How Often Do Newborns Poop and Pee? [+ Other Diaper Questions]
Something many parents don’t know until becoming parents is that they must track their newborn's wet and dirty diapers in the early days of babyhood. This is because it needs to be confirmed that the baby is getting enough milk!
Without enough milk, the baby will have very low wet or soiled diapers, which is an indicator that they may not be drinking as much as they should. In those early days, ensuring your baby gets enough milk is vital to their health.
So now that we know that a baby’s diapers should all be accounted for, what’s normal in a day? Babies at different ages can have a vastly large difference in the amount of wet or soiled diapers they have in a day. This can be in part due to their bladder becoming larger and the improved ability to hold their urine in for longer periods. Keep reading to learn about how many diapers your newborn should go through in a 24-hour period.
What Color Should My Babies Urine Be?
Urine is a mixture of waste and liquid that is released from the bladder. Excreting urine is important for maintaining a healthy bodily system, so it’s important to monitor your baby’s output to ensure that they are taking in enough liquids.
Your baby’s urine should be a light to darker yellow in color, according to experts. The darker yellow the urine is, the more concentrated it is, meaning you should encourage more liquids. This is especially true for those hot summer months when people can drop down to half of their normal output. Just be sure to offer more milk to ensure they are staying hydrated.
An important thing to note is that female babies occasionally can have a speck or two of blood in their diaper the first week following birth. This is because the hormones from the mother affect the baby’s uterus. This should only be a speck or two, but if it is accompanied by other symptoms such as a fever or chills, consult your pediatrician.
Bowel Movements
After birth, your baby’s first poop(s) will be black and tarry, also referred to as meconium. This poop is usually black but can also be dark green. This substance has been hanging around in their intestines while in utero, so once completely passed after birth, this dark and sticky poop should evolve into a yellow-green color.
The color and texture of your baby’s poop can vary depending on what their diet consists of. Breastfed babies are known for their trademark “seedy” poop as it is bright yellow, soft, and contains some particles. If the baby is given formula, their poop is usually more firm and more of a yellow or tan color. Regardless of whether they drink formula or breastfed, every baby can have a bout of gassiness, which can be remedied with gripe water. You might even think one of their first smiles or coos is from happiness, but it is usually from passing gas!
The frequency at which your baby poops can also be influenced by what they drink. Breastfed babies can poop only once a week and still be considered regular as breastmilk leaves next to nothing for your baby to get rid of. On the other hand, formula-fed babies should have at least one bowel movement a day.
When your baby is a newborn and you are still learning about what their normal bodily functions are, it can be difficult to tell if your baby is experiencing diarrhea. If your baby’s poop is already usually soft, you may not notice if their poop is considered diarrhea. You can usually tell that they are experiencing this if the poop is watery, or occurs more than once per feeding. If this is the case, they will need an increase in liquids to replenish what they are losing. It might be a good idea to throw them in the bath after an especially messy poop!
Related: When Do Babies Stop Pooping at Night?
How Often Should My Baby Be Urinating?
The amount of diapers that your baby is going through a day will help indicate if they are taking in enough substance. Your baby should have a minimum of 4-6 wet diapers a day. If your baby has less than this, try increasing the amount of milk they are drinking. If this doesn’t solve the problem, it’s suggested to give the pediatrician a call.
When To Worry About Different Poop Colors
Like the rainbow, your baby may experience a wide range of different poop colors depending on their diet, digestion, and illness.
As previously mentioned, the first few bowel movements your baby will experience is meconium, a black or dark green tarry substance. After this passes, your baby’s poop will graduate to a seedy bright yellow if breastfed, or a tan and yellow if bottle-fed.
A color that seems to worry some parents is green poop. This shouldn’t be an immediate cause for concern as green poop can be from medications they’ve taken, or from simply digesting their food too fast!
Colors that pediatricians note parents should look out include red, black, and white/gray. Red in stools should always be investigated, but it could be from taking in blood from cracked nipples while breastfeeding or eating foods like beets. Black should also be investigated as this could be from blood in the intestines that turned black over time. Another alarming color to keep an eye out for is white or gray bowel movements as this can be a sign of a liver condition.
If you have any concerns over the color of your baby’s poop, consult with qualified medical professionals.
Monitor Your Baby’s Soiled Diapers with Baby Connect
When I had both my children, I was given a sheet of paper and told to monitor how many wet and dirty diapers they had for the first month to ensure they were getting enough milk. Like most exhausted parents, I lost this paper almost immediately after coming home! This resulted in me going through endless sheets of paper as I could never remember what happened to the last sheet.
This is the exact reason why Baby Connect should be a crucial weapon in every parent’s arsenal. This app is easy to download and is designed to store a plethora of information to monitor your baby’s health and well-being. Instead of carrying around a flimsy sheet of paper wherever you go, you can simply pull out your phone and quickly log your baby’s dirty diapers. You will never question how many diapers your baby had in one day ever again!
