8 Wk Old and No Bowel Movement in 5 Days

Hi - My daughter did the same thing on occasion (still does sometimes at 6 mos, although now it's for different reasons based on what solids she eats). Eventually it does all come out, and when it does, watch out! Be prepared with clothing changes :-)

My cousin and I both just had babies. While my little girl is a pooper hers is not. After several visits to the doctor, she now knows and accepts that it is normal. Her daughter is also breast fed and it started at about 8 weeks.
Good Luck

I think this is normal, though I would try the rectal thermometer just because it would be driving me nuts too. And breastfed babies DO spit up a lot-- as long as she is gaining weight and having wet diapers, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Some breastfed babies only poop once a week or once every 2 weeks. (At least that's what I've heard-- mine pooped 3 times a day, sigh.)

A warm bath often helps, too, but if it does, look out. We did that and the bathroom was covered!

I haven't thoroughly read all of the responses, but I wanted to add that our ped recommended "exercising" our baby a few times a day to help prevent/correct constipation. Just gently bring your baby's knees towards her chest a few times. We would alternate both knees, one knee, the other knee. We did that a few times every day.

It can be very normal to not have a bm in a breastfed baby for up to a month. My daughter was a pooper and pooped 6 times a day, my son was not. He would go an average of one bm every two weeks and would go as long as three weeks without a bm. Both my kids spit up but my daughter spit up worse than my son. She had reflux tho and would projectile spit up. I took him to the Dr. a few times and they never found anything wrong. He is now almost 2 and still goes about every 5 to 6 days. He did start going more after I introduced solid food, but still only about once a week. I would have her checked out, but it can be totally normal.

My daughter did the EXACT same thing! She was about 8 weeks old or so and did not have a BM for days! I called the pediatrician after 72 hours and he said to put 1 tspn of dark karo syrup in a bottle 1x a day. I think it helped somewhat but I also did a few other things recommended to me by a nurse and a GYN NP: put a little vasaline on a qtip and insert it just a little bit into her rectum. I think it helped with the gas and made it easier for things to "come out." My pediatrician also suggested to put a little on the rectum too. Mylicon drops also helped. The reality is that your baby is that if your baby is having plenty of wet diapers then things are okay because she is hanging on to what she is eating and is growing as a result. I know it is extremely frustrating but don't worry, she'll poop soon! Try the karo thing- that def. worked for us. Also, don't be surprised if she does this again later on. Good luck:)

What you are describing can be perfectly normal for breastfed babies. My exclusively breastfed daughter spit up a good amount, including launching it out her nose.

As far as the poopong goes. For breastfed babies, its completely normal for frequency to be 14 times per day OR once every 14 days. Dd was usually a once every 3-4 bdays girl, but for a frw weeks she was a once a week pooper. Remember, breastmilk is a perfect food for your little one so there is very little waste leftover.

Here's the info from www.kellymom.com which is my go to resource for all things breastfeeding:
(http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing.html)

Dirty diapers: Expect 3-4+ stools daily that are the size of a US quarter (2.5 cm) or larger. Some babies stool every time they nurse, or even more often--this is normal, too. The normal stool of a breastfed baby is yellow and loose (soft to runny) and may be seedy or curdy. After 4 - 6 weeks, some babies stool less frequently, with stools as infrequent as one every 7-10 days. As long as baby is gaining well, this is normal.

Wet diapers: Expect 5-6+ wet diapers every 24 hours. To feel what a sufficiently wet diaper is like, pour 3 tablespoons (45 mL) of water into a clean diaper. A piece of tissue in a disposable diaper will help you determine if the diaper is wet. After 6 weeks, wet diapers may drop to 4-5/day but amount of urine will increase to 4-6+ tablespoons (60-90+ mL) as baby's bladder capacity grows.

From LLLI
http://www.llli.org/FAQ/bm.html

After Six Weeks
It is normal for the bowel movements of a breastfed to decrease in frequency when the colostrum, which has laxative properties, is completely gone from the mother's milk after about six weeks of age. A baby this age may continue to have bowel movements as frequently as five times a day, sometimes even after every nursing. It is also normal for a breastfed baby older than six weeks to have only one bowel movement every few days. Some healthy babies will have only one bowel movement a week. When bowel movements are less frequent, they should be more profuse in volume. As long as the baby is gaining well, wetting sufficiently, and is happy and content there is no cause to be alarmed by infrequent bowel movements, and it is not necessary to give the baby a laxative, fruit juice, or any other "helpers." In fact, attempting to force bowel movements can have harmful consequences to your baby.

From Laura Weidenfeld, M.D.
Sunshine Valley Pediatrics in Summerlin
United Medical Center
(http://www.umcsn.com/health_info/article.asp?Category=Chi...)

Even if a baby is strictly breast-fed, the frequency of stooling varies among infants. While a frequent stool is most common, babies may stool only one time every other day and still be completely normal. Constipation in fact refers not only to the frequency of stools, but also to the consistency. Therefore, if an infant poops every third day but it comes out soft, this would not be considered constipation, and no therapy is indicated. In fact, at 3-6 weeks of age, breast-fed babies may only have one stool a week. This is because breast milk leaves very little waste in the intestines to be passed. Again, if the stool, when passed, is not hard, this is completely normal. In general, it is almost impossible for strictly breast-fed babies to become

Hope these links help to reassure you. The best thing to do is wait it out. If you are really concerned about the lack of pooping, I would try a warm bath as suggested above and bicycling her legs. You can also lay her across your arm with her belly in your hand and her head up by your elbow. sometimes just laying in this position with the gentle pressure on her belly can help with the gas and discomfort.

It is very rare for an exclusively breastfed baby to truely be constipated.

Just expect a blowout when she does finally go . . .S.

Actually a lot of drs will let you go a week if they haven't gone poop. I would give a warm bath and perhaps look into a gentle enema. Call your dr and ask. It sounds like things are backed up. She probably really needs to have a bowel movement now. Also be careful about what you eat especially with dairy. It can cause some constipation on the babies part if they don't tolerate it well
through the breast milk

Call your pediatrician again. To me, 5 days with no BM is NOT okay for an infant that small. However, breastfed babies do spit up. I nursed all 3 of my kids and they spit up on me fairly often. Not projectile vomiting, just normal baby spit-up.

I remember one of my boys hadn't gone in 5 days when he was 2 months old. The dr told me to get a thermometer and do like your taking his rectal temp (except no need to actually take the temp). It worked! I guess it stimulates the muscles down there?

Oh, and all my breastfed boys spit up a ton.

Call your doctor back again today. Definetely

I would give her some prune juice-- maybe a few tablespoons.
Congratulations on your new baby!
N

Nope, it's normal! The bowel movements will get more frequent (and smelly, and change color!) when her intestinal flora begin to develop, around four months if i remember correctly. If her movements are still liquidy, light brown and seedy and have a fresh smell, she should be fine! Enjoy it while it lasts!

I don't think the respondents are "nervous nellies." Yes, some babies go several days without a BM but it never hurts to get it checked out, esp. if your gut is telling you to! Is the spit up a new thing? And what color is the spit up? If it is yellowish or greenish, please call the doctor immediately!!! This is a sign of a bowel obstruction!

Ta Rah, believe it or not the doctor is right. I too am breastfeeding my baby, who is now 7 months old. When she was first born, she would have bowel movements every day. Later on, she would go up to a week without having any bowel movements. Believe it or not, it is normal. My doctor says that because breastmilk is so nutritious the baby's body absorps it and there is not much left over waste, which would result in a bowel movement. My daughter also spit up for the first 5 months too. Now that my daugther is on cereal and baby food, her bowel movements are more regular.

Hi TA,

Call your Doctor back and talk to the Nurse. If they won't give you help, ask them who you can take your baby to for a second opinion.

This is NOT normal.

Hope this helps. If you are breast feeding contact your local breast feeding consultant at

www.llli.org

Hope this helps. D.

Spit up is normal, but no BM in 5 days is not. I'd give 1 oz pear juice with 1 oz water. Repeat in the afternoon if no BM.

Normal!
Please don't let the Nervous Nellies get you all worried, enjoy the holiday.
My daughter's pediatrician warned me that her poops would start being a week or more apart at her 8 week appointment, and right away, she started spacing out her poops, 7 to 9 days apart. She was exclusively (and heavily, I made a lot of milk) breastfed, and spit up 20-30 times a day, so we ALWAYS had a cloth diaper behind her neck and on our shoulder. The only worry with her feeding/pooping was the ticking time bomb of the inevitable diaper blowout (y'know, up the back, out the legs, and even up the front for the massive ones), knowing it had been a week and she was due any minute, over a two to three day span, so we added a waterproof 'lap pad' under her rear to her two spitty-cloths. She grew like mad, was an extremely healthy baby and kid, is six years old now and has never had any digestive problems.
Just get ready for that blowout... ;)

Breast milk is the perfect nutrient & some children have very efficient digestive systems. They are able to absorb/use almost everything from the breast milk. Therefore they have no build up of poop in the body & don't have to go as often. My youngest often went 8 or 9 days between poops. He now goes almost everyday now that he also gets solids.
Everything is fine as long as when she does finally go it is soft and liquidy. It is almost impossible for a baby on breast milk to become constipated. If the stool is hard & pellet like or one large lump, then you should dicuss it with your doctor. You may then need to give juice or something else to relieve the constipation. But if it comes out soft, runny, seedy, then she is fine.
Just one more note: when my son finally went there was a massive amount of poop. There is not a diaper in the world that could contain it. And he always seemed to poop when he was in his swing or exersaucer (thank goodness not the car seat). The poop would come out his legs & up his back, covering his clothes & whatever toy he was in. So, be prepared for a big clean up.
Good luck.
Edit: I just read the other responses you got. People who are telling you your baby is constipated are probably moms who used formula. Formula babies are different from breast fed babies. Do NOT give you child an enema unless instructed by your doctor. (I don't think a doctor would have any parent do this to their child, if necessary the doctor should do it. Enema's can cause problems. Don't give your baby supplements without talking to your doctor first.)

Your Dr. is right. My son didn't have a BM for 10 days when he was that age. I know it doesn't seem right but I was told that after 6 weeks their muscles stregthen so they won't go as often as when they were first born and some breastfed babies absorb all of the nutrients so there is no waste. I was told if he goes 2 weeks without a BM then they would want to see him or do something about it. I know it doesn't seem natural but I was assured it's fine. And about the spitting up, I think it is normal for breastfed babies to spit up. My son spit up a lot and it actually decreased once I put him on formula because the formula is thicker.

I just went through this! My daughter is 2 months now and a couple of weeks ago she didn't poop for 6 days! Around day 3 I called my step sister, mother of 12, and my doctor who both assured me not to worry unless it's 7 days. She did resume going just fine! Don't worry.
Also, all three of my kids were/are breastfed, and they all spit up like fountains. Don't worry!

I had the same issue with my daughter. Our dr suggested "rectal stimulation" using the very tip of a baby thermometer and gently rotating a little just inside the rectum. It seemed extreme, but it worked! We ended up having to do it once every 5 days or so because my daughter continued to have trouble pooping and would be very upset...not eating or sleeping well. At 2 mo we started giving her prune juice in a bottle once a day (she is exclusively breastfed other than prune juice). We mixe 1 oz prune juice and 1 oz water. It's a magic potion--no more rectal stimulation or trouble pooping. At 6 mo she seems to have developed more and have more regular poops, though we continue daily prune juice for good measure :) (PS: My 3 year old eats 2 prune a day too)

Please call your pediatrician's ON Call line as son as possible. Maybe she is just constipated but she may have an obstruction or something more serious. I don't mean to alarm you, but sometimes they don't go "every day", but 5 days??? You can try warm baths...Please call the doc asap. Good luck!

definitely call and update your doctor that it's been a few more days and fill him/her in on the new spitting up. It could be nothing - or something.

this is not normal! you may want to check to see if they are well hydrated. are you still breastfeeding? you may want to add some probiotics to YOUR diet to help with intestinal flora. add a touch to your nipples would help, too but only a tiny bit. if you are using formula, is it the same one you have been using? any other changes in what you feed her?

Ok I know everyone is telling you prune juice or apple juice. My daughter had a bad problem with constipation when she was younger doctors told me NO juice til at least 3-4 months old. They told me to give her 1teaspoon once a day in her bottle of Karo syrup. You can find it in your grocery store. It's a corn syrup and it loosens up their bowels. It worked for her.

I had a similar issue with my first baby (he went 4 days). I was breastfeeding too and was instructed to cut dairy from my diet and drink apple juice. I drank apple juice - a lot of apple juice! - exclusively for a day. Baby had a bowel movement that night! Good luck and keep calling your MD for further instruction.

There were many exaggerated reactions here so I wanted to chime in with one more - don't worry if this happens again - it is fine and can be "normal" especially with breastfed babies. Our son went two different times for 5 or 6 days but no other change in his eating/sleeping/playfulness so we trusted that he was fine. Boy when he finally went it was like a fire hose explosion requiring a BATH!!! Once he started weening and eating solids he started a regular BM schedule and never misses a day without one but as an infant he could skip several days especially during growth spurts. Always trust your instincts and take advice with a grain of salt! All the best!