Breastfed baby not pooping

Bobbi - posted on 03/11/2010

My son did the same thing. I actually put a little pear juice, apple, or white grape juice, in with his milk. About an 1/2 to 1 oz. It helped and he was fine.

Andrea - posted on 03/11/2010

My yongest did the same thing he went from having a dirty nappy at every change to once every 7 to 10 days! My doctor told me that for a breast fed baby 10 days between bowel movements was perfectly normal. My advice to you is not to worry if she is happy, plays normally, eats well etc...then you are obviously giving her EXCACTLY what she needs not more not less! (think of it as a bonus less dirty nappies to change:-)

Brandi - posted on 03/11/2010

After a couple of months, a breastfed baby can have BM less frequently, mine did. They start holding it in longer & their bodies are now more adapted to eating & are digesting more completely. I wouldn't worry at this time. Sounds normal to me! Good luck!

Candy - posted on 03/10/2010

Hey, just wanted to let you know, and I have been told by my doctor, its perfectly normal for a breastfed baby to go up to a week without a poop, and my little guy is like that for sure, its usually every 5 days, we did go a week without one and boy was there an explosion lol but more than a week isn't good, maybe look into a new doctor

Sarah - posted on 03/10/2010

my son is 2 months and is having same problems i only breastfeed and he poos once a week and his always in pain but his not constipated

Rose - posted on 03/10/2010

i also have a three month old and she weighs 14 lbs she did the same thing i took her took the doctor they said she was fine said the same thing weird huh lol

Genevieve - posted on 03/10/2010

my son is doing the same thing right now. The drs said it's normal but I agree with you. How can he go from having a dirty diaper everytime he eats to nothing at all. My dr said to use this stuff called "pedi-lax" it's a liquid glycerin suppository. I'll usually give to him about every 4 days. Since they don't have an age or a weight for infants my doc said to use about 1/4 of the bulb. She should go in about 30 min. Sometimes my son goes as soon as I'm done giving it to him. Hope this helps.

Monika - posted on 03/10/2010

Breast fed babies can not have a bowel movement for up to 10 days, I thought it was weird and I called the health line a few times in concern about my daughter not pooping for 8 days at a stretch but they told me over and over it was normal and they can go up to 10 days.

It's a span of a month or two this happens, my daughter got grouchy too and we tried (though we didn't knew we were not suppose to a pharmacist told me I could...) a little water down apple juice. It does not matter the juice its the fruit in the juice that gets them pooping, and it worked, but my doctor was not too impressed when we told her. But I heard its the "P"'s that help.. pears, peaches, prunes and plums.

Sara - posted on 03/10/2010

don't freak, trust me i did.but i called and talked to a dr myself and my son does have bowl movements just not everyday sometimes its every week and the sometimes its 2 days in a row but never is there a pattern. She's fine if her dr isn't concerned then neither should you. her lil body will do wat it needs to do.

Rachel - posted on 03/10/2010

i had the same problem with my daughter. i finally had to put sugar in her pumped bottles. i also gave her water, massaged her abdomin,and tried an infant sopository cut in half. i would walk around with her belly and head on my arm. so her facing the ground and that seemed to help.

Molli - posted on 03/10/2010

my son is 2 1/2 and i breast fed him until he was 1. The only reason i stoped was because i got sick. He still has the pooping problem we went to the doctors they tell me he is 2 that's why he holds it in. when he does poop it is the size of a soft ball im not kidding.

Jennifer - posted on 03/10/2010

My son went 4 days without a BM when he was 2 months old - the dr. said that they would not worry too much about it unless it was 5-7 days. They did give some suggestions - Warm Bath - then insert a rectil thermometor - they said that moms always said that it seemed to do the trick - 1 other suggestion was 1 tsp of BABY prune juce to 4 oz of breast milk.

Good Luck!

Michelle - posted on 03/10/2010

my baby only poops every two weeks. it's totally normal.

Kerryn - posted on 03/10/2010

All my children did this!!!! My son used to go up to 12 days without pooping.... it used to worry me too!!!! But all the advice I got suggested that it was very normal for a breastfed bub!

Kristina - posted on 03/10/2010

Your baby is almost certainly normal. Soft poop, like the other poster pointed out, is not consistent with constipation. Breastfed babies start to space out their bowel movements after about the first month or so. Most aren't so dramatic about it, but up to 2 weeks between poopy diapers has been recorded in normal infants. Babies also often strain and seem uncomfortable with bowel movements. Their immature neurological systems sometimes have trouble coordinating relaxation of the anal sphincters, so they strain against what is essentially a closed hole. Give it a few more months and see if her discomfort improves. Keep bringing it up at well child visits to remind your physician that it's an issue for you, but be reassured that this really is a common problem.

An - posted on 03/10/2010

Hi



My baby is 4 months old now, and she is still being exclusively breastfed. She has bowel movements once a week. Our doctor says this is no problem as long as she has no discomfort. You should be alerted if the poop is hard, but as long as it is soft, there should be no problem.

Melissa - posted on 03/09/2010

its very normal. breast milk is pure with little waste so theres no need to poop.

Michelle - posted on 03/09/2010

My son was the same. He was pooing everyday then suddenly nothing. I spoke to the health vistor and she said not to worry. He pooed just once a week until he was on solids.

Selia - posted on 03/09/2010

It can be normal, but if you wanted to ensure she is comfy you can increase your fiber intake. You can also try nursing in the tub, that always worked for my baby - the warm water plus nursing stimulates digestion. Also, massaging gently the area of her mid back near her spine where the pressure points to let the bowels move are may help.

Brandy - posted on 03/09/2010

This is normal...normal normal...wait until solid foods...then you'll wish she was back to her breastfeeding no dirty diaper stage!! LOL!!

Anne - posted on 03/09/2010

My baby did that too. At around 4 months old she suddenly went from going every day to going every 2 weeks! We ended up at hospital with her once because she used to go off feeding when the constipation had gone on a long time. I think she felt sick with it. The health visitor recommended orange juice in water but that had no effect. The GPs just told me that breastfed babies don't get constipated but when one of them saw that she would not feed she sent us to hospital. At the hospital I was treated like I was neurotic and sent away. She used to go 24 hours with only 2 ounces of milk. Eventually she got over it on her own. I don't know what might help your baby. We didn't get much advice about it. They told me I had to make sure I was getting fibre in my diet but I was getting a great deal so that wasn't the reason.

Stephanie - posted on 03/08/2010

like the others said no worries...I have the same exact problem...we went 12 days without a poopy diaper and she is just 3 months this week....she too has extreme blow outs and it is also very pasty instead of runny. My ped. told me this is completely normal...the only time to worry is if baby goes more than 2 weeks w/out dirty diaper and if any of her poopies are pellet like then she may be constipated. I am exclusively breastfeeding and have read everywhere that this is not uncommon. Good Luck!!

Lorie - posted on 03/08/2010

Its normal, I had the same problem with my little one that is 9 weeks old. He will only have one pooh every 4 to 5 days. Don't worry just keep track of when he poohs so he doesn't go over a week.

Niki - posted on 03/08/2010

yeah its fairly normal for babys to digest everything and not poop for a while, especially if its hot and they need the liquids. as long as she still peeing regularly and its not really smelly then you prob dont need to worry about dehydration. maby try giving an extra feed each day for a while. massaging the bottom of the feet for at least 10 mins (more is better) is great for soothing digestive upsets & stimulation bowel movement

Donna - posted on 03/08/2010

My son is 14 weeks old and he also went through a period of only pooping once a week. I stuck at the breast feeding and worked through it. My son is currently teething so has started going once a day again. I was told by my hv to give boiled water (which I refused to do as everyone else has advised against it!). I was advised that a baby that is breastfed is almost unheard of to become constipated! It can be heartbreaking to watch them in discomfort but it should get easier in time.

I hope this helps.

Celeste - posted on 03/08/2010

For us, it was when solids started when the consistency and frequency changed.

Melissa - posted on 03/08/2010

Her poop is very pasty once she finally goes, they are almost always blow outs unless I catch them at the start then I try to change her quickly so that it isnt a huge mess...... we are on day 8 of not pooping and she seems to be pushing like she has to go but cant, but everytime she ends up going she has the pasty poop. Is there a time period that this will stop or will it be constant until solids are introduced? Thanks everyone for your posts.

Celeste - posted on 03/08/2010

When she goes, is it hard pellets or is it a normal poop? If she finally goes and it's a normal poop, then I'd be ok. All of my kids went for several days without a poop. When they did finally go, it was a huge blow out.

Jenny - posted on 03/08/2010

My baby did something similar... as a newborn he had dirty nappies every single day until he was about 6 weeks old and then suddenly he went two whole weeks without one single poop. I was freaking out because I was sure something was wrong with him, but then I realized by talking to other BFing moms that often BF babies settle into a cycle of not pooping frequently because, like your pediatrician said, breastmilk is so efficiently absorbed by your baby that there is very little waste left. So, yeah, it's totally normal... my baby is 6 mos now and still poops only once about every 12 days (I have just barely started to introduce him to eating solids so I'm sure that'll start to change now).

Also, I was gonna say, if you do decide to give your baby a glycerin suppository, be sure you cut it in half or into thirds first so it won't be so uncomfortable for her and you'll be able to insert it more easily!

Angela - posted on 03/08/2010

Once a week can be totally normal. I wouldn't worry about it. My baby did 3 days once and didn't seem to be uncomfortable at all. And my daughter use to poop with every diaper too. I can't rememeber when she started pooping less, but it wasn't much off of your baby. I'm sorry she's uncomfortable. You could just make sure she gets a little apple juice every day and see if that would work for you. Or maybe even a little prune juice. I know it's a little young but if she's uncomfortable it maybe worth it.

Jacky - posted on 03/08/2010

my oldest did that. she would go up to 6 days without a poopy! it is normal, like your doc said. our pedi said we could give her an infant suppository if need be. we did, only once....it broke my heart! those things are HUGE!!!!!

you could call the on call nurse..normally they work for a children's hospital and might be able to put your mind at ease.



good luck!!!

my youngest is 3 months too!



www.mummiesnummies.com

Natalie - posted on 03/16/2010

It's perfectly normal to have a breastfed baby not pooping as often as usual. It happens at about 3 months. Don't worry her body is bigger and more efficient that's all. So long as she is happy, healthy and not losing weight you are doing a perfect job. Breast fed babies can easily go a week or more without a bowel movement and because she is breast fed she won't get constipated. I definitely wouldn't interfere in the natural function of her body it is doing exactly what it is meant to be doing. Just relax and enjoy because as soon as she gets into eating solids things will not be quite so cruisey.

Nicole - posted on 03/15/2010

when my little girl was the same age she did the same she would go 8 days without a a bowel movement i would get very stressed thinking something was wrong but i was told by my doctor that exclusively breastfed babys not pooping for up to 12 days is normal and as long as they are passing wind its ok because that means there isnt a blockage.

Renee - posted on 03/14/2010

I was told that a breastfed baby not pooping is normal when my little girl was about the same age (she was solely breastfeed till 12 months), I found massaging her and warm bath helped her, but to be honest go to the chemist/ drug store and ask about products you can purchase can help infant constipation. I'm not sure on the age requirements, I think it might be 6 months. I hope this helps you a little it's very frustrating I know!

Andrea - posted on 03/14/2010

Its normal to have a breastfed baby not pooping for a few days, then when they do watch out its gonna be everywhere haha!!!!

Beth - posted on 03/14/2010

its ok that your baby is not pooping!!!!!

really , pooping is eliminating WASTE , she just isnt "wasting" any right now ....

Melanie - posted on 03/14/2010

my fourth is 4 months and i totally forgot about the whole breastfed baby not pooping thing. i stressed really hard til i found a lot of moms have this issue. really if youre eating really good and not putting a lot of garbage in your body plus your body filters out the garbage thats not good for her. shes clearly gaining weight well. if shes not crying id say shes fine. for me this started about 7 weeks this time. shes still pooping pretty far apart. but once i let go of my self doubt. (i kept thinking what am i doing wrong) i realized shes ok and seems to be perfectly happy.

DeLores - posted on 03/14/2010

dont worry... it is completely normal for breast fed babies to not be pooping... but if you think it has been to long... you can call your pediatrician and they will tell you how long is too long

Amanda - posted on 03/13/2010

When my baby was 2 months old he went 8 days without a bowel movement..I was really worried to so I started talking to some mothers I knew had breastfed their babies..One of them told me that her oldest would go 12 days at a time before she would have a bowel movement and that was within the normal range. I asked a specialist about it and she advised me that the baby's systems doesn't settle into a routine until they are about 6-8 weeks old and that is when there is a change in the space between bowel movements and its never the same. My son would sometimes go a day sometimes wouldn't miss a day and then other times he'd be a week before he had a poop, I wouldn't worry about it until the breastfed baby isn't pooping for 12 days, at that point there are things you can do for them. I researched baby not pooping it on babycenter.com. Hope this helped

Athalene - posted on 03/13/2010

Docs told me a breastfed baby not pooping for up to 10 days was okay so I seeked a second opinion, said the same thing. My baby seems alright but the moment I see something wrong I'm in that docs room asap! Good luck! :)

Casey - posted on 03/13/2010

Dont worry, it happens sometimes :) When that happened to my little boy I cut cheese out of my diet and he was back to normal! My doc did tell me its normal to have a breastfed baby not pooping for a week though. You can also read about it in what to expect the first year. I hope that she starts going normal and you feel better!

Dani - posted on 03/12/2010

At around 6 weeks your milk changes. Its perfectly normal to have an exclusively breast fed baby not pooping for up to 7 days. There tummy and bowels are becoming more mature so they can handle it. If your really concerned or she seems uncomfortable try doing baby squats or raiseing her knees into her tummy , loosenes things up and gets them moving , also if i eat activia ( probiotic) yogurt , the poop seems to shoot out of her lol . I honestly dont think its anything to worry about though. Good luck

Elysia - posted on 03/12/2010

it is totally normal to have a breastfed baby not pooping, but i know how scary it is, i totally freaked when it happened to my son and the same thing happened when he 1st went on to solids and they told me not to stress as long as he didnt seem uncomfortable or his belly got distended. they recomended diluted prune juice if it was causing problems, which i ended up doin. cant remember the amount though if it was half and half or less juice more water, check with your nurse or gp if u wanna try that, worked for us

Taralee - posted on 03/12/2010

I had this happen with my little girl. Both my doctor and the Community Health nurse, and even La Leche said a breastfed baby not pooping for up to 2 weeks (and sometimes more!) was totally normal. My dr had said a breastfed baby not pooping 21 days was even okay!!! It sounds crazy.....but no need to worry....especially at 3 months. She is just fine.

Francesca - posted on 03/12/2010

My daughter was/is the same way. She was having 5 or 6 dirty diapers a day when she was first born, but then she all of a sudden went to one a week. It made me very nervous but my doctor insisted that its completely normal as long as the stool was still soft. He said the consistancy and colour were more important than frequency. And that often the reason for breastfed babies not pooping is because breastmilk is so full of everything good and doesn't contain a lot of junk to be wasted...



My doctor said if I was that worried about it, boil some prunes. Cool the water and have my daughter drink the water. He said that was what was safest alernative to all the junk out there. He is a huge advocate to avoid drugs if at all possible. He said you can never be sure the long term affects. And said why waste the money and that risk when there were perfectly great natural methods. (He also had us try a garlic clove in the ear for an ear ache and it worked great too!)



Here is a good visual guide from Baby Center



http://www.babycenter.ca/photo_galleries...





My daughter is almost 11 months now and she only goes about twice a week and she is now on solids too. But her bowls are still soft and golden which is ey exactly what it should be.



Good Luck, I know its hard not to worry. But your doing great :)

Miescha - posted on 03/11/2010

My baby is 10 months now. He is exclusively breastfed as well. The same thing happened to him at about 5 months old. He went 11 days without going. The doctor suggested prune juice at 2 oz. twice a day. Of course, half water half juice. She checked him to make sure there was no obstruction. His stomach wasn't hard. He was still happy. After a while he went. It wasn't hard at all it was normal. She said that he was absorbing everything too. Online I read that this happens with breastfed babies not pooping. Most of them were around 4 to 5 months though. I tried the suppository too. It didn't work for my guy and it was terrible to watch him go through that. Try curling the baby's legs up to her belly or pump them. I do this every time my baby has gas...then I know he has to go. It works every time. Warm baths help as well...but beware of the explosion once the baby does go.



Ever since then he doesn't go every day. Now it's pretty hard because of the solid food. Doctor said to give him prunes and plums daily to keep it soft. She said to watch giving juice because it has too much sugar. It's always every four to five days now. He also won't poop in the diaper. The diaper has to be opened up for him to go. I curl his legs up to his belly. It works every single time.

Holly Jo - posted on 03/11/2010

It is totally normal for a Breast feed baby not to poop for up to 3 weeks. Just think as it as body waste, what the body does not need. So if your baby is not having a bowel movement she has no waste. She could be having a growing spurt. Please don't give your baby juice or water, unless her pedi has told you to. Try Mylicon, it is safe to give at every feeding, and massage your baby.