Color changes in bowel movements

What your baby eats is going to influence the color of their bowel movements. You are going to notice the color because you will be changing their diaper when they have a stinky. What many parents do not know is that the color of their baby's poop can indicate certain things about their health and well-being.

First, there is going to be a difference in the color based on whether the baby drinks breast milk or formula. Breast milk tends to be absorbed more completely, which means less frequent bowel movements. In addition, breast fed babies poop is usually mustardy in color, and looks a big seedy for the first little while. Bottle fed babies tend to have darker stool, and more frequent bowel movements.

There are various factors that will impact the color of your baby's stool, for example, it will change colors as the diet changes. It will change colors as the digestive tract matures, and as new, more normal bacteria popular the digestive tract. Usually changes in color are not indicative of problems, however, there are times when the color of a bowel movement signals trouble.

The first color to watch for is white. If the poop is coming out the same color as the food, there is a good chance that the body is not digesting the food properly. Generally it indicates that the liver is not producing enough or any bile to digest the food. So, if you are experiencing this, get your baby in to the doctor as soon as possible.

The second color to look for is black. For the first few days, as your baby purges its body of the stuff that makes them jaundice it will have tarry black stools. However, if they get that color again later, it is usually not a good sign. If your baby is more than a couple weeks old and has stool that is tarry black, it usually means blood is in the digestive tract. Get them in to a doctor to have it checked out.

The third color to look out for is bright red. Sometimes their poop will be red because of something they ate. However, if there appears to be bright red blood in their stool, and it is not caused by blood seeping out of sores from diaper rash, it usually means that your baby has a problem close to the anus, where blood is getting into the digestive tract. Get to the doctor to have it checked out.

Beyond these three colors, there is not a whole lot of colors you should be worried about. The most common colors of baby bowel movements are browns, yellows, and greens, and possibly even some orange colored stool. If you feed your baby something with an intense food coloring, such as a blue yogurt, you may see some blue stools or brightly colored stools as well. If you are worried, phone your physician to ensure the stool color is not a sign of a digestive problem.