3 Month Old Son's Bowel Movement

Updated on March 18, 2008
M.M. asks from Pittsburgh, PA
8 answers

Hi everyone,
I will be calling my Dr's office this morning to ask him the same thing but wanted to get your opinions. My 3 1/2 month old son has not pooped for 2 days. He has a wet diaper around 8x a day (but no poop). He is breastfeeding entirely since he was born. The first 2 months, he pooped about 4-6 x a day, peed about 6x a day or more and then it started to slow down (only the pooping, not the peeing) nearing his 3rd month, around the 3rd month, he pooped 1 or 2 x a day (but with many wet diapers) now no poop for a couple of days. He looks and acts healthy, is gaining weight, playful, very interactive and like I said, has a wet diaper 6 to 8 x a day. I heard somewhere that breastfeed babies do not poop nearly as much as formula fed babies. Please share your thoughts with me on this. Thanks so much !

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So What Happened?

Just want to thank everyone for their responses. My 3 1/2 month old finally pooped this morning...he did so with avengeance haha...anyway, all your comments were really helpful. Thanks so much again !

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J.H.

answers from York on

My son is also three months old, and sometimes he will go three days without pooping. My pediatrician told me that as long as he's pleasant and doesn't seem to be in any pain, he's fine. Hope this helps!

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J.B.

answers from York on

maria, my daughter got constipated when she was a few days old. my milk wasnt in the whole way yet, and she wasnt getting enough breastfeeding so we supplemented with formula for a little bit until my milk came in fully. according to her pediatrician.. this was h*** o* her tummy and she didnt have a bowel movement for 4 days. her tummy was really swollen and she was very irritable. you could tell she was uncomfortable. they had be get infants glycerin suppositories. i dont recomend doing this unless a dr tells you to. and be prepared for a big mess. i had to hold the suppository in her bottom for a few minutes and after it melted in and did the trick she was going non stop for over an hour. it was a pretty terrible mess so if your doctor has you do this, i would suggest having old towels or something under your baby that you can just throw out, rather than diapers like i was doing and wasting. again, this was under the direction of her doctor b/c she was so uncomfortable. so make sure you talk to your kids doc first and see. if your child is excluisively brestfeeding and not getting anything else that could upset his tummy, then maybe its just the breast milk itself like other moms have already said. i wish you good luck.

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J.M.

answers from Pittsburgh on

At this age, this is quite normal. Some babies go a week without pooping, but when they do, be ready! The first 6-8 weeks, they should poop at least 2x a day, to be sure that they are getting enough. After that it is not abnormal to go days between. If he is gaining weight and acting normally, there should be nothing to worry about.

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H.

answers from Pittsburgh on

My ped always said it's perfectly normal for breastfed babies to go as often as every feed to skipping several days - I think around 7-10 days is the max. My 9 month old seems to have a sensitive stomache and if she eats too many bananas (sometimes as little as a 3/4 inch slice) she gets really constipated. But she is miserable - her tummy gets tight and she cries and it's obvious that she is straining to go with little to no success. The thing that we have to do to get her going is use a rectal thermometer. If your daughter is happy and not having any difficulties when she does go, I wouldn't worry about it. I think 6 is the magic number for wet diapers in 24 hours - as long as she's having those and is happy, all should be just fine.

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K.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I remember getting worried about this at one point with my son too. My ped was really great and told me that as long as my son was still having wet diapers and was acting like himself, there was most likely no problem. If the wet diapers stop or if he seems lethargic, then the doctor said to call them right away. Babies just sometimes have off days, plus they're still trying to find their own rhythms with the poopy diapers. My doctor reminded me that some adults don't go every single day and likewise every baby will have his or her own version of how much is normal for them. In the interim, I've tried giving my son a little apple juice (mixed with water) and that's seemed to help things along. I've also tried moving his legs in a bicycle motion (my Mom's home-remedy). Eventually my son went to the bathroom and went right back to his 2-3 times a day routine. He just had an off day. I'm sure your little one is just fine!

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S.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

It's totally normal for breastfed babies to not poop every day. As long has he is not showing signs of discomfort or constipation, don't worry about it. Breastmilk is highly digestible with little waste, so sometimes it takes a few days. I believe that up to 10 days is completely normal for breastfed babies.

My DD is 6 months old and is currently on day 3 of no pooping. I'm expecting a blow out any time now. She alternates between going every day and every 3-4 days.

S.

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R.H.

answers from Allentown on

I talked to my doctor about this same thing. I breastfed solely as well. She said that breastmilk is meant to be used and it's not abnormal for a breastfed baby to go up to (almost) ten days without a BM. Formula is not digested the same and so a formula fed baby should always be pooping... if not then there is reason to ask questions. Unless your little one seems to be in discomfort, don't worry. Enjoy the less stinky world of less poop! :-) But get ready, when solid foods start... the stench returns with a vengence!

here's to a fresh air day,
R.

to reply to the message left about the supository... it may help to give your baby a little bit of water, just a little. Remember when a baby goes from breastfeeding to solids they're not getting as much liquid. Even an adult will get constipated if they eat solids with not enough liquids!

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H.K.

answers from Philadelphia on

Hello,

I am breastfeeding a 10 month old baby boy. I know for sure that your baby will poop less as the months go on due to the fact that he is growing and is using more of the calories rather than expending so easily;) I remember those days of poop with every feeding! Don't let him go too long without pooping though, of course ask your doc, but you can give a glycerine suppository. When I started giving my baby solids around 5 months or so, he became constipated at first because his gastrointestinal tract is still developing. I did have to give him a few suppositories, but they are very mild and NOT a laxative. As long as he is nursing just as much and peeing, I would not stress too much over it. But, it doesn't hurt to call the doc:) Good luck!

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