Every baby has bowel movements just as adults do. However, when you first bring your newborn home, you will notice his or her stools are very different. Typically, the fecal matter will be black and tarry, which can create a little panic but understand that this is perfectly normal. With these stools, which are known as Meconium, you would notice a thick tarry, sticky bowel movement of black, green/black, or dark color.
The challenge with a newborn’s Meconium stools is that cleanup is harder than regular stools. The good news is that this type of bowel movement typically only last up to three or four days after birth. Therefore, this type of stool will pass, making diaper-changing time a little easier to handle. After the Meconium stools stop, your baby will begin to have what are called “transitional stools”. You will notice a big difference in the consistency, with these new bowel movements being looser and more of a mustard color.
At around age six to seven days, your baby will go through yet another change, this time to “milk stools”. During this time, your baby’s body has settled into a normal routine of processing milk. The stools now become soft but more what you would expect. Keep in mind that sometimes, a baby will go through the Meconium phase longer than four days or perhaps not starting into the transitional phase as scheduled. In most cases, this is a sign that your baby needs more food but before changing anything, we suggest you talk to the child’s pediatrician first.
Remember that the Meconium phase for your baby can be physically challenging. Generally, most healthy and full-term babies will have this type of bowel movement within 24 hours of being born. However, if more time passes, your doctor would want to check a few things, which could be a sign of something such as Meconium Plug Syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, anoretal malformation, intestinal obstruction, or what is known as Hirschsprung’s Disease.
When a newborn has difficulty passing this type of stool, you might notice a swollen belly, disinterest in eating, and even on occasion, vomiting. By staying in close contact with your baby’s doctor, you can ask questions and notify him or her of any concerns. Most babies go through these normal phases for bowel movements without any problem so chances are, your baby will too.