Baby with Bowel Movements Less than Once a Week...

YES YES YES!!! Follow your instincts! UDO'S makes a terrific probiotic for babies and children. I have seen it work time and time again and any good health food store should carry it. It is powdered and easily mixed in anything eaten off a spoon or if you can pump and mix some in a bottle. You can take them as well to boost your body and energetically support your beautiful being as well as your baby! Be well!

Breast fed babies typically have few bowel movements because breast milk is digested faster.

I would quit with the warm water enemas and suppositories, as a baby's system can get used to having the help and then they rely on them more to do the work. "The use of enemas or suppositories or manipulation of the anus should be discouraged since it is potentially painful or frightening to the infant, and since learning defecation takes practice, this may delay the learning process. In fact, repetitive manipulation of the anal area may result in the infant learning that external intervention is required to pass stools." http://www.breastfeed.com/articles/breastfeeding-basics/w...

you can also search www.kellymom.com for more information about breast feeding and bowel movements.

My twins had the same problem. I gave them prune juice a couple of times a day. I also gave them a spoonfil of something like caster oil to help them. I feed them foods that facilitated bowel movements and avoided those that did not. Do an internet search for those foods.

W.

don't let this go without being persistent about treatment. my grandaughter went through almost a year of screaming at the top of her lungs whenever she had to have a bowel movement. we tried suppositories, karo syrup, warm decaf tea you name it we tried it. she also had small little hemmoroids. we always wanted to cry whenever she went, well anyway we had to take her to the emergency room one night and a dr. fiqured out what was wrong. he prescribed her glycolax which we had to put in her milk and juice, we did that everyday for a few months and now she is regular without the medicine.

K., My son was the same way as an infant. His doctor had me mix 1 table spoon of karo syrup in his formula bottle, that worked for a while, then she had me put 1 tablespoon of infant prune juice in his formula bottle that worked for awhile then she had me use green beans and pears alot to help. My son had problems continuous with this. He is now 12 and has had problems so sevire that he throws up and he saw a bowel specialist and we found out he allergic to tomatoes and tomato base products. even eliminating this from his diet he still has to take daily medication for the constipation. I had 3 doctors say that over use of enamas and suppositories can cause your bowels to get lazy and require this assistance for movement. Natural is better. My son did not have extreme illness with his until he was 8 and it has taken me 3 years to finaly get a solid answer. Good luck. M.

My son did the same thing. But his started when he was 3 1/2 weeks old and we had to take him to the hospital for some test, in which they made him go with out eating for 12 hours, then gave him barium(sp?) to drink, that's when he started not going regularly, he was also breast fed, but I always worried, the longest he went was 10 days without going, I used to give him plain yogurt to help things along.

My now 3 year old had the same problem while being breastfed. Our doctor sugggested adding a tablespoon of dark karo syrup to a couple of his bottles per day and it worked wonders. I just used pumped milk and added the syrup and shook it up real good.

Good Luck.

C. P

Our Doctor suggested the Gerber Apple/ Prune juice (1-2 a day). My son actually liked it and I found it at Walgreens (individual serving bottles). My son even had to have a barium enema at the hospital to look for blockage..but nothing. Now we have no problems. I guess he out grew whatever it was, but the juice did help.

I remember my daughter would go for about 6 days and then you had to WATCH OUT!!! it did not seen to bother her~H.

Hmm, my first instinct would be to get a second opinion. My suggestion, in the mean time, is to get some information (can be found on the internet) about infant massage. I tout it all the time, as it was a lifesaver in our house. When my daughter was an infant, she used to tense up before a bowel movement, and get really fussy. Once I started an infant massage class (offered through the hospital where I gave birth, but there are individuals out there who also teach), it was like night and day. She would be so relaxed with the massage, that I would get to her tummy, and it would ALL come out!! She's 4 1/2 now, and when she gets constipated, she still asks me to rub her tummy, and it still seems to work wonders!

Besides the physical benefits, it really lets you have special time with your baby, because they love it! We made it part of the night-time routine (bath, massage, milk), and she seemed to sleep better. I've since read some info saying that babies who have had massages sleep through the night sooner.

Best of luck!
D.

your doc is right! my breastfed baby would go up to 10 days between bms! unless he's uncomfortable, no need to prod things along!

Hi K.,

My son, who was also breastfed, would go days without a bowel movement. One time he went a full 9 days, and I was worried, but all turned out fine. My son also had antibiotics after he was born, but I'm not sure whether that would have an effect or not. He is now 3 and has a bowel movement just about every day, so his pattern in infancy did not carry over to toddlerhood.

Hope this helps.
--J.

Hi K.-
I'm a stay at home mom of two as well, and my youngest, a boy, is almost nine months old and sounds just like yours'. He has/is only breastfed and on stage two foods. He also has never been a big pooper (once a week if that) and has never been bothered by it until he started eating baby food (he was never hospitalized by the way either). We used warm bathes at first but then that didn't even seem to help after awhile- what has been working for us is prunes (they only make them in stage one but we don't care, he just needs them) every other day he gets one full serving for one of his meals. Within about a couple of hours/ half a day, he goes and goes well. We also at times have used mineral oil; its tasteless, odorless and basically just "slicks" their tract so it can make it easier for them to go (just mix a little of it in with their food- may want to ask your dr. about this first). Hopefully this will work for you and help lessen your sons need for suppositories.
Good luck and let us know how everything turns out. :)

Two of my babies have had trouble with bowel movements. I never really saw success using the suppositories. At this age, I'm guessing that you may be introducing foods? My pediatrician suggested only foods that being with p's: pears, peaches, plums, prunes. Banannas, apples, rice cereal, and iron fortified foods are going to make matters worse. If you can't find a cereal without extra iron, don't use it every day (try using the regular instant oatmeal - if he doesn't have trouble swallowing it). I used to take a jar of peaches or pears and mix in a little oatmeal - wala! - When juices became appropiate, OJ was a great equalizer!!! Also staying hydrated with plenty of water helps even now as they are older. As toddlers, we practiced relaxation breathing during bowel movements. You didn't mention it, but my babies had very painful ones. Still talk things over with the pediatrician and mention it at well child check ups to make sure that aren't more serious issues. GOOD LUCK!

Encourage him to drink water. Water is needed by the body, and is very beneficial in loosening the bowels. When my boys were infants my pediatrician advised me to offer them water in their bottle. He may not drink very much at first, for he won't like the taste, but some is better than none. Most babies get the water intake they need from formulas that are diluted with it, but in the case of breast feeding there is no water intake.
Be very careful and never leave him alone with a bottle of water, for even we, as adults, tend to get strangled on water at times.
You could also offer him some snacks such as dry cereals for fiber, that dissolve real fast in the mouth, such as cheerios. Most babies love finger food, or something they can do themselves.
I would try these things before suppositories.
I never liked to use those things on my babies, because of fear of causing rectal bleeding or something. Hope this works for ya.
Good luck,
R.

I breastfed both of my boys and the youngest actually pooped only every 10-14 days, and he also had some antibiotics in his early days. I knew it was normal for breastfed babies to only go about once a week (as my eldest had done), but my doctor told me that while it was not usual for babies to go 10-14 days, it was also not abnormal. My son didn't seem bothered by it either until the day or two before he went. Did your doctor suggest using enemas and suppositories? My doctor cautioned me about using suppositories--and I never even considered enemas--because using those things can take away your child's ability to poop on his own. I would stop using aids like that and check with your doctor about going ahead and introducing yogurt (if you think probiotics is an issue and might help) or puree and mix high-fiber blueberries into applesauce or pears. You can also look into infant massage techniques for moving the bowels.

Once your child is eating more solid foods--pack in the fiber!--your son should go more regularly. But even now that my youngest is two, he still goes with less regularity than his brother even though they eat pretty much the same things. Everybody is different. Good luck!

When my son was a baby (he's now 18 and completely fine) he was breast fed, and for about 6 or 8 months he only had a bowel movement on Tuesday. I couldn't leave the house on Tuesday until after he did it, because it generally involved changing him from head to toe and giving him a bath. It didn't worry me much because I'd read alot about breastfeeding and knew it was fairly normal for them to have fewer bowel movements. As he began eating more table food, his pattern changed and he'd go every couple of days, but it never hurt him and my pediatrician never worried about it. On the other hand, my daughter, now 14, had one every day or two when breastfed, and now she has all kinds of stomach complaints.

But if his stools are hard and he has a hard time passing them, you may have something to look into. A breastfed baby should have loose movements that are easy to pass.
Hope this helps!

I think this is common for breastfed babies. This happened to my son when he was a few months old. His doctor told me that babies start to use up more nutrients from the breast milk and don't have bowel movements as often as they did in the beginning.
Does your baby eat solid foods yet? If he is constipated (rice cereal can cause constipation) you could try feeding him pureed pears, prunes, and/or peaches.

Totally normal for breastfed babies. If he seems very uncomfortable and gassy when it is time, then maybe just try some little tricks to help him expel the gas. Get him to burp and push his legs up some. But don't be concerned. Little babies always seem like they are straining to poo, it's just kind of what they do. If he is otherwise well and nothing appears to actually be wrong with him, it's good. I breastfed both of my little ones. =)

I have two daughters that both went through some hard times with constipation as you described. The doctors only solution was to give them a laxative everyday. I tried everything then finally a friend suggested the probiotics. I was already giving them good yogurt, but there is just not enough of the probiotics to really get things back to normal unless you eat alot. I gave them Shaklee Optiflora Probiotic Complex. Within a week, they were going daily with ease. Once everything was normal, I stopped giving it to them and just keep some on hand. It is a very small capsule that I put in a spoonful of applesauce. My two year old did not even know it was there. I have a 10 month old son and would not hestitate to give it to him if he becomes constipated.

http://www.shaklee.net/lthigpen/product/20639

Shaklee offers a 100% guarentee. If the product does not help, just return it.

I hope this helps. Nothing is more heart wrenching then seeing your little ones suffer. I did not like the helpless feeling I had when they would struggle.

L.

K.,
When I was exclusively breastfeeding, my daughter went several days to a week between bowel movements. This started when she was only 2 weeks old. Our lactation consultant recommended putting KY Jelly on a Q-tip and inserting it into her anus. She said that this would encourage her muscles to start pushing. We did this a few times, but it didn't really work. She never seemed uncomfortable; she just didn't go often.

I found a book on baby massage and one on baby yoga. There are some things you can do to help move things through. First, massage in a clockwise motion around the belly button (do small circles in a large circle around and then do large circles moving closer and farther away from the belly button). The yoga book recommended having your baby lie on his back and then you push his knees up to his chest (stop if he resists) and hold them there for about 10 seconds. Extend them back to the floor. Do this 3-5 times. You can also grasp his thighs while he is lying in this position and rotate them together in a clockwise motion 8-10 times. If he is going to go, these motions will help.

I started introducing solid foods when my daughter was 6 months old and she would have a bowel movement at least once a day, sometimes up to 5 times! She still nurses 5 times a day and eats 2 ounces of solid foods 3 times a day; she is very regular now.

I wouldn't worry too much about it unless he is uncomfortable. I was told that it was ok by some people and then I was told it wasn't by others. Everyone has their opinion. You can always try what people suggest, but ultimately, every child is different. What works for some won't work for others.

I had antibiotics after my C-section that my daughter got through my breast milk, but I don't know enough about all of that to comment. I did take probiotics, so she received those through the breast milk, but obviously it didn't help her. Starting solids was the only thing that made her go more often.

A.

What you are experiencing is quite common in breastfed babies. After about 6 weeks old, bf babies can go up to 2 weeks without a bowel movement. As he gets older and start eating solid foods, he should become regular.

My son is 8 months now, and he went through the same thing. So did my best friend whose daughter is 10 days younger than my son.

You mentioned that he is 7 months. Hopefully you're already giving him pureed baby foods.

Good Morning,

I told my doctor about my problem of being constipated and
she prescribed warm apple juice. I love apple juice and
so I tried it and it worked. Have a great day.

K. i've breastfed all 3 of my children ( they are 3yrs-8mth) there has been constipation but not as often as you are asking about. I was told by my dr's that it would not be a good idea to depend on suppoositories to get them to have a bm...i would get a second opinion...

Both my boys went through this. They were both breast fed. My mom 'the wise one' said its very commen in breast fed babys to go many days with out a messy diaper. if my bosy do get fussy/gassy i just give them some gas drops and they tot and they may and or may not poo and there fine. I wouldnt suggest putting anything up your childs rear when their that young. im not sure why a doctor would suggest that either. but yes im not a doctor. good luck, its pretty normal, nothing to worry about! ;o)

My youngest was the same way. I did the same thing, she would start getting fussy, and I would do the enema. She would go and go and go, then be fine. It eventually worked itself out when she started on regular food.
A.

My second son was the exatly the same till eight 1/2 months. I would do try everything the supposorties when it got to the end of the seven days because I could tell it was starting to bother him. I did adult prune juice as well, which was recommend by the doctor. He was pre mature too! Finally it got to the point where he wasn't gaining weight and they said to add in formula to his diet. It didn't help him till I changed to Soy milk. Personlly I think his intestines where just not mature enough and the soy milk was easy for him to digest. After that he started going everyday to everyother day. Not sure if this helps but maybe you can talk more with your doctor with the suggestions people have given you. Oh yeah I also added Flax seed oil to his diet as well.

Hi K.. My daughter is breastfed and she would only go once a week maybe. She once went about 10 days without a bm. My son when he was breastfed also went days without having a bm. It is very normal in breastfed infants. The pediatrician told me at my daughter's wellness check-up that all was well as long as when she does go, it looks as it should. Sort of mustardy and creamy or loose. She told me that if she got constipated to give her some water with a little apple juice in it. That was at her 4 month. I guess at 7 1/2 months you could just give him some diluted apple juice for constipation, but irregular bowel movements are perfectly normal. Don't know anything about the probiotics but hope that eases your mind about the bm part.

Hi K..
Pure pumpkin, not the kind for pies. Give him a teaspoon or two throughout the day. It works for constipation or loose stools. Lots of fiber as well. Perhaps incorporate this into his daily routine of food (if you are feeding jar food).
It really does work for humans and animals believe it or not.
good luck!
W. from Indiana

When I had my first baby it was a girl. And I breast feed her until she was 8 months old. I stopped at this age because she seem to want to drink out of cups. The entire time that I was breast feeding her she never had a problem with contispation and it has always been stated that babies that are breast feed usually don't have constipation problems. But her stool sometimes was a little loose but that was no problem and she had a bowel movement almost everyday. To me it sounds like there is something else going on. Maybe you should take your baby to a gastrointestional doctor for children. Because you can only keep giving the supporities for a short time. And maybe what's going on is not that serious if you get to the problem soon enough. I wish you good luck because we all know if the baby is fussy so is the mother.

This is normal for breastfed babies. We would go 9 days!.It is scary for a Mom. Suppositries and enemas can make it worse because the body forgets how to have a bowel movement on it's own after a while. Your baby is not constipated. I've been told the baby actually uses so much of the milk that there is very little waste and this is why they don't go as often. Don't worry you'll have you fill of poopy dipes soon enough!!

My second child was breastfed and would go for more than a week with no dirty diapers too. I was worried like you, but once we stopped nursing around a year he became regular. He is 7 now and doing just fine...

Hi K., Both of my daughters went through this and it is completely normal. For reasons out of my control, i had to stop nursing them around 5 months (so i'm not sure with older breastfed babies). But for the 5 months, it was very normal for them to have only 1 BM every 7-10 days and both my pediatrician and lactation consultant said that this was completely normal. But if you have concern or your son starts to feel more uncomfortable, you should definitely look into it further. One thing that helps move things along and helps with gas in general is massaging the tummy. If you were facing your son, massage the tummy in a clock-wise manner. Almost like an upside-down "U" on the tummy. Good luck!

I breastfed both of my girls. The first for fourteen months and the youngest for eighteen months. Your situation was common for both my girls. The way it was explained to me by a lactation specialist was this: Since the breast milk produces exactly what a child's saliva tells it to...the child's body doesn't produce as much waste. Of course, this didn't happen to either of my girls when they were eating supplemental foods on a regular basis. For the first year, my girls only had breast milk. I'm not sure how much supplemental foods your little one is eating everyday. I thought I would pass along to you what happened in my experiences with my girls.

As a Nurse I have seen lots of remedies, But the most natural is warm water with white Karo Syrup. About two tbsp per 8 oz. Thay love the taste and the warmth soothes thier tummies. Worked for my kids !

I breastfed both of my boys for 10 months/11 months and both of them only had bowel movements 1ce a week. I read this was normal in a lot of pregnancy books before my first son was born. Until you move up to the jar baby foods, this is typical for a lot of babies. Also, if he is teething, a lot of the gas comes from the acidic saliva that they swallow; teething hurts gums and tummys. I've heard of moms using suppositories with their kids at a young age, then their bodies never really develop the necessary muscles to make bowel movements naturally, there is a 5 yo in my neighborhood that has to drink stool softeners in her juice every morning b/c her body has always had HELP in that dept, so be careful with that stuff :)

I went through the exact same thing with my first daughter who is now 6 and still has issues. Her doctor suggested to us to feed lots of prunes and to use Milk of Magnesium (spelling?). They will not get addicted to this. That seemed to really help. I also breastfed and was puzzled by her not going but her doctor also said that it can happen. I would also put Karo syrup in her bottle and that really helps. Hope you have some success!!

I am a mother of three, who were all breastfed. All three, at one point (I can't remember how many months, maybe around 7 months), would not have a BM for several days (possibly up to a week). Once they did, YIKES!! Always a ton, and always a new outfit was needed. With my first, I was concerned, but my doctor, like yours, said it was normal. I hope this helps.

This is very common. Both of my boys experienced this, and yes at first I was concerned too. My research showed that with breast milk there frequently is no waste. Hence the baby can use almost all of it for nutrition and growth.

Hope this helps.

P.S. I would skip the enemas. I occassionally used a suppository on my boys. Enemas will rinse out beneficial bacteria.

My child went through the same thing at 5 months and I was completely stumped because at the time, he was only on breast milk. He went as long as 10 days one time. The doctor told me that I could give him a little bit of juice to help with the problem though. We started on Baby Apple Juice and Baby Pear Juice because those are less harsh on the stomach and then went to Baby Apple and Prune Juice. Gerber amkes both of those and you can find them at any store. THey told me to start with about 2 ounces and to do no more than four a day. HOpe that helps, it did my sone a lot. Just be ready for a big mess after the prune juice.

I would try probiotics. They can't hurt. They come in powders that you can just sprinkle on your nipple. Even you taking them would help. Most the breastfed babies I know go pretty regularly.
My daughter was born with fluid in her lungs also... is that really a result of the antibiotics they told me I had to have??

Our daughter, who is now 2 years, 3 months, had the same issue. (I breastfed her until she was 13 months old.) I also worried about it at the time, but it all turned out fine. I thought that perhaps she was constipated, but as long as it's soft when it finally arrives, it's considered normal. In later months, until she was 13 months old, she struggled with constipation, and I had to feed her high fiber foods (beans, sweet potatoes, peas) constantly and avoid rice products and cheese to keep her somewhat regular. When she was 13 months old, she had a major shift (pretty much overnight), and suddenly her bowel function was "normal." Hope this helps some.

Hi this may sound crazy but my son had the same problem when he was a baby. We took him and his older brother to a chiroprator for ear problems- as a last resort and the doctor asked us if he had problems going to the bathroom- we were TOTALLY suprised since we hadn't mentioned anything. We told him yes and he picked him up- he was about 6 months old and did something to his back and we heard a little pop and he pooped about an hour later and hasn't missed a day in 10 years. We were floored but it worked! He also helped get rid of the fluid behind his ears.

Can't hurt! Good luck!

Yes, this is normal for breastfed babies your son's age. Their stools don't have enough mass to trigger the peristaltic reflex, especially if they're not standing up much.

If he seems uncomfortable, or if you're worried about getting the Big One in the middle of church, glycerin suppositories are useful.

My daughter would have this sometimes. Our doctor told us to add dark karo syrup to her bottle (I can't remember if it was 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon - your pediatrician would probably know). Within two hours, she would have a bowel movement.

My son was the same way. He was NOT breastfed. His doctor said, as long as he IS going and isn't uncomfortable, he's fine. He told me to put a teaspoon or so of Karo Syrup in his bottle, then if the teaspoon wasn't enough, increase it a little at a time. Karo Syrup works like a charm! When I had that problem, every single person I asked said...Karo Syrup.
But as long as he's not getting too uncomfortable because of it, he's probably not in any danger or pain.

Hi K.,

I know you have gotten a lot of responses already but I had to weigh in. My son is mostly breastfed as well and he would go once every 7-10 days. Another mommy friend of mind read somewhere that a child went 21 days without a bowel movement and was fine. All this to say, it really is normal for a breastfed baby to not have a bowel movement everyday, and I most definitely want to echo the sentiment of not using enemas and suppositories, they do more harm than good in the long run and developing bowel habits. Once I started my son on more solids, he started going more often. Also think about adding other liquids to his diet like water and juice because the additional fluid helps to keep the BM's soft and better able to pass. Hope this helps.- K.

This is normal for breastfed babies. My little one was the same way. You should not do anything to encourage a BM, no enemas and certainly no suppositories!
Here's a quote from Dr Jack Newman, found on kellymom.com

"Some breastfed babies, after the first three to four weeks of life, may suddenly change their stool pattern from many each day, to one every three days or even less. Some babies have gone as long as 15 days or more without a bowel movement. As long as the baby is otherwise well, and the stool is the usual pasty or soft, yellow movement, this is not constipation and is of no concern. No treatment is necessary or desirable, because no treatment is necessary or desirable for something that is normal."

DO NOT GIVE KARO SYRUP! I know there will be many moms who tell you to, though. Karo syrup can contain botulism spores. Although karo has changed their processing in the last few years, there is still this chance. Don't belive me? Google it. Go to Karo's website. You'll see a disclaimer there.

adults all have different bowel patterns, and so do babies. as long as your son is growing, and wetting enough diapers, he is probably fine. if he seems gassy and fussy, you could try gas drops, or warm baths. also mirilax is safe for babies this young. it is over the counter. i mix up one whole dose, i think its 4 oz, and put it in the fridge, than add about one oz of that to a cup of water down juice. you can do this every day, but start with once per week and increase it slowly so that you are giving the minimum needed to see results.

Hello K.,

I know that almost all babys who are breast feed usually have several bowel movements a day. Make sure that you are not eating all constipating foods like lots of cheese. Does you baby have an extended tummy? Please check out our site and click on Hirschsprungs disease just to rule it out please check the symptoms. Go to http://www.tummyissues.net and then click on the left hand side that says tummy links you will see it there. Please keep an eye on your baby because so many doctors dismiss a serious tummy issues on babies. keep us posted. C.

I have 2 daughters and both have been like that! My oldest did not have a bowel movement for 10 days after she was born. She continued on this pattern for most of her toddler years. My doctors assured me of the same thing. Both my daughters were breastfed! I had one doctor tell me that she was using everything my milk had and did'nt have any waste to create. Who knows? I have been like you...worried that something was wrong with them. I only used suppositories a couple of times...my doctors assured it would happen on it's own. One thing I would try to do...i would give the baby some baby food prunes. This helped my youngest one a lot. My doctor also gave my oldest a syrup...I think basically sugar water that sometimes help to speed things up!
H. this helps some!

Your Dr. is right, some brestfeed babies go a week or a little more inbetween bowel movements. However if your child is hurting with it you should think about seeking other types of help. I know when my daughter was having problems we took her to a Chiropractor, It did wonders for her. Sometimes the nerve endings can be pressed on and cause problems with bowel movements and even later with bed wetting. I also know an older child who has had problems with bed wetting and is now currently under a chiropractors care and has stoped bed wetting. what happened with our daugher made my husband deside to go to Chiropractic school 5years ago when he was laid off from his job in the factory. He is now practicing in Union City at Horner chiropractic. Good luck with everything you and your son will be in my prayers.