Postpartum Tips

Postpartum Tips

Wait, is it Normal if My Breastfed Newborn Goes a Few Days Without Pooping?

YES, it is completely normal! Newborn poop can be a mystery as it changes. It is hard to wrap your mind around your baby not pooping anywhere from 4-8 times a day, especially when you feel like all you do is change diapers in those first few days and weeks.  Some newborns poop with every feed, while others only go a couple times a day.  Every baby is different.  Again, it is completely normal for your baby, who has been pooping several times a day to move to only go a few times a week.

WHY does that happen and WHERE does that poop go?

Great questions. “Newborn babies often poop after every feeding, about 6 times per day.  In the first few weeks after delivery your baby’s intestines are maturing and becoming more efficient at extracting nutrition from breast milk or formula.  As their intestines get better at digesting food, the time between bowel movements gets longer and longer.  Before you know it you have a two-month-old that is going several days without dirtying their diaper. If your baby has blood in his or her stool, persistent crying, fever, or isn’t feeding normally, you need to seek medical care. ”

How Long Can A Baby Go Without Pooping?

Diaper output is one way to help parents feel assured that your baby is having his or her needs met since we can’t measure how much breast milk they are getting from your breasts. Your newborns first poop is called meconium, the dark green or black tar like substance for the first few days after delivery.  This slowly transitions as your milk comes in and turns into a mustard seed like runny consistence but can vary from brown to yellow green, this too is NORMAL.

Charts and Visual




Days 1-3
First 6 weeks                       
BreastfedNewborn will pass meconium by 24-48 hours after birth. It will change to a green-yellow color by day 4.Runny, yellow stool. Expect at least 3 bowel movements per day, but may be up to 4-12 for some babies. After this, baby may only poop every few days. 
Formula-fedNewborn will pass meconium by 24-48 hours after birth. It will change to a green-yellow color by day 4.Light brown or greenish stool. Expect at least 1-4 bowel movements per day. After the first month, baby may only pass stool every other day. 
How Often Do Breastfed and Formula-Fed Newborn Babies Poop?

Always chat with your pediatrician or health care provider if you have concerns or something seems out of the ordinary with your newborns bowel movements.  If your baby is pooping only once a day in the first few weeks, this can be a sign that they are not getting enough to eat. Unless your health care provider suggests, do NOT give your baby water or juice if you think they are constipated.

There can be a variety of changes in your babies poop based on what you, as their parent are eating, if you are introducing formula, solids or if they are having a sensitivity or allergy to any of the above.  Rest assured, know that your breast milk provides everything your baby needs, so nothing goes to waste! If you would like even more helpful hints to read about, check out my blog page at https://www.yourfamilysjourney.com/doula-blog/

Dear Mom and Dad: a reassuring love letter from baby

I am finally here. You have waited 10 long months to meet me. Here is my love letter to you:

Parenting is HARD.  We know becoming a parent can be SCARY and OVERWHELMING yet JOYOUS and EXCITING all at the same time.  We don’t come with a book of instructions or a HOW TO manual.  Some days you take 3 steps forward and then 12 backwards. Just when you think you figure us out, we change things up for you. We too, are learning. 

We cry because we can. Sometimes we burp, lots of times we fart.  Peeing on you when you put a fresh diaper on us, is a game we LOVE to play. We love to sleep during the day and keep you up all night. Wrapped in your arms or laying on your chest makes us feel safe and secure. Smelling your skin, hearing your heart beat and listening to your voice calms us down.  Cuddle us lots, that is our favorite.

We know we can be confusing at times.  It is hard when you don’t have all the answers and some days you just wing it. You are exhausted and your hormones are making you feel weird all over. Be patient with us and just continue to love us unconditionally.

What ME, your baby, want you to know. In no particular order:

  • FIRST, you are doing a great job!
  • SECOND, it is ok to doubt yourself and mess up, you are not expected to have all the answers, no one does
  • THIRD, set boundaries with family and friends & don’t be afraid to say “NO”
  • FOURTH, don’t compare yourself to any other parents or me to any other kids, I am one of a kind
  • FIFTH, if one trick doesn’t work, try another one. I am not a one size fits all baby
  • SIXTH, take a nap when you can, sleep is hard to come by at first
  • SEVEN, Don’t be afraid to ASK for help. You are not alone
  • EIGHT, don’t forget to take care of you, YOU are important and I NEED you to be OK!
  • NINE, don’t google stuff, EVER
  • TEN, I LOVE YOU

Teamwork makes the dream work! Ask for help when you need it, hire Colleen (https://www.yourfamilysjourney.com).  We can all use some TLC sometimes, so take care of yourself.  YOU are enough! Remember, we don’t need everything, all the BIG fancy gear, we just need your love and attention.  Together WE GOT THIS!

Love, your sweet baby. 

Skin to skin contact: fun facts for parents and baby

Starting immediately after delivery, if your baby is healthy, parents can provide skin to skin contact. If your baby is born premature and taken to the NICU, the staff will allow you to place your baby on your bare chest when he or she is able. Being home during this pandemic has allowed me time to do a lot of online learning, take courses and deepen my understanding on a lot of topics. I love learning things that will make me a better professional and help the families I support.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends daily skin to skin sessions throughout the baby’s first 3 months. To receive ALL the important benefits, mom and baby need to stay skin-to-skin for 60 uninterrupted minutes.

The numerous benefits have been greatly researched and reported on throughout the years. Do you know where “kangaroo care” or “kangaroo mother care” originated from? “Skin-to-skin contact for the littlest of babies started in 1979, when neotatologists Edgar Rey and Hector Martinez, in Bogotá, Colombia, found themselves without enough incubators to care for all the premature babies in their hospital. Instead, they put the tiny babies on their mothers’ bodies and wrapped them in cloth carriers to keep them warm. The babies thrived, and the doctors named their technique, which also included breastfeeding and early discharge, the Kangaroo Mother Method.” (https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/kangaroo-mother-care)

Benefits for baby

-regulates baby’s heart rate and breathing

-keeps baby’s temperature stable

-stabilizes blood sugar

-stimulates the vagus nerve to aid in digestion

-helps babies cry less and deal with pain

-moves mother’s bacteria on to baby=more resistance to infection

-helps initiate breastfeeding

-aids sleep cycles (babies fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer)

Benefits for mothers

-increased milk production by stimulating prolactin

-lowers moms risk of postpartum mood disorders

-creates a strong connection between mom and baby with the release of oxytocin

-faster recovery from vaginal or cesearan delivery

-reduction in the release of stress hormones

For partners, they already know your voice, so your chest is the next best spot for them to get to know you better, feel and smell your skin and feel safe and secure. Kangaroo care can be beneficial for creating connections with adoptive parents, siblings, grandparents, friends or whoever you feel comfortable with snuggling your baby.

I was also reminded that kangaroo care is FREE, sets the stage for brain development, there are no side effects and it is readily accessible for anyone to partake in. Kangaroo can be beneficial for creating connections with birth parents, adoptive parents, siblings, grandparents, etc.Moms, dads, partners, siblings, grandparents, friends, whoever you feel comfortable with snuggling your baby.

The benefits of skin to skin are powerful for all involved. Since there is no specific age range to stop, snuggle away and enjoy the benefits. For more helpful information, facts and support check out www.yourfamilysjourney.com

I Feel Fine, Do I Really Need to go to My 6 Week Postpartum Visit?

YES, yes you should. Even if you feel like everything is going well and you are feeling great, please schedule your 2, 4 or 6 week postpartum visit.  WHY? It is important to have a physical and mental check up with your medical professional.  He/She can reassure you that you are doing ok, assess any complications from delivery or immediate postpartum period, see how you are coping with parenthood, if you are healing properly and it is a great time to discuss birth control options.  PLUS it is SELF-CARE! [Read more…] about I Feel Fine, Do I Really Need to go to My 6 Week Postpartum Visit?

12 Days of Postpartum Care

12 Days of Postpartum Support and Education 

 

for the Holidays

Gift certificates for Postpartum support

 

Looking for the perfect gift for PARENTS-TO-BE this holiday season?

Going from Me to We, means transitions are coming

Look no further

HIRE an in-home MOTHER-BABY-FAMILY RN expert and you will be the TALK of the HOLIDAYS

Feel Free to sing along

 

 

On the first day home from delivery, my After Baby Consultant gave to me:

[Read more…] about 12 Days of Postpartum Care

ABC’s of Postpartum Care

Mom, Baby and Family Postpartum Care

Your After Baby Consultant will help you out with the ABC‘s of Postpartum Care:

 

Postpartum Care

A- Ask for help

B- Breast or Bottle feeding support

C- Contraception (YES, you can get pregnant right away)

D- Doula (Postpartum Support)

E- Expectations (BE REALISTIC) [Read more…] about ABC’s of Postpartum Care

Due to COVID 19, Colleen will be providing virtual and/or in home support.

Feel free to call, text or email her for virtual support in the comfort, safely providing virtual and in-person support based on families needs!