Meconium stools refer to the first poop that a baby produces after birth. It is thick, sticky, and dark green in color.
Full definition
More commonly, babies pass their
first meconium stool prior to birth resulting in meconium staining.
The majority of babies will have
meconium stools within the first day of life, which slowly become less tarry and thick over the first week of life.
Because many new parents aren't ready for the large, black,
tarry meconium stools that newborn babies have for their first few days.
It is the combination of these adjectives, especially «large,» «thick,» and «sticky,» that
make meconium stools hard to clean up and don't make many new parents look forward to these dirty diapers.
Again, be sure to talk to your pediatrician if your baby isn't following this pattern, but, just as adults vary in many ways, babies can vary in the time it takes to progress
from meconium stools to milk stools.
It also works as a natural laxative to help baby pass the
first meconium stools and to rid her body of bile to reduce the chances of her becoming jaundiced.
The number of dirty diapers also increases, and the stools should be changing in color and consistency from the dark,
tarry meconium stool to a mustard - yellow, loose and seedy stool.
Newborns have at least one or two of
these meconium stools a day for the first two days.
When baby passes the first
meconium stool, we know his bowels are hooked up and working the way they should.
After
the meconium stools have passed, the stools will be green, then yellow and mustard - like in consistency.
What does it mean if your baby doesn't have
meconium stools?
If your baby is still having
meconium stools after he is three days old or transitional stools after he is five days old, It's important to talk to your pediatrician.
Although many parents are worried that their babies will just never stop filling their diapers with meconium, some babies have the other problem and simply don't have
a meconium stool on their first day or two of life.
Meconium stools are the large dark, black or greenish - black, thick, tarry, sticky bowel movements that newborn babies have during their first two or three days after birth.
If your baby does not have a bowel movement or pass
a meconium stool, it could be a sign that something is wrong.
The majority of healthy full - term babies pass their first stool within 48 hours of being born, and most will have
a meconium stool within 24 hours of birth.
Meconium stools are quickly followed by transitional stools by the time your baby is three to five days old.
What exactly are
meconium stools?
During the first 24 hours, your baby should produce at least one
meconium stool.