Your baby's wees and poos change a lot from birth.
Monitoring these changes is one way to check your baby is healthy and well nourished.
After the first week, you can expect about 6 wet nappies a day. Your baby's wee should be pale yellow and mild smelling.
All babies are unique and how often they poo is no different. Some babies will poo after every feed, while others will go a few days, even up to a week between poos.
Healthy baby poo can range in colour from mustard yellow to green. It gets darker when you start to introduce solids.
[Illustration showing poo colours: green/black, mustard yellow, darker yellow, frothy green, dark green, green/brown, orange and brown]
Breastfed babies' poo is runny and doesn't smell.
Formula-fed babies' poo is firmer, darker brown and smellier.
Is it diarrhoea?
Lots of watery poos – 6 or more in 24 hours - plus not feeding and being unwell could be a sign of diarrhoea.
Is it constipation?
It's normal for babies to go a few days without doing a poo or to strain and have red face when they poo. But, if it's hard, dry and looks like pebbles, it could be constipation.
Speak to your doctor, midwife or child health nurse for help.
Or for advice and support, call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse.
1800 882 436
pregnancybirthbaby.org.au