How many times a day is normal for a newborn baby to poop?

Soon after the baby was born, the baby's bowel movement was obviously too frequent, which made mothers very worried. So how many times a day is normal for a newborn baby to have bowel movements? What does a normal newborn baby's bowel movement look like? What problems does a newborn baby's abnormal bowel movement indicate? The following editor will introduce you to it in detail.

How many bowel movements are normal for a newborn baby

Newborns usually have more bowel movements, usually 2-5 times a day, but some babies have 7-8 bowel movements a day. As the child grows older, the number of bowel movements will gradually decrease, and after 2-3 months, the number of bowel movements will decrease to 1-2 times a day.

Abnormal bowel movement in newborns

If the baby has 5-10 bowel movements a day, and contains a lot of undigested milk lumps and no mucus, it is egg drop soup-like stool, which is abnormal stool. This situation is more common in babies who eat milk or milk powder. If the baby is breastfed, it should continue, and there is no need to change the feeding method, nor to reduce the amount of milk and the frequency. Most babies can naturally return to normal. If the baby is mixed feeding or bottle feeding, the diet structure needs to be adjusted appropriately. Parents can add more water to the milk powder to make the milk thinner, and can also appropriately feed the baby some sugary salt water, or reduce the amount of milk each time and increase the number of feedings. If the child's stool is still abnormal for 2-3 days, parents should consult a doctor.

What is normal stool for newborns?

Meconium: Within one day after birth, newborns will excrete dark green, sticky feces, which is called meconium. In the womb, this substance fills the fetus's intestines, but it will be excreted quickly after birth.

Formula-fed baby stool: If you choose to feed your newborn with formula, his stool will turn green and then yellow. When feeding your newborn with 30 to 60 ml of formula, he may have a bowel movement after each feeding, about 6 times a day. Usually, for newborns who drink formula, this phenomenon of bowel movement after feeding will gradually decrease to once a day. If the newborn's stool is soft, parents don't have to worry.

Breastfed baby stool: The stool of breastfed babies is golden yellow, occasionally slightly green and relatively thin; or ointment-like, uniform, sour and without foam. Usually, there are more bowel movements in the neonatal period, generally 2-5 times a day, but some babies will defecate 7-8 times a day. But it is normal to be in good spirits, eat well, and gain weight. As the child grows older, the number of bowel movements will gradually decrease after adding complementary foods, and the number of bowel movements will decrease to 1-2 times a day after 2-3 months. Therefore, if a breastfed baby has thinner stools and more frequent stools, parents do not need to worry as long as the baby is in good spirits, eats well, and grows normally in height and weight.

Stool of artificially fed babies: The stool of babies fed with cow's milk or goat's milk is light yellow or earthy gray, uniformly hard and paste-like, often mixed with milk curds and protein clots. It is drier and thicker than the stool of breastfed babies, with a slight odor, and occurs 1 to 2 times a day.

Mixed-fed baby's stool: When breast milk is insufficient and milk and starchy foods are added, the stool will be yellow or light brown, soft, and have a foul odor, and will occur 1 to 3 times a day.

Abnormal stool problems in newborns

The stool of the newborn is yellow, and the feces and water are separated. The frequency of stool increases, indicating that the newborn has indigestion, indicating that the breast milk contains too much sugar. Because the excessive fermentation of sugar causes the newborn to have intestinal flatulence, foamy stools, and a strong sour taste, the mother should limit the intake of sugar and properly control the intake of starch. When there is too much protein in breast milk or protein is poorly digested, the newborn's stool has hard lumps and a foul odor like rotten eggs. At this time, the mother should pay attention to limiting the intake of foods with high protein content such as eggs, lean meat, soy products, and milk. When breastfeeding is insufficient, the stool is green, the amount is small, the frequency is large, and it is green and mucous. The newborn often cries because of hunger. In this case, as long as sufficient feeding is given, the stool can return to normal. When the fat content in breast milk is too high, the newborn will have an increase in the frequency of bowel movements and undigested food in the stool. At this time, the time of each feeding can be shortened, and the child can eat the first half of the milk. If necessary, the mother can drink a large glass of light salt water half an hour to an hour before feeding to dilute the milk, and then breastfeed the child. When the intestines are infected, the stool will be loose or watery with mucus, and have a fishy purulent smell. At this time, you need to take your baby to the hospital for treatment.