Knowing how to change a nappy is one of your first lessons as a new parent.
I remember the look on my partner's face when he returned from changing our son's first nappy. Quite unlike that special moment he was
expecting, he was horrified at the strangely coloured muck he found.
'It was black, it was the most disgusting thing I ever saw!' winced Andy, who refused to allow me to keep the nappy 'as a souvenir'.
Thankfully, I had read about a baby's first nappy so I was expecting the black, tarry substance that Lloyd had passed. Not every parent is prepared
for this, though it is perfectly natural.
Baby's first nappy
Given that your baby has spent the last nine months in the womb with nothing but amniotic fluid and his own body hair (lanugo) to eat, it's not very surprising that his first
nappy is going to look a little different to the nappies to come, when a diet of milk will produce wet nappies or sweet-smelling poo-filled nappies.
(Let's not get on to the scary real-poo nappies of weaning for the moment!)
The first nappy is your baby clearing out the meconium which has built up in his intenstine and
bowels over the months in the womb.
After this first nappy, over the next couple of days you can expect to change some just wet nappies, and some which will have greenish poo, or runny,
yellowish poo (possibly like a wholegrain mustard to look at!), as your baby's digestive system adjusts to the introduction of breast or formula
milk.
If there is some mucus in these 'stools' do not worry, this is perfectly normal too.
Blood in your baby's nappy
Sometimes your baby may have swallowed some blood during the birth. This might also appear in your child's nappy and is nothing to worry about.
When a mother starts to breastfeed, there are times when sore and cracked nipples will mean her child is also drinking some blood. Again this is nothing to worry about (and hopefully the pain of cracked nipples will not be endured for too long).
However, if you are concerned about blood in your baby's nappies, do keep one back to show to your midwife on her post-natal home visits.
Iron supplementation
Just as any iron tablets you may be prescribed post-partum will make your own bowel movements appear blackish, so will your baby's if he is
being given iron drops for a medical reason.
