Probably I Dumb Question on Breastfeeding but Will Ask Anyways

My son went through the same thing for a while when he was breastfeeding, where he would only have a dirty diaper once or twice a week. Babies really don't get constipated - you don't pay attention to how often they're pooping but what it looks like when they do poop. I wouldn't worry about it at all - he'll eventually get back to the point where he has at least one BM a day.

YOu've already gotten a ton of replies and i couldn't read through them all to see if i'm going to be a repeat. my daughter did the same thing for about the first 3 months or so of her life... i drank a small can of prune juice everyday to help her pass her stools easier. then she had blowouts... so i changed it to 1/2 a can of prune juice a day and it was perfect. :) they definitely go a lot less
often being breastfed. my daughter went about once every 5 days and it would be just normal. hope this helps.
she's 1 now and poops 1-2 times a day. :)
V.

Totally not a dumb ? Your baby eats what you eat so if you increase your fiber etc, it will have some effect on him. Hence the reason you don't drink too much or take certain medications while BF. Just a thought but the formula might be constipating him a bit but it is so little I doubt it and if he is not irritable I wouldnt worry.

1. I'd talk to a doctor - or your local La Leche League leader. My children OFTEN went 5-10 days without a bm while on breast milk exclusively. Didn't worry about constipation until there were signs of it - discomfort while pooping, hard dry or clay like stools, bloating, etc. I think a suppository at 7 days is arbitrary and may be dangerous, but I'm not a doctor.

2. Some laxatives and sugars go through breastmilk, I've never heard of fiber doing it... again, talk to LLL, but I wouldn't really worry.

S.

Please don't worry about this, it is perfectly normal for breast fed babies. Like the nurse said, he's not constipated, they just us the breastmilk so efficiently that it takes them a long time to build up anything to poop. It is absolutely not anything you have eaten, etc.

My first son only pooped every 7-10 days from 3 months until I gave him solids at 6 months. I tried the suppositories at first, but realized that if he was not uncomfortable, then what was the point?

My advice would be to enjoy this little break from poopie diapers. As long as he's comfortable and its not hard when he does go, then he's fine and just let nature take it's course!!

One of my daughters did this. Our doc said up to 7 days. I thought that he was crazy but it turned out that he was right. She's fine. Don't change your diet. Your baby shouldn't be constipated and need a suppository on bmilk. However, if he seems to be straining after several days of not going, you could try a suppository and see what happens. Don't use them all the time bc it could cause your son to become dependent on them to go. Hard as it is, let nature run it's course. If he's anything like my daughter was, he'll be just fine. Good luck.

A lot of breastfed babies go even longer than a week between poops. I know mine did for a while as well. A lot of things can have a laxative effect for baby if you've ingested them, but it can sometimes take a while to work. If anything is making him constipated though, it's the formula. The iron in it isn't as easily digested and can have quite a constipating effect. Have you thought about pumping and giving him your breastmilk instead?

I've seen a couple people on here recommend giving water or juice, and I'd just like to throw my two cents in and say that it's totally not necessary and can actually be potentially dangerous. If they're filling up on water or juice then they're not getting the essential nutrients that they need from your breastmilk. Also, giving water to an infant (even in very small amounts!) can be life threatening (i.e. water intoxication which causes seizures, low body temperature, bloating, etc.). Offering either of these can lead to weight loss and malnutrition. Please visit some of these links to learn more about that:

Regarding Water:
http://parenting.ivillage.com/newborn/nbreastfeed/0,,441n...
http://www.storknet.com/guests/anne11.htm
http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/faqs/faq036.asp
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/baby-water.html

Regarding Juice:
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/baby-juice.html
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/ped...
http://iparenting.com/sears/answers/fruitjuice.htm

Please wait until your son is at least 6 months old before offering any water (or juice which is even still not recommended).

That is a very good question. If you are breastfeeding, it is possible that your baby will go without pooping at times. As long as his poop is not hard like grown-up poop, it is normal for breastfed babies to not poop as often. My baby would go for up to 10 days, and I would freak-out. My pediatician said it was normal. Good luck!

A.--not a dumb question!! i agree with the nurse. breastfed babies often use up everything they are given, especially when they are going through a growth spurt. many breastfed babies are once-a-weekers. both of my kids did this. i had to do prune juice in water as well as the glycerin suppositories with my daughter, but she only needed it for about 2 weeks before she got regular...we did this because she WAS all cranky and bloated. it sounds like your sweetie is not showing any of these signs. increasing YOUR dietary fiber is not necessarily going to help.
good luck!
K.

A. -

My little girl (6 weeks) had the same problem. She is only having a BM about every 3-4 days. I am supplementing some, which I figured would prompt more BM's, but the dr told me that as long as her poop is not hard, she is not constipated, so try not to stress about it.

I've heard the same thing about constipation...like don't worry unless it's a firm consistency. I read that in a book by a GI doctor. My little girl is on prescription formula and poops less but it is runny. When she was constipated before on a particular formula it was in hard clay like balls and she was having pain to pass, it was horrible. I've used prune juice & suppositories as well, I have found 1/4 tsp of Miralax in her morning bottle to be a gentler option :) (That is from our GI doctor). Sounds like your little one is just absorbing a lot of the breastmilk, it's the perfect food for baby!

Hi A., I don't think you need to do anything if you son is not uncomfortable. Some breast fed babies just poop infrequently, that is why it is the perfect food...there is so little that is NOT used by their bodies. Try to not think of him as constipated and use your doctor's guidelines. Everything is going the way it should be!

Good luck!

If you eat enough of it, it should. I agree with the dr, that it's probably just a growth spurt and no cause for concern.Are you eating a lot of cheese or bananas or other constipators? When my son was that young I drank a lot of orange juice (I craved it) and it definately kept him regular!! Gerber also makes some prune juices that you could give him in a bottle if you're comfortable with that. I know it's a little early, but it shouldn't hurt any. I gave those to my son when he went a day or two longer to poop and it seemed to help, instead of having to go the medicine route.
Good luck!!

Totally jealous! My twins poop like clockwork about 4-5 times a day! But I've always heard what the nurse told you. Since you never know how much they take in with breastmilk, they may take just enough to nourish them and not have any left over as waste. I definitely wouldn't worry about it if the nurse told you it was normal as well. I've heard they can go a week without having a BM if they're breastfed. Definitely not a dumb question. =)

Absolutely. Your diet is your baby's diet when you are breast feeding. You need to increase your leafy green intake (kale, swiss chard, spinach). Keep it simple, wash, then in a hot pan with some extra virgin olive oil and a clove of crushed garlic, saute your green veggies with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and just 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Its simple and a great side dish. Also you can add flax seed meal (you can find these in the health food aisle, it does not change the flavor of your food), this will be good for your dt as well. Don't peel the skin off of your apples or cucumber. They are full of fiber. Limit how much you are eating of process food. Eat simple basic food. If you need more details I will be more than happy to share. But yes changing your diet or adding to your diet will help. In terms of your babies, nothing is ever a dumb question. What is dumb is not asking a question at all. Why worry about what others think when you have your children's best intention at heart. So always always ask.

Not a dumb question! I have also dealt with constipation with my 5 month old, as well as my 2 year old (when she was a baby). I wasn't comfortable with letting them go that long without a bowel movement, so I would use (and still use) BabyLax if it had been more than 3-4 days. It's just a subtle laxative made of water that you insert in their rectum. For children under 2, you only use 1/2 of the "bulb". You should be able to find it at any drug store, WalMart or Target. It has always worked great for me. If your son's stool is not harder or more solid than usual when it comes out, he may just not need to go (and that should give you some piece of mind). Of course, you can also try prunes, prune juice and apple juice as natural laxatives, but they never seemed to work with my girls. Good luck!

A.,

I went through the same thing with my little Elizabeth. She was born in June and she went for 6 days without a BM. I am breastfeeding and we supplement with formula because she wasn't getting full from me. The combination of breast milk and formula can cause this. Formula is harder to digest and takes longer for your little one to pass. Breast milk is mostly absorbed in the first month or so. So he's probably only passing the formula and it's taking him longer to get it through.

Relax... he will be fine. Good luck!

It's totally normal for BF babies to go up to 2 weeks without a BM. When my DS was about the same age as your DS, he would go up to 10 days without a BM. It was never an issue for him. I think that as long as your son isn't constipated, there is no need to worry, and certaintly no need to give him a suppository. Just trust that his little body is working the way it is suppose to work.

My son was born 8/27/07 and is breastfed. He will poop about 6-8 times in a 24 hr period. I've always heard that breastmilk is thinner than formula so they get rid of it sooner causing them to be more hungry. If you are giving him formula, that might be staying in his tummy longer so he may not have any poop to get rid of. As long as your baby seems happy and is still hungry about every 3 hours and eats 2-3oz from a bottle and sucks about 20 mins from breast, he is getting enough. Make sure he has plenty of wet diapers. Another thing you can do for him is to use a rectal thermometer and a little vasseling and roll it around inside his rectum. Sometimes they need alittle help. My friend's baby (6weeks old) has a small rectal opening. Her pedi dr had to stick his pinky finger up into her baby's rectum and it opened it up more. That was just a few days ago and her baby has been going poopy more and with less effort to push it out.

Just gotta say you can not pass fiber though you nipples, its a solid.

HAVE YOU TRIED A LITTLE WATER WITH CARO SYRUP MAYBE A TEASP OR SO(WHITE) THIS USUALLY HELPS TO LOOSEN THEM UP AND IS NOT HARMFUL. i RAISED TWO CHILDREN USING IT MY DAUGHTER NOW USES CARO ON HER DAUGHTER, MY GRANDMOTHER TOLD ME ABOUT IT.
ANYTHING YOU EAT OR DRINK, YOU ARE SHARING IN BREAST MILK.
BUT A SUPPOSITORY? HOW UNNATURAL AND UNCOMFORTABLE.
HOPE THIS WORKS,
ANITA

My daughter had a similar problem, but it was 3-4 days. Our ped. said to take her temp. via rectum with KY to get things moving. It did. Good Luck

Yes things you eat does come through breastmilk. I do not know why your nurse said that but I was told if she goes 24 hrs without pooping I need to start trying different things

An exclusively breastfed baby can go 10-14 days with out pooping. My daughter would poop about once every 10 days.

The one thing that could be constipating him is the formula.

Hi A.,
It is normal for babies to go for days without pooping. As long as the BM is not hard and your baby seems comfortable. Every baby has his own schedule. One thing that may be slowing him down is the formula you feed him once a day. Have your husband feed him pumped breast milk or purified water. You can safely give him 2 oz. of Water a day. You eating prunes will not effect his BM, but it doesn't sound like he needs any laxatives. He will regulate to his own schedule in time. If you have any concerns contact your Pediatricians office. They are always happy to answer your questions!

Best Regards, J.

Have you tried Karo corn syrup in his bottles? This is what we did with our first son...

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