Is Baby’s Poop Normal? How To Really Know For Sure

How To Tell if Your Baby’s Poop is Normal

Pretty much since the advent of social media, one thing has been a constant for anyone who knows new moms: Pictures of baby poop in their newsfeed. When you have an infant, you discover pretty fast that their Number Twos don’t look quite like those of grownups—and that can be a little unsettling, I totally get it. Bilary atresia, a condition that causes liver disease and that can be indicated by chalky or yellowish bowel movements, is serious business that requires urgent attention.

But posting pics of your babe’s full diaper to Facebook or Insta, asking if it looks “normal,” probably won’t give you very accurate information and will likely just gross out your friends and family who are just trying to catch up on the latest news on their lunch break. Your little angel may be the cutest thing on planet Earth, but that doesn’t mean everyone needs to see her excrement.

Finally, there’s a great, and far more useful option for parents who just want to know if everything’s okay with their child. The awesome people over at Johns Hopkins University have created a free app (available for both Android and iPhones) called PoopMD that accurately analyzes photos of your child’s poo and alerts you immediately if you should head to the doctor’s office. So instead of uploading that pic to social and getting a bunch of conflicting opinions, you’ll actually be getting reliable medical information.

I’m hoping that researchers continue this trend of putting quality medical screening technology on our phones. Of course new moms and dads are still going to rely on their nearest and dearest when something doesn’t seem quite right, but let’s face it—Mom’s probably much better at helping you figure out your work-life balance than she is at diagnosing childhood health conditions (that is, of course, unless she’s a pediatrician . . . in which case, lucky you!).