The long anticipated moment is finally here. You can finally bring your baby home after waiting what feels like forever! With baby in that perfect ‘coming home from the hospital’ outfit that you chose, you load up your car and are finally en route to home sweet home.

I’m almost positive that you probably imagined that these first moments at home with the baby would be magical. Maybe you’re excited about being able to bond with your baby, do skin-to-skin, sooth them in your own space, or even have friends and family come over and spread some love onto your new little best friend.

We here at Northeast Doulas want to keep it real and tell you what no one else will: bringing baby home kinda sucks.

A new baby in the home is notorious for throwing their parents’ digestive systems off.

Like gas, for instance.

Many patents experience an influx of gas issues when the baby is now earth side. Nonetheless, most parents aren’t knowledgeable about why this is happening so we’ll explain that first.

Like all gas, the problem is usually too much air intake. It is normal for infants and newborns to end up consuming larger amounts of air when they’re learning how to bottle or breastfeed.

You can attempt to keep the air consumption at bay by bringing the baby’s head higher than their stomach while feeding. Likewise, you can also tilt the bottle upwards, and if you need extra support you can sue a nursing pillow.

When battling gas-related discomfort, lay the baby down on their back and gently massage their tummy. You can also lay them down and hold their feet while moving their legs in a bike-riding fashion. This helps them release the gas.

If you want any medical suggestions, you can discuss the variety of remedies out there with your doctor.

Now, onto bigger, stinkier things.. the inaugural diaper change

When you go to change your baby’s first diaper, you might be startled by the tarry, black, motor-oil-like substance staring you in the face.

Don’t panic! This is called Meconium.

 Meconium is defined as the earliest stool of an infant mammal. This first bowel movement is different because it’s composed of materials that were ingested while the infant was still in the uterus. These materials include: lanugo, mucus, intestinal epithelial cells, bile, amniotic fluid, and water. This changes the color of the stool to a tarry black color.

Whenever you are curious about your baby’s intake, check their diaper – it’s full of answers. A breastfed newborn’s poop will come in different colors and textures based on different days of being earth side, as well as the make up of the produced milk. ProDoula can also provide you with a Laminated Breastfeeding Poop Chart that distinguishes what infant poop should look like. This can help you stay informed, as well as help alleviate cause for alarm.

For those beginning stages of life, you will likely continue being surprised by your infant’s diaper until they begin making regular bowel movements.

If you need more of the ‘scoop on the poop’ be sure to consult with your pediatrician.