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Newborn Stooling

Bringing home your newborn is a very exciting experience, but it can also be nerve-racking at times. One of the most common questions we are often asked is about the stooling patterns of newborns.

Babies should have a stool within the first 24 hours of life. This sticky black stool is called meconium. This type of stool usually lasts for the first 1-2 days. Stool should then turn more loose and seedy and is often greenish in color. After day 5 or so, stools should be soft, yellowish in color, and seedy.

Newborn Stooling FAQ (click to open)

    First stool comes in the first 24 hours of life<

Stool Stages:

  • Days 1-2–sticky black meconium
  • Days 3-5 days–loose, seed, and greenish in color
  • Day 5 and on–soft, yellowish in color, and seedy
  • Stool Frequency:

    • As frequent as after every feeding
    • As infrequent as every 4-7 days
    • Straining is common and doesn’t mean baby is constipated
    • Constipation is only indicated when stools are hard

    Watch for:

    • Blood or mucus in stool
    • Hard stool
    • No stool within the first 24 hours of life
  • Stool frequency can also change as an infant grows. It is very common for infants to have a stool after every feeding or have stools as infrequently as once every 4-7 days. Straining while stooling is common and does not necessarily mean that your child is constipated. Constipation means that the stools are becoming hard. As long as the stools are soft, the interval between the stools can vary and be completely normal.

    Things to watch out for in infants are: blood in the stool, mucus in the stool, hard stools, or no stool within the first 24 hours of life. If any of these occur, please let us know.