The Color of Baby Poop: What Does It Mean?
- By Linda Palmer
- August 4, 2016
- 53 Comments
Yes, you should pay attention to what shows up in baby’s diaper. Except upon the introduction of formula or solid foods, any variance in the color of baby’s stools indicates that something’s off—from a slight irritation to a dangerous disorder.
The most common color variance is green—from a brilliant lime green to a dark forest green, with various meanings. Other stool colors can arouse concerns from a bile duct obstruction to malabsorption; from an intestinal obstruction to bleeding high in the digestive tract or bleeding in the lower bowels. From yellow to silver to pink, the color tells a large part of the story of your baby’s health status.
Green Poop
Are You Seeing Green?
When bile (which gives stool its color) comes out green, it’s because the stool has been rushed through baby’s digestive system for some reason and has not hung around long enough for the bile to be broken down.
The most common cause of green stools is food intolerance, to components in formula, to foods in breastfeeding mother’s diet, or to cow milk proteins or other foods in the solid food diet.
| colored icing, candy, or gelatin dessert | spirulina, spinach, or kiwi | grape Pedialyte |
| excess bilirubin associated with jaundice | foremilk/hindmilk imbalance | tongue-tie |
| artificial DHA/ARA ingredient in formula | reaction to formula | iron supplements |
| bile from food intolerance reaction | iron from formula | a common cold |
| inflammatory bowel disease | bile from intestinal virus | teething |
Mustard Yellow Poop
Exclusively breastfed baby, high B vitamins, Giardia infection, malabsorption disorder, Gilbert’s syndrome
Mustard yellow is the normal and healthy color of poop for a child who receives nothing but breastmilk. Once a bottle of formula or any kind of food is given, more mature flora development occurs, browning the stool and decreasing the protectiveness of the breastfed gut.
In a baby whose stool is normally tan or brown, if newly yellow poop attends a very sick baby, who displays fever and vomiting, the protozoan, Giardia, could be the unfortunate cause. Yellow stool can represent a malabsorption disorder, such as celiac disease. In such case, unabsorbed fats may be seen in the stool, adding a light yellow coloration.
Other possibilities include gastro-esophageal reflux, gallbladder disorders, liver disorders, and inflammation of the pancreas. Although intestinal infections often bring green poop, they can sometimes bring yellow.
Gilbert’s syndrome is a little known genetic quirk that actually affects 3 to 7% of Americans, causing occasional bouts of non-harmful jaundice and yellow stools.
Port Wine Purple Poop
Porphyria
A set of very rare disorders involves missing enzymes in the formation of heme, a part of blood hemoglobin. Intermediates to the heme formation process, known as porphyrins, build up and are excreted in the urine and stools. The disorders are known as porphyrias. A child suffering from a porphyria will have occasional or frequent wine purple stools as well as urine. The color comes out more intensely after being exposed to light for some time, with the shade of red to purple depending upon the wavelength of the light, and looks quite different in room light than in sunlight.
These children will be sensitive to sunlight themselves and will need to stay out of the sun.
Violet Poop
Grapes, bananas, artificial colorings, gentian violet treatment
Some anecdotal reports tell of purplish poo when a baby starts eating bananas. I have no idea why, but then I haven’t figured out the more common little black threads from bananas either.
Of course, concord grapes, grape juice, purple potatoes, or artificial colorings can cause purple poop.
Some mothers use gentian violet on their nipples or inside baby’s mouth to treat thrush. This incredibly deep violet dye is reported to not come out purple in the stool, yet I personally witnessed some quite violet poop in a young child treated for worms with this dye. Likely the higher dose did the trick.
Black Poop
Bananas, red Pedialyte, Oreo cookies, berries, prunes, black candy, deglycerized licorice (DGL), pencils, ashes, charcoal, lead shot, lead fishing sinkers, lead solder, Colic Calm, Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate, iron supplements, high iron formula, excess Gummy supplements with iron, excess iron-fortified cereal
Digested blood from blood pudding, blood sausages, raw meat, bloody nose, throat tear, severe reflux, drug damage, ulcer
Little short black threads come from a fresh banana fed to an immature digestive system.
Once the simpler possibilities are ruled out, black may mean digested blood, and this could be serious.
Iron supplements cause a green-black. Digested blood would have no green to it at all.
If you know your baby to have severe reflux, the finding of black in her poop can mean that the acid has burned her esophagus to the point of bleeding. Occasionally, a young child is diagnosed with bleeding ulcers or gastritis.
Silver Poop
Sulfonamide antibiotics, intestinal bleeding with obstruction
Poop that is silver or aluminum in color occurs when a bile obstruction is coupled with the presence of digested blood. Typically, digested blood turns brown stools into black, but it turns white stools into silver.
Silver stools can also occur in a child being treated for diarrhea with sulfonamide antibiotics.
If not a result of medication, silver stools need quick medical attention.
Pinky Red Poop
Beets, old laxatives
An attractive pinky red can come from beets and some other foods.
Pinky red can also come from an old package of laxatives, such as Ex-Lax. Newer laxative versions do not contain the pink ingredient phenolphthalein.
Orange Poop
Large dose of carrots, sweet potatoes, paprika, antacids, Rifampicin antibiotic, FAKE TUNA, malabsorption
The oil in the greasy poop of malabsorption often looks orange.
Consumption of escolar fish can also make poop orange. Although escolar is not a commonly chosen meal for young children, tuna is. Today, a large portion of white tuna sold is fake—it’s actually escolar. Escolar fish irritates the intestines and causes an unusual, waxy diarrhea that represents the release of an indigestible fat from the fish. Oilfish is another species that can cause this.
Salmon- or brick-colored dusty stuff toward the front of the diaper isn’t orange poo; rather, it’s pee that’s high in uric acid crystals. This is a common finding in newborns in the first week. If found more than once or twice, you will want to make sure your new baby is receiving ample milk. If found in an older baby, it may be a sign of dehydration from diarrhea or of some other problem.
Brown Poop
Normal formula-fed poop. Breastfed receiving any formula, iron, food supplements, or antibiotics
Tan to brown is the normal color for a baby who receives any formula or solid foods.
If your mustard yellow-pooping exclusively breastfed baby begins developing tan or brown stools, the most likely explanation is that someone is sneaking him some formula, iron supplements, prune juice, or other solid foods. Any of these will contain free iron that feeds more adult-type bacteria, (such as enterococci, clostridia, streptococci, and E. coli), which then largely overtake the highly protective lactobacilli and bifidobacteria of the wholly breastfed gut.
Antibiotic use may also alter the flora by destroying beneficial flora, thus allowing more challenging bacteria to take hold and turn the poop brown. Once breastfed poops have gone brown from any of these causes, they may never go yellow again.
Some exclusively breastfed babies just make browner poop from the beginning. They may have been cesarean born, may have had formula bottles in the hospital, or may have been prevented from breastfeeding for some hours after birth by being given sugar water.
Dark Green Poop
First poop (meconium), iron supplements, iron fortified cereal, high iron formula
Deep green meconium is normal poop for a newborn’s first few days. This nearly-odorless thick sticky muck is a mix of concentrated amniotic fluid, bile, mucus, hair, and dead cells.
When iron supplements or baby’s formula are providing more iron than the child needs, the excess iron will turn stools dark green to nearly black (and hard).
Red Poop
Tomato, red Jell-O, Fire Cheetos, antibiotic colorings. Bleeding from antibiotic use, milk intolerance, tears from constipation, infection, intussusception
Some antibiotics, such as cefdinir, sometimes produce a red color in the stools, but any antibiotic drug usage can also lead to true intestinal bleeding.
Traces of intestinal bleeding are seen occasionally due to reactions to ingredients in formula, to cow milk or other problematic foods in breastfeeding mother’s diet, or to the feeding of straight cow milk to babies under the age of one year.
Bloody diarrhea can result from an infection and needs medical observation. Fresh bloody streaks along the stool or in the diaper can be from tiny tears along and just inside the anus, from the large size, the roughness, or the excess pushing of hard stools.
Poop that looks raspberry colored, like red currant jelly, with gel-like blood and mucus, represents a kind of intestinal blockage known as intussusception. This needs urgent medical attention. Don’t wait for a doctor to call you back.
Maroon Poop
Bleeding in middle intestines
This deep red color—between blood red and perfect black—occurs when bleeding comes from somewhere in the middle of the intestines, such that the blood is only partly digested. Treat seriously, as with any blood in the stool.
Technicolor Poop
Artificial food colorings, beets, dark berries, high doses of carrots, turmeric, eating crayons
Baby—or possibly breastfeeding mom—has consumed a quantity of artificial food coloring in gelatin desserts, artificial juice drinks (including Pedialyte), colorful candies, or decorative icings. As certain elements of the coloring may break down more than others, sometimes the end color result of a food coloring is not the same as it was when it went in.
Natural food pigments may sometimes be less broken down by infant intestines than by adult digestive systems. Beets may be the most intense stool and urine coloring food. Orange pigments can remain in poop from high doses of carrots, and dark berries can provide some nice blue or black hues. Curcumin (turmeric) supplements or curry spice can bring beautiful shades of yellow orange to urine and stools.
Other colorful, and often chunky, appearances occur in baby’s poop when solid foods are simply coming out much the same way they went in. Pieces of tomato can mimic blood and could be probed a bit to distinguish between the two. Partial and whole corn kernels are quite common after a meal with this grain, even in adults.
Gray to White Poop
Worms, paper, pus, mucus, calcium or aluminum-containing antacids, calcium supplements, barium enema, cholera, bile duct blockage, Tylenol reaction
Little white wiggly threads in baby’s poop are worms. Little pieces of solid white things comes from baby chewing on the store tags or book pages. Little plops of white pus-like material alongside the stool could be from an intestinal infection although it’s probably just mucus. Many anecdotal reports tell about white poop occurring when a child is drinking lots of cow milk.
A serious illness in the developing world, cholera, creates highly watery poops that contain little bits of white matter.
Beyond these possibilities, stool that is truly approaching white—sometimes referred to as clay colored or chalky—may denote that something is blocking the bile duct and preventing bile from entering the small intestine. Unless a child is in great distress, it’s not considered to be an emergency room situation but it does warrant a call during office hours.
A rare but serious disruption in liver function leading to pale stools and jaundice can result from use of acetaminophen (Tylenol).
Pale Yellow Poop
Pancreatic problems, malabsorption, bile duct blockage
Pale yellow stools can represent pancreatic problems.
Unabsorbed fats from malabsorption of nutrients, such as in celiac disease, may create yellow coloration.
Mostly pale yellow stools represent the same concerns as for gray to white poop, a bile duct blockage. Unless the child is vomiting or in serious distress, one can wait until business hours to call the doctor.
What is POOP? Poop
What is Poop?
POOP is mostly water. The rest is bacteria, that help to make it stinky but help to make you healthy; dead cells from the linings of your intestines; and fiber and some other leftovers from the food you eat;.
I bet you thought that bacteria and food waste make your poop brown. Nope! The colorful nutrients are absorbed to be used in the body, and the bacteria are white. Did you know your POOP would be grayish-WHITE without the addition of a digestive juice called bile?
How many different words for POOP can you think of?
For the whole story, pick up a copy of “Baby Poop” — wherever fine books are sold.
Ok my 6 month old has purple and blue stool..a couple of days in a row. What does it mean? Anybody know?
Bananas seem to turn the stool purplish
Yup. Isn’t that strange? Other times bananas make tiny black strings in the poop that look like they could be baby worms.
Hi linda my baby is 9 months old and from last week she is pooping in different light pale colour shade like light gray pale yellow even pure white her daily diet is 20 oz formula, banana apple oats rice. She has no other symptoms any idea what cause of pale colour stool thanks
Gosh Elena, this never arrived to my Inbox. I just found it. It’s been quite some time now. I’m very sorry. It sounded like a gallbladder blockage. How is your baby doing now?
Are you sure? Because my little girl just started having these like dark like purpleish colored stools, and she’s been through the whole food allergy trial and nothing, now all the sudden out of nowhere here comes these purpleish colored poops. Can anyone help me??
You can click on “violet,” above, for some ideas. The good news is that it’s likely nothing that is challenging baby’s health. The coloring is likely coming from something in her diet, or possibly something strongly colored in breastfeeding mom’s diet. Pedialyte may color stools. Eating berries? Play doh? Grandma may be sneaking in some colorful candies, popsicle, grape soda, or icing. There’s a possibility that she’s found something colorful and non-color-fast to suck on. There were problems for a while with children thinking laundry pods were candy but I believe their sale has been discontinued. Happy Parenting — Linda Palmer
My baby is 7 months old
There was dark blue powder or fine crystals in her poop evenly distributed
What does it mean??
There is no actual physiology (like bleeding, jaundice, etc.) to cause blue color. Some parents describe little purple threads after eating first bananas. This doesn’t sound like what you are describing though. My first guess would be that she’s been sucking on someone’s eye shadow. There is a bright blue pigment seen after a treatment for heavy metal poisoning. I would think you’d know, however, if baby were receiving that “Prussian blue” treatment, or colloidal silver treatment.
WUT!!! WOAH
Hi my baby is almost 7 months old and was pooping a green colour. He was also throwing up. Now his poop his a whitish clear colour. Can anyone assist?
Green poop means what
My 4 month old daughter keep having pale yellow bowel movement clay texture I have called the go who has referred me to pediatrics but it’s a wait for the appointments she’s had another should I be concerned she’s fine in herself but who should o contact to get her seen to I don’t no what to do should I just wait and call the doctor’s again?
From yellow poop to green stools
What does that mean
Click on the green band up above, where all the colors are listed.
Hi… My son now 7 the month running now I’m giving formult milk … 3 times he did toilet that colour was pale yellow colour… Now what to do……
Hi. Chances are your son is perfectly healthy but it may be a good idea to run this by his doctor. Pale yellow poop could represent a pancreas problem, a blocked bile duct, or fatty stools from a malabsorption problem such as celiac disease. These are all treatable but better caught sooner.
My 2 month old baby’s poop is a dark green chalky pasty color. We switched her formula 5 days ago, is this too much iron? She did also have today a bit of yellow seedy poop right after the dark green came out. She does have silent reflux.
If the formula is her only food, it’d be unusual to have the yellow after the green, if the formula were causing the green. I’m suspecting that was a transient adjustment period and things are going to be more yellow. Let me know if the green comes back.
Hi, my 4 month old has been having metallic looking chunks in her poop for the past few days. She isn’t on any medication and her diet has not been changed at all. Is this a serious cause for concern?
According to text books, poop that is silver or aluminum in color occurs when a bile obstruction is coupled with the presence of digested blood. Typically, digested blood turns brown stools into black, but it turns white stools (from obstruction) into silver. I would expect most of the stool to be very light in color, though, if obstruction were the case, unless these chunks remained from an obstruction that has cleared. That’s just conjecture though.
I would do a hunt around the home and any daycare, and quiz family members, to see whether she has found something metallic-looking to chew on. This is my best guess. Something in her jar of babyfood? (Do you have another jar of the same?) If nothing is found, she should probably be seen by a doctor very soon.
[…] The Color of Baby Poop: What Does It Mean? –. – Yes, you should pay attention to what shows up in baby’s diaper. Except upon the introduction of formula or solid foods, any variance in the color of baby’s stools indicates that something’s off—from a slight irritation to a dangerous disorder. […]
My baby poop light bluish grey poop what it means
First look to any medications your baby is on, including antacids. Otherwise, if there is truly a whitish grayness (even bluish) to the poop, there’s a possibility of a bile duct blockage in the liver. It’s not an immediate emergency situation but definitely something that needs to be brought to the doctor very soon, to find out whether this is the case. Doctors typically don’t like to see babies’ poop brought to them but this is the only evidence you have. I would do it, unless your baby is turning yellow (then they do not need to see the poop). If it’s truly a bile duct blockage, the whites of your baby’s eyes should begin looking yellow, as well as parts of his upper body.
My 11 month baby boy has dark green potty..is it normal or any health issue.plz tell me in detail .i m giving him cerellac 2 times in a day
If your baby has become fussy or colicky, or has developed rashes, along with the green stool, you might want to consider whether he is reacting negatively to any food. The Cerelac has milk, rice, and corn (maltodextrin), so it could be suspect. Most likely, however, the dark green is coming from the iron supplement in the cereal. If lots of iron is showing up in the stool, that means it’s not all being absorbed; suggesting that it’s more than baby needs. Is he also getting high-iron formula or iron supplements? Excess iron is not a great health concern but it IS oxidizing. Usually we like antioxidants for best health. Vitamin C is a harmless and useful antioxidant that you could consider adding to his diet. It helps iron absorption as well.
I noticed my 7 month old girl’s poop sometimes appear ash in color. Not all the time but once in a week. what can be the cause?
By ash, I assume you mean dull gray, and not black. Black is blood. Your daughter could be experiencing some transient pressure on her bile duct. The bile brings color to the stool. Pressure on the bile duct can occur in the liver, pancreas, or small intestine. Since it comes and goes, it could very well be something simple like a swelling lymph node; possibly in response to some food reaction or other kind of allergy. Look for any yellowness in her eyes or skin. This would confirm some increasing blockage of the bile duct and suggest a need for some blood tests and maybe an ultrasound or other study.
my one month baby has not poo for a day,he is mixing breast feeding and formula feeding.his poop is clay and silver in colour and sticky mustard yellow with white things..his is on medicine of bonnisan
It’s very, very common for babies not to poop for several days. Some may go 10 or more days on a regular basis and grow up to be healthy and fine. There IS a difference between “common” and ultimately normal health. There are some things I could mention, if it’s been maybe 3 days or more, but the one day shouldn’t be a concern. Let baby tell you if he’s feeling well or not, through his behavior. That herbal remedy sounds fine. I AM a little bit concerned about the silver color. If you see it again, in any volume, as opposed to little flecks, it’d be best to talk to the baby’s doctor about it. There could be a little inflammation around the gallbladder area.
Hi, my baby has been on solids for a month now and today she had a late amount of dark green poop following a small amount of her usual warm brown stool. The poop was very mushy and looked powdery at the top. She’s breastfed and had only eaten cooked pears, pumpkin, carrot, potato and Bellamys Organic baby cereal with Apple and cinnamon. The cereal was eaten for breakfast and is a new flavour to her today. The potato and carrot was for dinner but the poop hastened right after dinner so I doubt it could be this as it is too soon. I give her water mixed with her cereal and not milk. She has reduced absorption also and lactose intolerant. Is this normal?
It’s incredibly rare for a baby to have true lactose intolerance, other than a temporary case after diarrhea. A baby that responds negatively to cow or goat milk is reacting to the milk proteins. Are you sure there are no milk products (whey, casein, yogurt…) in the cereal product? Is this cereal grain pretty new to baby? i.e. wheat, rice, corn… It can take a few exposures before one reacts, if reactive. It could also be a coincidental little GI virus. You’re doing just the right thing to watch and keep track of how baby reacts to what, when. It’ll take you some time and observation to figure this one out but she’s a lucky girl to have an observant and aware mom.
My 5 week old little boys poo has turned a pale yellow (from a mustard yellow). He began Lansoprazole 48hrs ago-could this be the reason for the change? Many thanks
Yup, most likely that’s it. The antibiotic changes the flora balance. You might want to take probiotics, if you are nursing, to boost the amount in your milk; boosting the probiotics available to baby’s gut. This can help speed the recovery of his gut flora.
My little one has been weaning for almost 2 months now, the past week most but not all of his stool has been darkish green but almost coated in a very very dark green, almost black colour. His stool has been firm and it seems he has been struggling to poo most days this week. Should I be concerned about the dark colour coating of his stool? He drinks normal formula around 4 times a day on top of a varied diet.
This dark green/black sounds like iron. It sounds as though your little one is receiving one, or probably more, of the following: high iron formula, iron-fortified cereal, spinach or other dark greens, iron supplements. Pepto-Bismol, prunes, bleeding mother’s nipples, or rare meat can add to the blackness. When iron gives much color to the stool, it means that it’s not being absorbed and, thus, the body does not need it. Try reducing baby’s iron intake and his stools should soften up soon. Stooling will always be firmer than breastfed stools. If baby continues to struggle, try increasing the fiber (fruits and vegetables) in his diet, of try a baby magnesium supplement.
My 10 month old is still breastfeeding 4 times a day as well as getting solids in the morning and afternoon.
3 nights ago he vomited and had some diarrhea, but no other symptoms, and he was totally fine by the next afternoon. Normal poop, no fever, no lethargy, big appetite, etc.
This morning, after nursing (no solids yet), he pooped, and it was pretty mushy and very pale yellow.
Is this a cause for concern? He is not on any medications, has no health problems, and isn’t acting irritable or anything.
My 2 and half month son was pooping extremely dark green and now for the last week or 2 it’s becoming more of a charcoal gray with white and yellow little speckle chunks. I am worried it now may be his liver or blocked bile duct. We have an appt tomorrow with the Dr. I also had cholastasis of pregnancy so I’m worried some how he is suffering for effects of my disorder. Does anyone know what could be the cause or what treatments we could be looking at?
Let us know how it goes. Your little sweetheart is lucky to have a very observant mom.
Hi my babies are twins and they are both pooping in strange colors they may not seem real but it is rainbow and glittery pink poop the pink is like a magenta kind of pink. They both consern me.
Hi. Are your babies eating anything besides mommy milk or formula? Sounds like food coloring from birthday cake. Beets and berries? Crayons? There’s a mostly harmless genetic condition that causes occasional pinky purple pee and or poops. In this condition, called Porphyria, the color will become brighter when exposed to light for a while.
I was reading on the white poop and pale poop. It says it’s not a emergency…. if your child is experiencing poop this color specially at only a few weeks old, take them to Dr ASAP and ask for blood test to test their liver panel. Biliary Atresia is a rare Form of pediatric liver disease. It affects 15,000-20,000 babies a year and requires a liver transplant due to bile ducts being blocked or not formed completely and the child is experiencing liver failure. One main sign the liver is in trouble is pale/white poop followed by jaundice. I know this cause I just experienced this with my daughter who was transplanted just in February of 2020. Any liver mom will tell you to always check the poop for the color. We live our lives doing that. Maybe that warning should be added into the poop chart. Just sayin….
Hi Alocia my baby 9 months old and she pooping from last week pale yellow light grey and white shade.but she has no other symptoms totally healthy.does your baby had any other symptoms besides pale stool thanks
My babies is 7 weeks old and on comfort formula and has green poos every day. Is this normal or is the formula to much iron in it for him? Should I try move hi back to normal formula. Some times he seems in pain during the day when he is trying to go
If there was a formula that your baby was doing well on, definitely go back to it. The green from excess iron is dark; nearly black. If baby’s stools are hard, it can be from excess iron. If baby is in pain when pooping, this suggests his stools are a bit too hard for him. Are they? Food intolerance can cause intestinal discomfort and green stools. Green from intolerance to of a food ingredient is generally a brighter color. Baby could be intolerant to cow milk proteins and be in need of a highly hydrolyzed formula, an amino acid formula, or possibly a soy formula. Typically, a food intolerant baby will have rashes or colic as well, adding to the suspicion of intolerance. The ingredient used to add omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and ARA, causes irritation to some babies. The good news is that many babies have green stools for many months and still gain weight right on schedule, and do well. Go by baby’s comfort level.
My 2 month old baby has some dark grey stool, with lot of dark green stool and yellow seedy stool. She is breastfed+formula+iron supplements
This sounds about right for this mixed diet. The dark grey will represent the stools formed during iron supplementation, the green from formula with iron, and the yellow after giving breastmilk.
My son is 5 weeks old and exclusively formula-fed. He was on Similac pro advanced, and seemed constipated and gassy. He went from having normal BMs (brown, mushy) to one hard piece at a time. We switched to Enfamil gentlease and he’s still extremely gassy and fussy, but his BMs are often sticky dark green, and right after will keep coming out as a light brown, then a seedy yellow, one after another in the same diaper change. Any thoughts? Should I switch to a hypoallergenic formula like Alimentum?
My baby’s 7 months old has about 3 4 bubbas a day eats two pouches of fruit or dinner puree or cereal in the morning and her poos are quite messy but different formed then when she was younger quite stinky and brown thicker poop but still mushy and sometimes green I donno I’m a new mom but she has 3 to 4 poops a day some small some larger I do give her water she just plays with it but does get some she hasn’t spit out… just worried new mom or what
As solid foods are brought into baby’s diet, the stool color will gradually become browner, and the consistency will get thicker. 3 or 4 poops a day is a good pooper. Occasional green is common. If it’s more often, and especially if it’s combined with extra fussiness or with rashes, then it’s time to look for any food intolerances. Congratulations on being a new mom!
My little girl is 6 months old and exclusively breast fed. Around 4 months she started only passing stools every 2 weeks and in pain when she did, the poo was brown and creamy. I gave up milk products about 3 weeks ago and initially this seemed to have a good effect, she was passing small amounts every few days. Yesterday she was in pain for an hour trying to pass stools and when it came it was yellow, dry and more packed together. Have I made things worse by giving up milk?
It’s very common (common, but not ideal) for a breastfed baby to have infrequent stools. I’ve heard of 14 days, but I think not longer than that. It makes sense for it to be uncomfortable to pass 2 weeks worth of stuff. If the stool is hard, in a breastfed baby, then it’s more of a concern. It sounds as though she may have been exposed to antibiotics or iron supplements around 4 months? Maybe not. Anyway, it was a good idea to try giving up milk products. She may be catching-up on her stooling now, passing some that was waiting around/staying behind. Feel all around in her abdomen, deeply, for any hard spots. One can have a constipated portion where hard stool sits and then looser stool keeps slipping by, so parents assume there’s daily stooling, while there is a point of concern higher up. It sounds as though this may have been the case, and now it’s resolved. The next days will be telling.
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