Breast Fed Baby Does NOT Poop!

My breastfed baby did not poop but every 2 weeks too. Trust me, your baby is NOT constipated and adding things like juice and cereal can actually cause more problems than they solve. I recently did a write up for my website on this very issue, so I'll post it here.

"Baby stooling patterns can be confusing. A common concern of nursing moms is that their baby is constipated. Starting at around 4-6 weeks, the stooling pattern of some breastfed babies changes. A baby that used to poop 3 or 4 times a day might suddenly start pooping every 3 days. It’s not uncommon for a baby to go 7-10 days between poops. A few babies go even longer than that! This does not mean that the baby is constipated. Constipation is a medical condition in which a person is unable to have a bowel movement and experiences pain and discomfort because of it. A baby that is exclusively breastfed is not consuming anything that would cause constipation; rather, the breastmilk itself is so easily and efficiently digested that the baby may simply not be producing enough waste to need to poop.

Your milk is perfectly designed for your baby and he or she can digest it so easily that there is just no need to poop for an extended period of time. There is generally no reason to offer juice, water, or laxatives to a baby who doesn’t need to poop. They probably won't work anyway because there just isn't any poop in there to come out. Additionally, if these methods are used too often, the baby can become reliant on them to poop. When your baby does poop, it will be a full diaper! As long as the stool is soft when it finally does come out, your baby is fine."

Here are some links with more info:
http://www.mother-2-mother.com/normal.htm#NormalStools
http://www.llli.org/FAQ/bm.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/387567/the_diffe...

There are MANY reasons why you should NOT give your baby juice or cereal at this age. Again, here is a write up that I did for my webpage:

"The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed for at least the first six months of life. Anything that is not breastmilk (yes, water too) is considered a solid. There is no need for water, juice, rice cereal or any other substance that is not breastmilk. Most babies are developmentally ready to start solids around 6-9 months. Once your baby reaches 6 months, watch him for the signs that he is developmentally ready for solids. See the articles below on what those signs are. Remember, NEVER offer solids (such as cereal) in a bottle. Among other things, this can actually cause a delay in the baby learning to swallow."

More info here: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html

So here's my advice: Stop the juice. Stop the cereal. Enjoy the fewer poopy diapers (because yes they do start pooping more when you officially start solids). Invest in a good stain fighter (I like Shout Advance) for when your baby does poop because those diapers will be HUGE!

It is not actually abnormal to only poop once a week or so. Up to two and a half weeks is probably the longest I've heard of 100% nursed babies. I know MANY adults who only have about 1 bowel movement per week, and it's VERY common to see 1x per week in children (not constipation).

Your doctor isn't concerned because it literally isn't a concern. It's rather like being upset that one's baby isn't spitting up, because most other babies do. Doctors will do a lot to calm nervous parents though (ie the rice cereal, which has a lot more stuff she can't digest, so it will pass MUCH more frequently...well...that or clog her up, which will create a *real* problem that can then be dealt with).

Your baby probably just has a very efficient metabolism right now, and is getting every last bit of nutrition that she can out of your milk.

Now it is a BIG concern if she's losing a lot of weight, or in pain...that's a sign of a blockage or twisted intestine. But if she's happy and healthy and thriving, seriously, take a deep breath and stress out about something else. <grinning> Which is not meant in a mean way...don't we seem to ALWAYS have something to stress about? So try and relax. You took her to the Dr., the Dr. said she's fine, take it from me...even if your metabolism has you as regular as metamucil wants us all to believe we have to be, many many people have different physiologies. Which is one reason why doctors go to school for SOOOO long. Ask any doctor, ask any nurse, your daughter is fine.

SHE IS NORMAL!!!

Please don't worry, and do as the doctor advised you...it's because she's breastfed and babies get EVERYTHING they need from the great stuff Mommy produces.

Starting solids/cereal is just exactly that 'starting'...it's a test run for the bigger better stuff MUCH later. And, yes it is normal for this type of pooping to occur. My son would not poop for about 4 days, then it was exactly as you described. The issue comes in when it's black/thick or lime green colored.

When my son started solids he would get constipated and the juice, either apple, pear or prune juice diluted would ease the tummy out of the discomfort.

Please do not do anything to try to stimulate her to poop, that could damage her colon and cause BIGGER issues with pooping at all. Your doctor knows what he is saying, please don't worry everything is working in the right ways.

PLEASE DON'T WORRY!!!

This is perfectly normal for a BF baby. My twin boys were BF and only pooped once a month. I freaked out about it, too. The pediatrician said that after about 3 months of age, their bodies get very efficient at using the breastmilk, to the extent that there is practically nothing solid left TO poop out. So don't worry. You're doing great.

This is totally normal... your child is using all the breastmilk to grow, etc. I would hold off on cereal, etc. until 6 months, this diminishes the chances for allergies, etc.

DON'T do the juice, it's just sugar.

My lactation consultant told me that not pooping is not constipation. Constipation is if your child is straining to poop and can't.

Good luck!

Her bowels are just learning. This is normal with breastfed babies. She is still working out all the kinks. As long as the poops are soft and she does not cry, I would not go sticking anything in there. She sounds normal to me.

Constipation is determined by how hard her poops are, not how frequent. If it's soft, she's NOT constipated.

Some babies process breast milk so efficiently that there is almost nothing left by the time it gets to the other end.

Please, please don't start using a rectal thermometer unless your doctor recommends it.

Yes, my 5 month old is the same way. My first baby was not like this so it alarmed me when my second wasn't a regular pooper. I wouldn't worry about it, over time they regulate. In fact, over the past few days number two just started a regular bowel movement every day and I didn't do anything. The one thing that might help however is giving your baby some water.

Good luck!

I agree with the responses from Riley and Deanna Leigh below. My breastfed son only pooped maybe once a week for several months. As long as your daughter's poop is soft, she is most likely just fine. My son's poop was the color and texture of butterscotch pudding (but stinky) and he was considered completely normal. As long as her few poops are not hard and she's not straining painfully, she sounds like she has "normal" (normal being a very side range) bowel movements for a breastfed baby. In our case, the great thing about this time was that we could take long plane trips and not worry about having to change him on the plane...

My son was about that age when he also had a bout of constipation. I had changed nothing within me, I had not started any form of solids at that point and the only thing he ever got was my milk. He was soley breastfed. I used a nasal irrigator with some unpetroleum jelly on the tip... used some warm water to give him a small enema. The thing with constipation (and this goes for adults too) is that when the body is dehydrated it will reabsorb the water from the fecal matter and use it where it is needed... when the fecal matter is too dry it will not pass. Also, you can try adding a little bit of magnesium sulfate (aka epsom salts) to his bath water for his body to absorb. Let him soak in it, but not drink it or anything like that.
Please do NOT stick a thermometer up her rectum to get her to poop. Just like one of the other mothers said... you could do a lot of damage doing that.
As far as to cut or not to cut the juices with water... even as adults we should not drink juices in their full strength. It is WAY too much sugar all at once for an adult pancreas to process, let alone a baby... DO cut the juices and in fact, if you are a juice drinker start cutting yours to help reduce your chance of developing any problems later.

I had some difficulty with my little one as well. Pears and Prunes are some great ways to help them poop. My soon didn't like Prunes though, so we mostly used Pears. Pear juice, and Gerber 1st food Pears. I hope that helps!! Good luck with it!! I know it's scary when they don't poop. But honestly, it does happen and it is normal. As long as the pediatrician has checked her out and is ok with it. Sometimes, I am sure it could be something more. But like I said, your pediatrician has checked her out and given the ok.

My son did the same thing. I was just as concerned, and my pediatrician told me that it was normal, too. I'm happy to report that eventually he did start pooping more often. Just enjoy the less poopy times now and relax.

I had the same issue with my second son. If you're 100% breast feeding, it's not uncommon (seriously messy when they finally DO go, though. urgh.)

This is what helped us:

your diet - dried fruits (apricots, plums, etc). She gets what you get and this will help

now that you've added foods to her diet, you can add this:
-watered prune juice in the bottle
-mashed peaches (white peaches are better) with a tablespoon of Flax Seed Oil (you can add breast milk to water it down)

Those things worked well for us. Good luck!

If your daughter seems happy even at the end of the 2-week cycle, I will say she is fine and normal. If she gets upset easily and seems to be in pain after she hasn't pooped for awhile, I would say you should absolutely give the prune juice or apple juice a try. Or even just more water. My daughter was also exclusively breastfed and also constipated at that age, and the problem for me was that she was not happy after about 10 days so I had to take her to the doctor.

Hello J.~ I also have a 4 1/2 month old baby girl as well as 2 older boys, 3 & 5. She too is an infrequent pooper! But the only time I worry is if I can tell her tummy is hurting, otherwise, don't worry yourself. There are enough other things to worry about. But a couple of things you can try...glycerin suppositories work very quickly if she is ever uncomfortable. And baby ProBiotics work well to regulate them. Good luck!

From all the responses, it is extremely obvious that not all breastfed babies respond the same. Mine pooped once daily, which I thought was too little! I would be worried too if she only pooped once per week- not to mention 2! However, after reading your responses, there seem to be enough moms who have gone through what you're going through and have perfectly normal babies. I would say you have enough evidence now to feel comfortable with what your pediatrician recommends. I would only worry now if she seems uncomfortable or in pain. Good luck to you and your little one.

My son is 7 months old, exclusively breast fed and he to doesn't poop very often. Once every 10 to 14 days is the norm. I have 3 more boys and they all didn't poop more than once a week (at the most). My baby's poop is darker than expected for a breast fed baby too.

As long as she's not in distress and her tummy isn't hurting you don't have to worry. As for feeding solids, i didn't start any of my kids before 6 months of age. My son isn't even interested yet (he also doesn't want any bottles) and so i try every so often.

Good luck!

You may want to try massaging her lower back after every meal after burping. Slow massages downward and circular. Warm the apple juice that was recommended by the pediatrician. Also, something does not seem right about not pooping for that long. It may be the overprotective mom in me but I would get a second opinion from another pediatrician...just in case!

try suppositories for children i used them on my son and it's totally safe..ask your doc if you're worried.

hi, this happened with my son, the doctor reccommended prune juice with water everday, just a little and it seemed to help. Also, make sure you are not giving rice cereal as it is binding, try oatmeal which has fiber.
Don't worry. I think it's very normal.

i hear your pain...i went through the same thing. the dr gave me some advice, but it was not acceptable to my little one. so, i researched it on the internet and asked several moms...some breast fed babies only poop once a week. the reason is that they are using up ALL of the breast milk to grow. good luck!

Hi J., my first advice for you is don't wait till your doctor gives you the OK to start your baby on something. I had my baby's on rice cereal at 6 weeks as do many of my daycare parents. I never deluted my baby's juices with water, they have baby juices on the market that are textured just for baby's. I would try and give her a half a ounce of prune juice, once a week until she starts pooping on a regular basis, my understanding is that breast milk is mostly water and should not cause constipation, also give her water everyday, going on 5 months is a good time to introduce her to a cup with water. Your doctor told you it was OK to start giving your baby cereal at 4 months, mine were on all strained baby foods except meat at tht age, it seems like it is always changing with pedeatricians, start this at 6 months, this at 4 months, well all baby's are diffrent and have diffrent needs at diffrent times, my mom told me when I had my first baby (25 years ago) to listen to the doctor with a grain a salt, and listen to my baby. It didn't make a lot of sense at the time, but as I matured as a mother it started to all make sense. J. L.

My second son pooped every week to 12 days (my first, every time he ate!) and now that he's a year old, every day.
If your doctor is not concerned and your daughter doesn't seem stressed in relation to it, then you have to let nature take its course. Don't mess up her body's process to calm your anxiety.

Keep your thermometer to yourself! :)~

Just one question... was your baby on antibiotics at all? It can cause constipation because it destroys the natural "flora" in the digestive tract. If not, trust your instincts. You're a good mommy.

First of all what I will say can only be based on what you have shared and some important things that you have not shared. Is your daughter functioning as she did before or is she more sedentary, is she more fussy? Trust your motherly instinct here. keep a record on calendar or something for the doctor to have reference, how much she eats. More accurate information you give the doctor the more he has to make an informed decision for your child.
First of all, once you add people food to a babies diet it will change color and change smells, and sometimes consistency depending on what you feed them. It is very normal. I would suggest go online and look up blood in stool to see pictures of what to look for in case there is a problem. It is important to recognise and know to go to doctor right away if you see blood. This is not very likely so don't worry, just good education. If your baby does a lot of grunting without pooping then she is perhaps constipated but your description does not indicate that. If you need some help, maybe more tummy time. Or bouncing your baby over your lap on her tummy and rubbing or patting her back can help stimulate and get things going. And don't forget a lovely wiggley bath to relax her, water can work miracles, usually gets their arms and legs kicking. Another trick is to lay her on back in front of you and take her feet and push them up so her legs are in a squatting position. it can help initiate pushing. I would like to add look up on internet beginning babyfoods and learn what each new food does. Like apple juice softens bowels while apple sauce will firm a child. Some foods will cause gas etc. One last thought, a baby gets antibodies from your milk up to about 6 months. After that its up to you how long you continue. Remember that while breastfeeding what you eat will end up in your milk and can adversely affect your baby. Like onions you eat can cause baby gas issues and lots of crying. So be aware of what you eat prior to such episodes. You may be able to prevent those episodes with a little Mommie investigation and trial and error. Lastly don't worry. Every human body sets its own schedule and you shouldnt be too worried. God knew what he was doing when he created man, and Babies are his greatest miracle. For all the many things in birth that can go wrong it is such a small number that it does go wrong. Enjoy your little bundle of joy, and I promise she will survive quite wonderfully inspite of your apprehension. She is lucky to have a Mom that loves her so much. You are doing GREAT!

Start giving her pureed vegetables like Earth's Best carrots (baby food in the jars), or sweet potatoes or peas, etc... This variety in her diet which is also healthy will probably stimulate her digestion and pooping. :-)

Hi J.
I don't have mush advice as to how to make him go,but I went through the exact same thing with my son. I too did as you do with feedings and stimulating to go poop, but it really didn't help. I was really frustrated when he was fussy and gassy and just wouldn't go and even more so when I tried to help and still nothing! His pediatrician said it could just be because he's irregular like I was.After a while I just backed off and let nature take its course and he just started going on his own.(Not soon after though.) It just started happening slowly. And when he didn't go, I would try not to stress too much. He's now almost two and he still does not have a pooping schedule like most babies/kids do.Some days he goes twice,some none. I just let him go when he needs to and he's fine.

(white) KARO syrup & water. helps with babies & pooping.
Women used karo syrup in the (olden-years) And was reminded to us by a nurse in the hospital in 2005 by a nurse.

Hi J.,

My son did the same thing and was breast fed only as well. Instead of apple juice, which is what I used, I recommend organic pear juice. My dr. just recommended that for my son and it works overnight. IT's fantastic and he loves it. So I'd have her take a few sips per day from bottle as long as straight water. Good luck!

E.

reverse proportion of juice and water and try to give more water w/o juice, esp. after cereal.
Good Luck
V

J., this doesn't sound right at all. My daughter was exclusively breast-fed and at 4.5 months she was pooping grainy mustard-colored poop after every nursing session. Literally EVERY session. Perhaps it is time to switch pediatricians? I just don't see how he could not be concerned about this. Poop building up in your child for one to two weeks cannot be healthy. I don't know where you live, but if you live in central or south Orange County, message me. I have a terrific pediatrician that I adore. She's in Irvine. Best of luck to you.