A newborn can have as many as eight bowel movements in a day. As he/she grows, the frequency decreases. By three to six weeks, a baby will likely have one bowel movement a day, or may even skip a day.
As long as the infant's stools are soft, he/she is not constipated.
Signs to watch out are when:
- breastfed babies did not have any bowel movements for more than three days; five days for formula-fed babies
- Stools are hard and pebbly, or much thicker than peanut butter
- Stools are thin, watery (could be diarrhea)
- Stool is red or black (could indicate bleeding)
- Stool is white (could indicate that baby is not properly absorbing nutrients)
You should contact your doctor when you observe any of these signs.