Let’s talk baby poop! Take a look at the newborn poop chart above. Bowel movements change from dark black to green/brown to loose yellow/seedy yellow in the first few days postpartum. But how many times does a newborn baby poop and what's expected? Milk has usually come in by day 4 so, in terms of newborn poop frequency, the baby can be expected to pass 3 or more green/yellow poos by then, transitioning to yellow poos by day 5. Baby should not be passing any meconium by day 5. Baby should have at least 6 heavy wet diapers by day 5 or 6 that are clear to pale yellow, with almost no odor.
When in doubt though, look to the poo! Here’s a great excerpt from the book, Making More Milk (second edition) by Lisa Marasco and Diana West:
“In the grand scheme of things, the amount of poop is more important than the number of wet diapers because babies who are not getting enough milk can take in enough to pee frequently but not enough to gain weight and poop. The color of the pee tells its own story, though. While clear urine usually means good hydration, more concentrated yellow or even orange urine can indicate dehydration.”