Poop Concern?

Hi P.

First I like to say Congrat's on you newborn.

I strickly breastfed my daughter. Her poop was very runny till she was 4 months. It started to thicken up when I started her on rice cerole.

Its very normal :)

J.

P.,

I had the same question not too long ago. Breastfed babies have very runny diapers. The breastmilk is so easy to digest that it just passes through quickly. The doctor would ask sometimes when we were having a check-up or something if there were any problems or any diarrhea and I would joke "how can I tell?" She said that it is a concern if you notice more frequent bowel movements. You would also notice a change in behavior.

Hope this helps,
M. W

My 7 month old, breast fed baby, had runny/watery stool until she was about 6 months old, then they started to become mushy. Your son's stools should be 'seedy'. My baby girl would have a runny poop every diaper change. Then at about 5 months it went to once a week, yes once a week, and then it gradually changed to mush, but still once a week. My pedi said it's ok, breastfed babies can do that.

Anyway, to answer you question, a little runny or a lot runny, its ok.

That is totally normal. Until you start introducing solids into a breastfed babies diet (around 6mo), their stools will remain somewhat runny.
A great resource for all of your breastfeeding questions is:
http://www.lalecheleague.org/
There is information online and support groups in your area.

Get this Mommy P.... The money that you save on formula (and health benefits for your angel) you give up in diapers! Both of my boys pooped EVEY time they nursed!!

Enjoy,
E.

I see you already got a lot of replies. Stool for breastfed babies is always runny with little mustard seed looking things in them (yeah gross. . .I know) What you're seeing is very normal. :o)

P.,
it is normal for breastfed babies to have loose to runny, yellow, seedy stools. Your breastmilk has a laxative effect that should last for another week or so. then the stools will become more formed but less frequent. Isn't that a blessing.

K. @ The Nestingplace

Very normal. They are typically runny until solids are introduced. Diarrhea might have mucus in it or a ring of water around it, and is cause for concern. But runny poop is very normal, and as the other person said, it's also normal for it look "seedy." And expect that the color may change a bit based on what you eat (i.e. if you eat a ton of spinach, you may see greenish poop).

And finally, breastfed babies process almost all of the breastmilk, as opposed to formula which can't be digested as well. So, babies may not poop often, and may go a week without poop. That will probably not happen for a few more weeks or months, but it is pretty normal.

It's very very very normal for breast fed babies to have yellow, runny, "seedy" looking stool....

This is very normal. I was a little put off by the consistancy of my baby's stool as well. It stays that way until they begin solids (which we just did, and i miss those easy to clean soft stool diapers)

Perfectly normal! It's not diarrea at all - the poop should be runny until you start giving him more solid foods.

Dito, perfectly normal, I breastfed also so make sure you always keep extra clothes when you go out because you never know when they are going to poop out the side of the diaper. I learned that lesson! Breastmilk is like a laxative for the babies, it is good for them and easy to digest which is why their poop is runny, their is very little waste with breastfed babies. Formula fed babies stool is harder b/c of all the waste from the formula not being digested completely.

It is very normal for breast fed babies to have runny stools! Explosive, even!! LOL!

I had the same concern with my first baby. I've come to learn that USUALLY breast fed babies' stools are runny and in my case, the younger the baby the runnier the poo. A very sudden change in consistency is one thing to look for however, this may not be helpful for you since your baby is only two weeks. Keep in mind that a baby's NORMAL stool often looks like an adults diarrhea. Diarrhea tends to have a more unpleasant odor and sometimes has mucus. It is common for a newborn to cry when having a bowel movement so that is also not necessarily an indication. Until your child's next check up, which should be soon, just watch for signs of dehydration such as a sunken in soft spot, and also other symptoms of illness. The best thing that you can do for your child is to continue to frequently breastfeed him for hydration and to prevent diarrhea. Breastfed babies get diarrhea half as much as formula fed infants and usually never get constipated. Also watch his little tooshy to make sure all of these loose movements are not causing too much irritation. My pediatritian once told me that as long as there is SOME substance to the stool other than watery liquid it should be ok. It's normal to be concerned but remember that your motherly intuition is the most valuable tool you have. You'll know if something is wrong. Good luck!