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Day 1
Congratulations! You had a baby! Now is the time for you to get excited about poop, because it is a GREAT sign the first time it happens. Be prepared though, the first few times consist entirely of a sticky, tar like substance called "meconium". It's basically all the leftovers from their digestion practice while in utero. Things like mucus, amniotic fluid, bile, and water.
In general, we like to see at least one dirty diaper and one wet diaper.
Pro tip: If it doesn't bother the baby's skin, you can wipe a bit of olive or coconut oil on after a change. This makes it easier to wipe off the meconium the next time!
Day 2
By this point, baby's digestion is juuuust starting to wake up. It's enjoying mommy's homemade colostrum or a tasty bottle and doing so around the clock! Remember, the poop is typically still dark, sticky, and thick at this point.
We like to see at least 2 wet diapers and 2 dirty diapers. You can continue using the tip we listed above.
Day 3
Times, they are a changing! It's usually around this point that the texture, consistency, and frequency of things picks up. The poop is usually lighter in color, and becoming more runny.
Yes, you guessed it, we like to see around three wet and three dirty diapers for this day!
Day 4
If you are having trouble keeping track of things by this point (hello sleep deprivation), you can always try an app. We use BabyConnect with our clients because you can sync it across multiple devices and print out data to share with your doctor if need be. A pen and paper works just as well, but for some moms, you just can't beat how convenient an app is at 3 am.
Note that the poop will really be changing in color today and the next few days as well.
At this stage, we generally like to see 4-5 wet diapers and 3-4 dirty diapers.
Day 5 (and beyond)
When you hit day five, things should start to even out. In exclusively breastfed babies, the poopy diapers are now more of a mustard yellow and have a grainy, watery texture. For bottle fed babies, it's usually a bit more brown and the texture is thicker.
From this point on, we like to see at least six wet diapers and a few good poopy diapers daily. While there are healthy variations of normal for each baby, it is important to note when the wet diapers decrease, especially during an illness. This can be a sign baby is dehydrated or not eating enough.
Was any of this surprising to you? Let us know in the comments! And if this guide to newborn diaper outputs was helpful to you, would you please consider sharing this article with a friend? Thanks!
TLDR:
If you need a handy chart to reference, here you go!
