What causes diarrhoea in newborns?

Posted on Tue, 19 May 2015

Question: My son is 7 weeks old.he didnt pass motion since 2 days.last time he passed motion on 26th April at morning.he is not having fever, sleeping properly,taking feed also.what should I do?

Answered by Dr. Arun (7 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
no need to worry

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for writing to us.
Usually newborn babies pass stools frequently in the first few weeks of life. After that their digestive system matures and this results in most of the ingested milk to get digested. Nothing much will be left for stool formation.
This results in stools once in 2,3 sometimes even once in 5 days.
No need to worry.
Continue exclusive breastfeeding.
Baby will pass by itself. You can wait upto 5 days.
One more point: It is better to check for thyroid levels if not already done at birth.
Wishing your baby good health.
Regards
Dr Arun

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar