once your milk comes in. It will be more tan if you're formula-feeding, and thicker than peanut butter.

The most amazing thing about this bodily function is how much noise can be generated from such a small person. There you are, holding your precious, dozing baby as relatives coo over how sweet he is, when you hear the sound of a volcano erupting. It's definitely a conversation stopper, and a clue to run, not walk, to the changing table.

Your baby will typically dirty several diapers a day, but he may have bowel movements as often as ten times a day or as infrequently as once a week. Both are normal. The ten-times-a-day baby does not have diarrhea, and the once-a-week-baby is not constipated (unless the poop, when it comes, arrives in pellets). If your baby is eating well, growing nicely, and seems comfortable, don't be concerned about how often he poops.