Newborn Bowel Movements: How Many Should They Have in a Day?

After many hours of labor, your baby finally arrives. You hold him in your arms and cry with joy (and relief). About two days later, you and the baby are released, if all went well and there were no complications.

As you head home, you think of how, before he arrived, you read as much as you could to prepare yourself for this new responsibility. Now that you have been home a few days, you feel like you did not read enough, especially when it comes to his bodily functions.

Three days have gone by and your little bundle of joy has yet to give you the stinky diaper. You start asking yourself questions and probably call either the hospital or the pediatrician. Why has he not had a bowel movement? Isn't he supposed to have one or more a day of that kind of diaper?

Relax! Each baby is different. Some babies have one or more bowel movements a day, some have them every couple of days, and some even go one week before having one (there have been cases of infants waiting two weeks; however, they are not the norm).

Their schedule depends on their body and on whether they are breastfed or nourished on formula.

There is a plethora of information on the web regarding bowel movements in infants. Most of them are in agreement that the one time you should really worry is if either the baby is not feeding, always cranky, or his abdomen feels hard to the touch. Other than that, you should not be concerned.

According to Alan Greene, MD, FAAP, if the baby is breastfed, it is ok for bowel movements to happen once a week (http://www.parents.com/baby/diapers/dirty/baby-bowel-movement-frequency/). Since bowel movements are nothing more than the body's way to get rid of extra unused substances, and since breast milk "is absorbed and there is little left to move along," it is normal for the baby's system to clear itself out so infrequently (http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/diapering-a-baby-9/baby-constipation article reviewed by John M Goldenring, MD, JD, MPH).

If the child drinks formula, then you should expect a bowel movement every day or every two days (http://www.babycareadvice.com/babycare/microsites/infant_constipation/infant_constipation.old.htm).

In the norm is also the infant who produces several bowel movements a day. Many babies have theirs right after they are done feeding (either breast milk or formula). Others are on a different schedule.

As the baby gets older and you start introducing transition foods and solids, he will start having more "regular" bowel movements (http://www.newbornbabyzone.com/health-safety/know-the-frequency-of-infant-bowel-movements-in-breast-fed-infants-and-formula-fed-infants/).

What is most important for you to take notice of are the following two items:

1. the number of wet diapers (the baby should have at least 5 or 6 a day - this means he is getting enough food in his system) - http://www.babycenter.com/404_how-many-bowel-movements-should-a-newborn-have-in-one-day_10014.bc
2. the stools, when he does have a bowel movement, are soft (this is a sign that there in no constipation going on) - http://www.babycareadvice.com/babycare/microsites/infant_constipation/infant_constipation.old.htm

As a new parent, there are several things you will worry about; however, the number of bowel movements your baby has in a day, should not be one of them.
Do keep an eye on his overall well being... If he seems uncomfortable, straining too much when having a bowel movement, having a swollen abdomen, being really cranky, not having enough wet diapers, producing stools that are hard (and he is still on breast milk or formula), then, contact your pediatrician.