Please Help??! 5 week old hasn't had BM in 9 days. Can anyone help?

Sharlene - posted on 10/15/2011

I M A NURSE HAVE YOU TRYED LAYING HIM DOWN ON HIS BACK AND PUSHING HIS LEGS BACK AND FORWARD / OR THERES AONTHER WAY YOU GET RUBBER GLOVES AND PUT SOME COOKING OIL ON THE TIPS OF YOUR FINGERS AND YOU TRY TO SPEAR THE POOH OUT OR TAKE HIM TO SEE YOUR DR ALL THE BEST

Amanda - posted on 10/12/2011

Two out of three of my children vomited like your son, I removed dairy from my diet for both of them. It takes up to 2 weeks for the dairy to leave your system and his. Im sure he will be just fine. :0)

As for the BM's and apple sauce, dont do it, its very bad advice. Many BF babys can go up to 14 days without pooping. One benfit of breastfeeding. :0)

Karen - posted on 10/12/2011

yup, going with out a BM for up to 14 days is normal. My little girl was like that and yes I've had years of experience as well. The Doctor checked her out throughly and listened to make sure everything was working properly. She was gaining weight well and was just using everything she ate. Babies tummies are defininately not able to handle any sort of food at this age and I'm glad to hear that nobody said to use suppositories. Glad to hear that your little guys is doing better, and as to the spitting up and colicy cut out foods that can cause colic, such as vegatables (lettuce, celery, beans, brocolli, onions ect) and coffee. Try to do some tummy massage to help with his sore tummy (oval or gripe water can help). And keep him elevated for about 20mins after feeding. It can also help if you raise the head of his bed a bit so he's sleeping at a bit of an angle, tho you might want to roll a towel up and put it under his knees so he doesn't slide down. good luck.

Kailyn - posted on 10/12/2011

Hey ladies!! Thank you for all of the advice! He actually had a BM a few days later.. Brought him to the doctors, just to make sure there was no obstruction or blockage, which there wasn't thank god! He is doing well now, feeling a lot better, and has been going every day since then... I guess he was just a little backed up. :) As far as him PV, he has not done that for a few days. But his doctor still wants me to bring him in for weekly weight checks. :) He is still spitting up quite a bit, and is still colicky, but it seems to be getting just a little better as each day passes...

Christa - posted on 10/06/2011

I appreciate your experience, but my daughter was EBF and didn't poop more then once every 3-4 days, sometimes it took 7-10 days. It's completely normal and very common. Plus every medical professional I've ever heard of would not recommend giving a 5 week old solid food of any kind. There are a lot of young first time mothers on this site and I had to say something, because your advice could be dangerous according to current medical knowledge.

Theresa - posted on 10/06/2011

I never heard of a baby going more than a couple of days without having a bowel movement as being normal. I have five children of my own ( I nursed all of them) and have been taking care of babies for 40 years. You would be very surprised to see how well the digestive tract responds to a little applesauce during a bout of constipation. The baby knows exactly what to do with it after the first little taste. I am not a doctor or a nurse, so if you don't think my advice is accurate you don't have to follow it. I am just going on many years of experience.

Christa - posted on 10/06/2011

Theresa, it is normal. Some babies use up all the nutrients from the breast milk and their is nothing left to poop. Some babies can go up to 2 weeks without one and that is totally normal. And giving a 5 week old anything but breast milk or formula is bad advice. A five week old wouldn't know what to do with solid food, either with his mouth or his digestive tract.

Theresa - posted on 10/06/2011

This is not normal. A breast fed baby normally has about three to five bowel movements per day. Give a teaspoon of applesauce three times per day. Within 24 hours, I'm sure your baby will be pooping out everything and he will be very happy. Stop feeding the applesauce after five days. It can give him gas but five days is enough time to allow his bowels to get into the habit of pooping. If he is projectile vomitting, make sure you let the doctor know. He could have pyloric stenosis- the muscle at the opening of the stomach closes and doesn't let any fluid through. Good luck. Let us know how he is in a couple of days.

Kailyn - posted on 10/05/2011

@ Christa- I have called the doctors, and they finally got back in touch with me. I have scheduled an appointment for him tonight. Thank you!!

Christa - posted on 10/05/2011

It is normal, but the pain and vomitting is not. You need to call your doctor. My daughter didn't poop for weeks when she was exclusively BF and my doctor said that it wasn't a problem as long as she wasn't in pain and wasn't vomitting. There could be a blockage, please call your doctor.

Kailyn - posted on 10/05/2011

Ok! Awesome, thank you so much!

Amy - posted on 10/05/2011

A breast fed baby can actually go 14 days without having a bowel movement because it's the perfect food for baby and is easily digested. However if your child is projectile vomiting I would be discussing your concerns with the doctor asap.