I recently joined mamasource and was very thankful for all of the help with my first request for getting my 3 1/2 month old to sleep longer at night. We are still working on that, but I think part of the problem is that for the last 3 weeks she has been constipated. She wets her diapers normally, frankly she soaks them. She will not poop though unless I give her a suppository or feed her prunes (organic;for 4 month olds). I have called the doctor's office several times and the nurse says this is normal even for breastfed babies. She did advice to stop the prunes and if I wanted a non invasive method (not a suppository) to use baking soda in her bath which would relax her to go. I have tried that and no success. After 3 days I get paranoid and then after 5 days I have been giving her a suppository. We are going on week 4. Do you have any other ideas? Is this really normal? She has strictly been on breastmilk.
Thank you for all of your great advice. My daughter actually had a bowel movement today on her own, after 6 days. I was very relieved to see this. Since when was it so exciting to see poop? Anyhow, thanks again for all of your feedback. I really appreciate it.
Just wanted to add, all babies are different. My pooped all day every day, and my best friend's daughter of the same age had one or a couple huge poops once every 3 or 4 days. Sounds like you have the later ;).
This is totally normal, and she's not actually constipated if she's able to go without a big struggle. If her poop comes out looking like little rabbit pellet poops then she's constipated, it also usually involves lots of crying. Otherwise she's just not pooping regularly, not a big deal. Try not to stress, and just realize that maybe her body works differently than you expect it to :)
How do you know she is TRULY constipated? Did the Doctor say so, or are you just treating her on your own???
Not all babies poop everyday. Some go several days. It's all normal.
I do NOT recommend suppositories. NOT ON A BABY this young. Even for older children, it is not recommended. Just stop that.
When my daughter was a little over 2 years old... she had to see a Pediatric Gastroenterologist (for constipation)... and he said, NO suppositories on children this young. You should NOT do this, unless directed by a Doctor.
By giving her suppositories and prune juice without Doctor supervision or instruction.... you are "making" her go poop... and not letting her body do it naturally. And it can create "dependence" on it. You do NOT want that.
IF she is TRULY constipated, the poop will be hard, and in balls. "Normal" poop consistency is softer and like oatmeal in consistency. If this is how her poop is, then she is NOT constipated.
Constipation is about the texture of it. Hard, in balls, and it often causes pain. They will cry as it comes out because it is so hard. Constipation is NOT about the "frequency" of how often they poop.
Also, you might want to just gently "massage" her tummy, in circular motions... this relaxes the stomach.
It is COMMON for even breastfed babies to poop infrequently. Some babies don't poop for even 7-10 days. The variation is normal.
"Constipation" should be diagnosed and then treated by a Doctor... not guessed at.
take care,
Susan
I have a son that will be 11 months old next week. He was strickly breast fed until we started him on baby food and now have moved on to finger foods as well. I still breast feed a few times a day. When he was just a few months, it started. He would not go poop on his own. I had to give him supositories for awhile and I was so worried that his body would get used to it I took him in to see his doctor. His doctor put him on a small amout of Miralax, everyday in his juice/water. He had no problems going at all once we started that. We even took him to GI specialist and nothing was wrong. As he got a little older we again got worried and took him off the Miralax. Since then, he's been pooing regularly. He sometimes will have a hard time getting it out but mostly has no further problems. His doctor said it's common and babies usually grow out of it by 12 months.
i used to use childrens suppositories on my son..doc said they are totally safe and fine..sure made a difference!
Are you also constipated? Maybe something in your diet isn't working. However, it could be totally normal for her. One parent in my baby group has two daughters and one pooped daily and the other only once a week. Both were healthy.
If you want to try something orally, a little pear juice diluted with water works wonders. If you don't want to give anything but breast milk at this time, then you might try drinking pear juice yourself so some of the properties make it into your milk.
Best of luck!
Totally normal! My newborn (2 months) poops about every other day. My friends newborn poops about once a week!!
I would say if your baby isn't in pain then let him be.
Is the poop hard and crumbly when she goes without the prunes or suppository? If not, then she is not constipated. Remember breast milk is the best food for her and she may just be absorbing all the nurtients necessary with little waste. My 3 1/2 month old went from pooping every time he fed, to every other day. As long as the poop is wet, there is no constipation. By getting her used to help from prunes and the suppository, she is not learning to poop on her own. Straining does not mean constipation. If she stops eating because she can't go, then you can worry. If she is still eating, just uncomfortable, hang in there. We did. It's not fun, but she'll come around.
Try a chiropracter. If you find someone who is good with babies, they can often make a huge difference.
it's totally normal...u have like a week or more before you should be concerned...
it is very normal for breastfed babies to go 5-7 days without a bowel. My son is now 6 months- and when he was 3 months old, starting only going once a week. When he would go, it was a very full diaper. As long as the baby doesn't seem to be in discomfort- it is normal. Breast milk is full of "good stuff" and not a lot of waste is produced because their little bodies use it all up. Keep an eye on the wet diapers, and as long as they are in abundance, she is probably ok.
If she doesn't go at least once a week, you may want to intervene with a gentle glycerin suppository, or rectal massage with a bit of vaseline. I was super concerned too- but now, at 6 months he goes sometimes once a day to sometimes once very 3-4 days. It changed again, when I started solids. She will develop a pattern for herself.
Just keep a watch out for any discomfort and how often she goes.
I would continue to follow the nurse's advice, and then just relax and let things happen. I used to think my daughter must be going through a growth spurt when she wasn't pooping as much. In other words, all the calories being taken in are being used by the body to grow, thus no waste, i.e. poop. If she's not uncomfortable and, like another mom said, the poops don't look like rabbit pellets, she is most likely fine. I would NOT start her on juice or applesauce yet. She doesn't need all the sugar in juice and it's too early to start her on solids unless she has a bunch of teeth! I didn't even give my daughter water to drink until she was about 6 months, because breastfed babies, as long as you're feeding on demand, are getting all the fluids they need.
It's totally normal. My son did this at this age too and he was strictly breastfed. He would go a week at a time sometimes. I've even heard of babies going 3 weeks to a month without poop and being fine. They just need that nutrition so much because they are growing so they don't have anything to poop out. You don't need to do anything for your daughter unless she appears to be in pain due to the constipation. So long as she is fine, don't worry about it. She'll poop when her body is ready.
I see you have had a poopy YAY!!! I will add what my pediatrician said "babies do not have a normal bowel movement built in, it is something their bodies learn. You may have problems later if you do not establish a poop schedule as soon as you can." I never used suppositories - creeped me out to do that to my girl.
I used the old-school method on the LEFT side of baby use two or three fingers to gently "pull" in from the side just above hip bone and stroke down to center - it stimulates the bowels - try it on yourself it's quite useful for big people as well. My 8 month old now has a supremely regular poop schedule :)
I have found that even when she wasn't "constipated" a good poopy released any gas and she was much happier during the day after a good poo.
Ha there enough chat about the happiness-o-poo lol
Good luck and enjoy
L.,
You need to listen to the nurse, she knows what she is talking about. Your baby is not constipated unless when she tries to poop she cries, and her poop is like little pebbles. Stop with the prune juice. Very little waste is created from breasmilk, that is why it is the best in more ways than one. This is totally normal and a breast fed baby can go for up to 7 days with no poo and be perfectly fine. Remember her system is also new and trying to work out the kinks. She will be fine, my daughter went about every 5 days or so and she is 11 months old. She is on formula now and I long for the days of no poo poo. Enjoy it while you can. : )
Barley baby cereal is supposed to be very good for constipation.
HI L., I had the same problem with my son at about the same age. He once went 10 days without pooping and then only went because I gave him a suppository! The doctor said as long as he was nursing and didn't seem to be in any discomfort then I shouldn't worry. I started giving him diluted prune juice in a bottle and that helped alot. There is a difference between being constipated and just not going. His poops were never hard and he didn't have to strain or anything when he went. He wasn't constipated. He just didn't go. At about 4.5 months I started him on some oatmeal(for fiber, no rice cereal as it is binding) and fruits and vegetables. Stay away from rice, apples and bananas for now. It was sooner than I wanted to start him on food but it really helped him be more regular. Hope this helps,
K.
I agree with Debby and your little one's nurse. Let her system figure itself out before you intervene. My son went for as long as 7 days without poop. His doc said it was totally normal and that if I gave it time, his body would get rid of what he didn't need.
Yes, it's normal for some breastfed babies. My lactation consultant told me she had one baby who only pooped once every 10 days. I agree with the other lady who said that breastmilk is highly digestible - there's no waste. As long as your baby has plenty of wet diapers and doesn't seem to be uncomfortable, her system is doing what is normal for her.
Breastmilk has certain laxative-type properties. My baby has always been at least a once a day pooper, and now that she is on way more solids she usually poops after she nurses.
If your daughter's not going after drinking breastmilk, it means she doesn't have to go. Consider yourself lucky to not have to change so many poopy diapers!
I was told that this is normal and they will poop when they need to, is the poop hard? If not then she may not need to go that often, my daughter went through a phase like that and it passed. As long as she is peeing and the poop isn't hard then she is okay. I would stay away from the suppositories. They make make her uncomfortable and really not want to go. If you are really concerned and she is nursing then try giving her an eye dropper full of Chlorophyll or take it yourself she will get it through the breast milk or try 1 or 2 tablets of Magnesium oxide, these are natural, non evasive ways for anyone to be able to have a bowel movement.
Hi L.,
May I suggest you drinking apple juice and eating some applesauce. This will pass thru you and on to baby. I'd also suggest giving baby a little water thru a bottle. She probably won't take it, but even if she toys with it and she gets a couple swallows it'll help. Also for me, when I up'd my salad intake including spinach, my sons bowels worked faster. Good Luck to you!
Is the poop hard like rocks when she goes? As long as there is no blood and its not hard rocks, I would say it is normal for breast fed babies to absorb most of the milk and defecate less often. If you want to see more action, I would feed her more and increase your calorie intake. That wouldn't be bad since you have a 15 month old too. Babies are like us adults drink more (breast feed)to keep regular. My son is now on solids and his routine is once a week, but it's soft...
best of luck!
Your baby will sleep well without any tummy trouble like constipation and gas pain if you try some organic tea like baby magic tea. I have done this with great results.
