It can be a little surprising to see what changes your baby’s nappies go through. A breastfed baby will poo a variety of colours over a relatively short space of time. What is in your baby’s nappy is also a good sign of a well fed baby.
Day 1-2: The meconium nappies.
Your baby’s first poos will be black/dark green or brown/black and very sticky. Babies are born with meconium already in their bowel and it is very normal. Baby will also be having 2 or more wees a day.
Days 3-4: Wetter nappies and greener poos
Nappies at this stage are known as “changing stools”, the poo will be turning a more green colour and this is a sign that your baby is taking in more milk and digesting it. A baby of this age should have at least 2 poos a day. Baby will also be having three or more wees a day and wet nappies will feel heavier.
Days 5-6: yellow poos
Your baby has cleared all the meconium (see day 1-2) from his/her bowels and all babies of this age should be having at least 2 yellow, soft/runny poos, each of a size to cover a £2 coin, per day. This is a minimum – many babies will poo far more than this! This is nothing to worry about and is a good sign that the baby is getting plenty of breastmilk. Your baby should also be having at least 6 heavy wet nappies per day.
Older breastfed baby “mustard” poos
As your baby gets older, the poos get yellower and are sometimes described as resembling mustard..They should stay soft or runny, and may look “seedy”, this is fine and perfectly normal. Until the baby is at least 4 weeks old, you should continue to see at least 2 poos a day as described above. After this, some exclusively breastfed babies may go several days
between poos. This is normal as long as the baby is feeding enthusiastically, having plenty of wet nappies and gaining weight.
