Breast Fed Baby Does NOT Poop!

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!!!

2 moms found this helpful

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.

2 moms found this helpful

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.

1 mom found this helpful

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.