Normal color of baby’s stool

NORMAL DEPOSIT VARIATION (Birth-12 Months)

What is happening inside my baby’s body?
Baby stools vary dramatically from baby to baby and from day to day. There is a wide range of normal stool variations – colors and textures that should not concern parents. These include meconium, the black tarry stools seen in the first few days of life; typical breastfeeding stools that are yellow in color and dotted with solid pieces that resemble mustard seeds; typical bottle stools green and more uniform than breast stools; and even colorful stools ranging from orange to electric green. Abnormal stool colors include red and blood or white and mucus. Black tarry stools should not continue beyond the first few days of life and should not recur later.

The consistency of baby stool can vary, but it is considered abnormal if it is so watery that it soaks through a diaper (diarrhea) or so dry that it looks like toothpaste or dry granules (constipation).

meconium Meconium refers to the normal stool of a newborn. When the intestines form in a growing fetus, waste builds up inside. This waste is a mixture of old cells, swallowed fluids, and other products made by the developing intestine. Therefore, the first stool a baby passes is made from this nine-month-old collection of waste and comes out in the form of a thick, sticky, greenish-black paste called meconium. It may take up to two or three days to get rid of all this meconium. Once all the old waste is gone, the stool changes color and consistency.

Meconium is always normal. Some babies pass it out too soon, while still in the womb, and some babies have trouble passing it out. When the meconium is firm as a rock, it does not come out easily from the anus. This is called a meconium plug and can be associated with a variety of diseases, including cystic fibrosis.

Breastfed feces. The typical stool of a breastfed baby is often described as “yellow mustard seed stool.” Once the breast milk has come in (around the baby’s third day of life), the meconium thins and clears until the baby has yellow liquid stools. The consistency is similar to a thin milkshake. Some mothers notice that when they eat certain foods, the color changes from yellow to green or brown. This is normal and is discussed in the following text.

Bottle-fed stools. Bottle-fed babies usually produce green stools with a uniform consistency. They are still watery like breastfed stool, but usually lack the appearance of seeds. Sometimes bottle-fed stools can look yellow or brown. If different formulas are used, the stool will often change color.

Colorful stool. Although most babies have fairly similar stools every day, some days the color changes dramatically. For breastfed babies, it can be caused by something the mother ate. But for bottle-fed babies, there is little explanation. Sometimes a child has mild gastroenteritis and the stool changes color until the infection clears. Regardless, it’s not a concern if the stool flashes green or electric orange.

There are, however, more evil colors. Red can be a sign of blood. Brown spots that look like coffee grounds may be evidence that old blood is slowly passing through the intestine. Black is expected during meconium passage, but should not return afterwards; it can also be a sign of blood. White stools or mucus-filled stools are also not typical, although teething babies who are drooling excessively will swallow some of the excess drool, and this can pass through the stool as mucus. If your stool has any of these colors, call your doctor.

What I can do?
You don’t need to worry about normal stool variations. However, you should contact your doctor if your baby’s stools have abnormal colors.

When should my doctor participate?
A doctor should be involved if the stool has any signs of blood, including black, bright red, or coffee-ground discoloration. A doctor should also be contacted if the stool is white or filled with mucus.

What tests need to be done and what do the results mean? It is not necessary to test stools that have a normal variation in color or texture. A baby who occasionally has bright green or orange stools is fine.

However, bloody or mucus-filled stools may indicate irritation, infection, or inflammation somewhere in the gastrointestinal tract.

What are the treatments?
Feces normally vary in color and texture. Therefore, there are no treatments for normal stool variation.

What are the possible complications?
There is nothing to worry about when the stool changes color to a normal variant. The baby is absorbing nutrients well and will continue to gain weight.