Babies Tale

Many babies urinate minutes after birth. This is an important milestone and is recorded in your baby’s medical chart when it happens.

The first bowel movements of a newborn baby are called meconium, which forms in the intestine long before birth. In fact, some babies pas some meconium while still in the uterus. It mixes with the amniotic fluid. While this is usually harmless, when your doctor spots meconium in your amniotic fluid during labor, he or she will be concerned that the baby not inhale it deeply with the first breaths after birth. If meconium is breathed deep into the lungs, it can cause breathing problems, if meconium is present, deep suctioning with the mucous trap is done before the baby breathes.

Many parents are unprepared for their babies’ strange bowel movements. Your baby will have a meconium bowel movement within a few hours after birth. Meconium is black and sticky and difficult to clean off. Some parents think ahead and rub olive oil on their baby’s bottom before it happens. It is then much easier to clean off.

As the baby begins to fed, the bowel movements become runny and greenish-brown. Once the colostrum has changed to milk, a breastfed baby’s bowel movement becomes yellow and liquid and nearly odorless. Breastfed babies normally move their bowels anywhere from once a week to once each feeding. Formula-fed babies move their bowels less frequently, and their bowel movements are dark, firm, and strong smelling.

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