|
|
|
|
|
|
Bowel Movements and UrinationYour baby's first bowel movements are made up of a black, tarry substance called meconium. You can wipe the meconium from your baby's skin with warm water and baby lotion or oil. In breastfed babies, meconium slowly changes to a loose stool that is mustard-colored. Breastfed babies usually have three or more bowel movements a day. The stools will not have an unpleasant smell. In bottle-fed babies, stools are more formed and vary from soft to pasty, and from yellow-green to yellow-brown in color. They have an unpleasant odor. Bottle-fed babies usually have one to four bowel movements a day. Dry or hard stools mean that your baby needs more fluids. Your baby will urinate within the first 24 hours following birth. Even if she hasn't taken in any fluids, she will lose some of the fluids that collected in her tissues during her life in the womb. A baby who is getting enough fluids will have about six to eight wet/dirty diapers a day. The urine should be clear or pale yellow. Most recent page update: 9/9/2010
© 2013 Childbirth Connection. All rights reserved.
Childbirth Connection is a national not-for-profit organization founded in 1918 as Maternity Center Association. Our mission is to improve the quality and value of maternity care through consumer engagement and health system transformation. Childbirth Connection promotes safe, effective and satisfying evidence-based maternity care and is a voice for the needs and interests of childbearing families. |
News and Features
Listening to MothersSM III: New Mothers Speak Out (June 2013) reports on new national surveys about issues women face in the postpartum period and their views about maternity care.
Access the full report and supplementary materials  Listening to MothersSM III (May 2013) is the third national survey exploring women's experiences in pregnancy and childbirth. Commissioned by Childbirth Connection, conducted by Harris Interactive, and funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the survey polled 2,400 women who gave birth in U.S. hospitals from 2011 to 2012. Results show that medically intensive experiences are typical, and evidence-based practices are underutilized. Childbearing women need better support and knowledge to navigate their maternity care. Access the full report and supplementary materials New Report: Maternity Care and Liability Go to report and supporting materials New Report: The Cost of Having a Baby in the United States Go to report and supporting materials New Cesarean Resources: Go to Best Evidence Report Go to web pages and booklet for women 
For 95 years, Childbirth Connection has been dedicated to improving the
quality and value of maternity care for all women and their families. Learn
more about our rich history through our interactive
timeline and give
$95 for 95 in honor of
our 95th birthday. 
Childbirth Connection works to ensure that all women and babies get the best
possible maternity care. We have the collective vision and we know how to get
there, but we can't do it alone. Join the transformation
today.
The Transforming
Maternity Care website focuses on maternity care
system improvements designed to engage diverse stakeholders in quality
improvement efforts. The site offers full access to the landmark reports 2020 Vision and
Blueprint for
Action, features a Blog, and other
resources such as an Action Center, a
database of
quality improvement projects, an interactive data
center, and many more tools
for advocates and stakeholders.
Help Transform Maternity Care! |
