DIRTY NAPPIES - WHAT TO EXPECT

Your baby’s first bowel motion can give you something of a shock. It’s called me conium – and it’s a greenish-black substance that fills your baby’s intestines before he’s born. Your baby will usually pass this in the first 24 hours or so. Over the next couple of weeks your baby will pass what are sometimes referred to as “changing stools” as his body gets used to milk. These early pools are often runny and expelled with some violence, so don’t assume your baby has diarrhea – it’s quite normal. Green poor in an otherwise healthy baby is fine too. Once this stage has passed, a breastfed baby’s pools are generally like mustard in color and consistency. They don’t usually smell offensive. A bottle-fed baby’s pools are often more solid, smelly and a pale brown color. Babies vary a lot in how often those poor, but one thing they should always do is pass urine. The average healthy newborn should have five or six wet nappies a day.