Panicked over diaper count....

[@llli*averyatl]

I have a 5 day old, and am very concerned about his lack of poopy diapers. The first 24 hrs, he had 4 HUGE meconium diapers, but since then, only 1 per 24 hrs. I am BF on demand, usually every 2.5-3 hrs, for about an hour. My milk came in today. his wet diaper count has increased, and he had 8 wet diapers in today's 24 hr. period. I am going to call the pediatrician tomorrow, and have an appt. for friday. He is nursing well, alert and active (between milk comas), and not fussy. I am beginning to panic a bit.

[@llli*yoginimama]

Chill yourself, mama. I am sure you'll start to see some yellow seedy poopies very soon.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing.html One dirty diaper a day right now is normal.

[@llli*djs.mom]

What are you panicking about? You want more poop? 8 wets means it's going in and coming out. One Bowel movement a day means most of it is getting absorbed. Don't worry! And don't panic.

[@llli*jenna562]

Totally normal mama, relax you will have the pleasure of cleaning poopy diapers for a long time

[@llli*lllkaren]

What does it look like when he does poop? Can you describe it?

[@llli*averyatl]

It is still pretty dark. I had a lactation consultant out on Tuesday, and she felt he was feeding well, and his weight before and after a meal, and it was good, but still no poop - since Tuesday at midnight. All other signs seem good - he is not fussy, has long periods of being alert, gets a zombie coma after a good feeding. My only concern is the poop.

[@llli*maddieb]

Not 'enough' poops are a possible sign that baby is not getting enough milk, but in some cases poops can be infrequent and yet all is OK. So you did the exact right thing...had breastfeeding assessed, and the LC said it all looked good, yes? Keep nursing lots, at least 10-12 times a day. If the poops continue to be less frequent than normal, you may want to have fairly regular weight checks to be sure baby is gaining OK. Try to have these on the same scale with baby in a dry diaper only. When you see the pediatrician, make sure they asses baby's weight from baby's lowest known weight, not birth weight. It is typical for breastfed babies to lose some weight in the first few days after birth, particularly if baby was born in the hospital. In that case the general idea is to see baby back up to birth weight by 10-14 days old.

Has baby been given anything besides breastmilk? Formula stops some babies up and often changes the consistency/color of poops. After day 4 or 5, breastmilk only poops are typically loose and yellowish, but some babies take a little longer to transition from the very dark merconium to breastmilk poops. Diaper log: http://www.llli.org/docs/00000000000...diaper_log.pdf

[@llli*averyatl]

Thank you for the advice. Last night, the dam burst, and he released a truly insane amount of stool....Still brownish, but you could see the color starting to change at the end. We had an apt. with the pediatrician today, and his weight was great, so she felt he is in good shape....just a bit on the slower side with the digestive tract. Now on to the next thing for a first-time mamma to worry about!

[@llli*maddieb]

Last night, the dam burst,

Yeah, I had a feeling that was coming. LOL! Great that weight is great, I think you can relax on this issue at least!