Frequency of Diaper Changes for 4-Week-old

My oldest was a three to six dirty diaper a day baby. My middle one was a six to ten - (he pooped EVERY time he ate . . . I think he needed to make room!). My youngest was a three to ten diaper a day.

(All I can say, is thank goodness for Costco's monster packs of Huggies!)

The number of dirty diapers started decreasing when they started eating solid foods. The two youngest are 17 months and I get between two and five nasty diapers per day . . . depending on what they eat.

I don't know what book you are reading that says a newborn should have 4-5 bowel movements a day... I would say 10 is normal/average! I think the more general rule of thumb is it should be close to the number of feedings the baby has per day.. what goes in must come out. My kids dirtied their diaper with each feeding. Your beautiful little baby sounds perfectly normal to me and if your doctor says she is okay.. then take a deep breath and sigh with relief! It should change once she starts eating other foods - it can sometimes be affected by what you eat too.. especially if she is allergic to something.

Enjoy your baby..they are only young once.

Hi there Kathryn,

Yes, when they are that young, they usually have dirty diapers very frequently. My daughter had a dirty diaper almost every time we changed her for a while. It definitely slows down after solids are introduced. It may even slow a little if you transition to formula only. Right now it should be too much of a concern for you. If you are still uneasy about it, give your pediatrician a call. I'm sure they can reassure you. That's what they are there for. ;)

Good luck to you!

C.
www.EnhanceYourWayOfLife.com

I nurse my son and when he was an infant he had about 10 messy diapers a day. Pretty much every time we changed him he was messy. I think he slowed down when we started introducing solids.

I think 10 dirty diapers a day is about right. About 7 - 10 should be about right - that's what my babies did. I suggest try using a breast pump to get up your own milk production. i found the Medalla Breast Pump - which pumps out of both sides to be a HUGE help in getting up milk production. They are expensive, but the most effective and least painful pump I ever used. I didn't have to use formula with my second child, even though milk production was low, as I did with my first. In fact, my first without pumping I no longer had milk at 6 months, and with pumping, I was able to feed for 1.5 years! A lot of babies can't handle the formula, and most of them don't have the adequate nutrition for proper brain development.

At that age my daughter had a dirty diaper every feeding ~8-10 times a day and then some times in-between. Is your daughter starting to gain weight now? Fussy? Or spitting up alot? If you are worried - look for other signs of discomfort too.

I don't remember when it changed, but my daughter used to go at least once each time I breastfed her. It will get better...

I have to piggyback on someone else's response and suggest you consult a lactation specialist (Evergreen Hospital is excellent) or consult with La Leche League (there is a 24 hour phone line: 877-452-5324 and usually meetings in your area). There are lots of ways to increase your milk supply. The more formula you give, the less breast milk you will produce. Supply vs. demand.

Good luck!

Hi KathrynMarie,

Ten a day doesn't sound out of line to me, though I know it's a lot for the mama. The number of dirty diapers can vary a lot according to the kid. Feedings will get the system moving and cause a newborn to poop--over time, they mature enough to not (necessarily) poop every time they eat. Though my little guy still has up to 4 or 5 dirties a day, even at 14 mos.

I know this wasn't your main question, but I'd like to second the ideas of La Leche or a lactation consultant. Your body can make all the breastmilk your baby needs, though it may need some prodding. Those experts can help you get there if you wish to. Here is the web site for the Oregon LLL, where you can find contact info for specific local chapters: http://www.llloregon.org/ You don't have to go to a meeting--you can always just call and talk to a trained LLL leader to get ideas. Your pediatrician should be able to connect you to a lactation consultant if you'd rather go that route, though unfortunately and ridiculously, those consults often aren't covered by insurance, so LLL is an especially great resource to have available.

Best wishes, and congratulations on your growing family!

Juliet

I think one time I changed 10 dirty ones in about 5 minutes! lol...
I she is just able to digest the formula you have her on much easier than any other formula.
Have you seen a lactation specialist?
might help.

At that age, I think 10 dirty diapers per day is totally normal. Our son had at least that many for the first 2-3 months, and he was fed on exclusively breast milk, so there weren't any allergies involved. Hi pedi said it's completely normal for them to poop every time they eat, and sometimes more.

Congrats! It sounds like you have a healthy baby!

When my 4 yr old was a baby he did the same thing. My doctor finally switched him to Similac Low Iron. He also had a multivitamin daily (liquid). My 10 month old was born and had the same issue. We found out he had a lactose issue. He's on a lactose free MILK based similac formula. I can't remember what it's called - it's in the orange can. Both of them had the exact same issues you're describing.

Hopefully that helps. Feel free to contact me w/ any questions.

L.

My baby had about 10 dirty diapers a day at that age, and was exclusively breast-fed. Every baby is different. A friend of mine had identical twins, both exclusively breast-fed. One of them pooped 10x/day, the other 1x/week. Weird. But they were both normal, just with different little systems.

We also had this trouble, up to 15 dirty, and moved the baby to Gentlease from Enfamil at about 3-4 weeks of age. Now he seems to have 1 or 2 a day, or he will skip a day, then have two really big ones the next day.

Hi KathrynMarie,
If a baby's stomache empties out every 1 1/2 hours it seems natural that the diapers would be soiled up to 12 or more times a day. My babies did nothing but eat, pee, poop and sleep the first three months of their lives. I swear I would just get one out from under my shirt, diapered and it was time to do this all over again. I washed 1-2 loads of baby laundry every other day. Once they hit the 3 month point things became a bit easier. There was a bit of independent play happening and not so much spitting up and melting down.
You are doing an awesome job. You know, some babies do have less bowl movements than others, but with formula and breast milk I am not surprised that you are experiencing more diry diapers. As long as your peditician sees your baby as healthy and triving, don't sweat the small...and smelly stuff.
Have a wonderful time with your girl. There is just nothing like the love for a little one. You are in for the times of you life.
J. S

What are her bowel movements like? Are they solid, mushy, or liquidy? What color are they, and how much is in each diaper? It is not uncommon that a baby will get the urge to stool as they begin to feed, and then as they digest it continues to move the poop thru their system--so they will often poop after feeding as well. As a pediatric nurse, I won't necessarily change a diaper right before a feed unless it's pretty soiled, since I know that the baby will often poop/pee during the feed. Have the poops started to slow down yet in the last few days? I'd say if it's continues to be that frequent--especially if it's liquidy--she should see the doctor again. If your gut is telling you that something is not right, be sure to trust that instinct and get a second opinion if necessary!! :) Hope that's helpful! My daughter is 21 months old now, and was born 2 months premature--I had her at the age of 38.

Hi Kathryn,

I don't actually remember how many dirty diapers a day my son had but it was a lot. It will get better! And soon, I bet. Also, if you are able to give her any breast milk, then you can supply her total needs with breast milk. You can produce enough! I would highly recommend getting ahold of the La Leche league. They are highly supportive and knowledgeable. Here is the link to the snohomish one. http://snohome.com/cslll/ A breast fed baby will have a lot let digestive troubles all the way along. I ran out of milk at five months with my daughter and switched to formula. I wish I had known about La Leche then! She had serious constipation issues, diaper rash, etc. Until we got her off formula. I wish you all the best as you sort through your options.