An Art of Parenting

Posts Tagged ‘stool’

Dark green stool, basically, called as meconium is undergone by the baby which happens regularly for couple of days from the day of birth. It will have a sweetish smell and the milk which is consumed by the baby is the reason for the stool. Many people call it as diarrhea but it is very common in the life of the new born. Gaining in weight of the baby depends upon the feeding of the mother and the stool is not the reason for the illness or wellness of the baby. Even if the third or fourth day, the baby passes stool, the mother should not get worried instead she can consult a doctor and find out the reason for it.

The mother should keep in mind that the stool will not bring discomfort to the baby at the time of passing the stool. Mothers need not wash the napkins of their children. It may take three or four months to lessen the stool so that the baby passes stool once a day. Depending upon the breast feed and bottle feed, the stool may differ in smell and color. If a mother feeds her child using bottle, the stool will be harder and it will be whitish in color. Stool may also separately curdle with the water and it indicates that the baby have been fed by bottle milk. Hence, breast milk is always good for the health of the baby!

Labor last approximately eight to sixteen hours in a first pregnancy and four to eight in subsequent ones. When to go to the hospital depend on how far away you live. When you go to the hospital or to a doctor’s clinic, the doctor will ask you the frequency of your labor pains and their duration. He/she will check your blood pressure and examine you to find out the position of the baby and listen to his heart. The examination will also include a vaginal examination. An enema is then given to empty the rectum of stool. This is important otherwise with each labor pain, some stool is also passed and the delivery table becomes contaminated. If the pains are not very strong and the labor not advanced, the doctor may prescribe a sleeping dose so that you do not get exhausted. Gradually the pains become stronger and more frequent, and the bag of water breaks, followed by a rush of water from the vagina.

The contractions now occur every one or two minutes and are stronger. There is an increasing feeling of fullness and pressure in the rectum similar to the feeling of the passing stool, and the desire to push is very strong. Gradually, the baby pulses itself out – first the head, then nose and face and lastly, the mouth and the chin. Baby’s eyes are wiped, and during the next contraction the baby comes out and you hear a loud cry. Many obstetricians are going back to the old custom of delivering a woman in a squatting or sitting position or positions are better than lying on her side. There is increasing evidence that these positions are better than lying on the back, which really seem to be more for the convenience of the obstetrician!