Newborn poop - how often is normal?
Show your support
At that age they poop a lot. I only breastfeed so I can’t comment on the formula. My midwife use to say 2/3 big blowouts or 8 small poops, the yellow/ orange is perfectly normal. If it seems too much, I would ask the pediatrician. Also use a washcloth to pat dry after using wipes, aquaphor helps for rashes
Breast milk is a natural laxative so usually breast feed babies do poo a lot more than those in formula. The colour is normal too! My brother in law was a premature baby and had some issues with his bowels when he was younger according to the MIL. I noticed that you live in the UK… there are places called family hubs (which you may already know about) and then do classes for baby massage which help with trapped wind and constipation. Most of the time babies poo is quite runny too! X
My child never missed a day since birth. At 21 months old he goes 3-5x a day. As a newborn he went about 3x a day or more
My breastfed son used to poop 8 times a day. It pretty much stayed that way until he started getting solids at 6 months. As long as your baby is gaining weight, everything should be fine.
It's very normal. One week they might poop every hour and then the next week they don't poop for 4 days straight. It'll drive you mad 😵💫
It’s normal for breastfed babies to have frequent, loose stools, especially in the early weeks. The yellow/orange color and runny texture are typical for breast milk-fed infants. The combination of expressed breast milk and formula might contribute to some digestive discomfort and gas, but the frequency of poops often reflects how much they’re eating rather than a specific issue. For his nappy rash, frequent changes, using a barrier cream, and allowing some diaper-free time can help. You might also consider using Babies Magic Tea Gripe Water to ease his tummy discomfort and gas. This could support his digestion and make him more comfortable during feeds. Keep an eye on his overall growth and hydration—if those are on track, it’s likely all part of his normal development.
Thank you everyone for your support and advice. That’s very reassuring. I’ve had some family members suggest I stop breast feeding or combi feeding ( but I don’t have enough milk so that would result in the same thing), changing his milk, changing my diet etc etc and I didn’t feel that was right x
Runny and liquidy and yellow and a bit clumpy is totally normal baby poop, mine pooped every second diaper change and we’ll do 8-10 changes a day but never any blowouts as we used cloth, and the amount I went through was never a concern either as again we used cloth I never ran out they were always there for me to use. As for the rash try not to use baby wipes, get a bottle w water in it and squirt on his bum and pat dry w a cloth wipe or cotton balls/pads or just take him to laundry sink to wash off. When he’s awake and playing leave him diaper free to let his him breathe and only diaper on for actual naps. Too much wet wipes wiped over an already red and sore bum will make it worse- use water. As for intolerance that’s usually comes out as mucousy/stringy snot-like poop. If he doesn’t have that then it’s probably not an intolerance
@Lauren you'd be seeing other signs if there was a need to change things. Fussiness, severe gas, refusal to feed are some examples.
@Kellie thanks. Have never used wet wipes only cotton wool and water and change him 8-12 times a day. I also air him every change for 5-10mins and try leave him on the mat with no nappy but he gets very annoyed. Just wondered if that amount of poo is normal because it makes it very hard to get on top of nappy rash but everyone says it is so that’s reassuring
Normal. Especially if breastfeeding... My youngest would poop as he ate, EVERY time and sometimes in between. I
My 4 week old is the same, not sure if its helpful yet but I just read today that constant foamy poop and nappy rash can be caused from baby not getting enough of the hindmilk, and having lots of foremilk. It can be caused by oversupply of milk or method of feeding. Sorry I'm still in the process of researching so don't have much info or solid advice but might be worth looking into.
My son was like that! Soon as we’d think we were done and got him all swaddled up, he’d poop again. 🤦♀️ All the wiping could irritate the rash though, so use water as often as you can. You can literally rinse his bottom under the sink, use water wipes, or a soft baby washcloth with water. Let him air dry as much as possible. You can even lay him on a puppy pee pad in case he goes again. Hang in there. Good news is, it is totally normal!!
Just like my son he was born at 33 weeks and under weight he was only 3 pounds n yes he ate a lot every hr and half he’s up n ready to feed n poop the most he stayed asleep was 2 hrs n he pooped the same also some days he won’t poop for up to 4 days n that’s normal