Bowel Movements
Parents are often concerned about their baby's bowel movements. Is she having too many or too few? Should they be green or smell so much? Why does she always cry when she has a bowel movement?
It is easy to see why parents get so worried, because a baby's bowel movements change so much during her first year. They go from the thick, black, tarry meconium stools of the first few days to the yellow, seedy, breastmilk stools. Formula-fed babies' stools will change too, and will usually be a little firmer than breastfed babies.
Although frequent at first, how often your baby has bowel movements will also change over time. By two to three months, some breastfed babies might only have a bowel movement once a week. Even formula-fed babies might not have bowel movements every day.
Keep in mind that if your baby has true constipation, in addition to having infrequent stools, the ones that she does have will be large and firm or small hard balls. If they are soft, then your baby likely isn't really constipated.
Your baby's stools might also change in response to new foods that you introduce into her diet. This commonly occurs when you start a baby on cereal for the first time, or change her formula.
Stools might also change if your baby has an intolerance or reaction to other foods that you introduce, and this is a good reason to start new foods slowly. That way, you can easily identify which food is causing the problem. Even if you aren't giving new foods to your baby directly, breastfed babies can react to foods in their mother's diet and have changes in their bowel movements.
For younger infants, especially in their first few weeks of life, not having regular bowel movements can be a sign of a serious problem. Especially for breastfed babies, constipation may indicate that your baby isn't getting enough to eat.
It's important to recognize the many normal changes that may occur in your baby's bowel movements. If you think every green or loose stool is a problem, then you might make unnecessary changes to her diet or eliminate important foods.
If your baby's stools are worrying you, talk to your pediatrician before you change formulas or make any other changes. This is especially important before you begin any medications or treatments for constipation in a younger infant, or if a nursing mother starts eliminating a lot of foods from her diet.
