Newborn Not Having Bowl Movements

You're baby is not constipated. She is absorbing every bit of nourishment she recieves from you. I am very worried by what some of the mothers are advising you to do. Do not give a 4 week old baby juice, water, or any other teas. Please call the hospital that you gave birth at, and ask to speak to a lactation consultant. I had the same issue. The lactation consultant will tell you this is completely normal. Breastfed babies can go for 2 weeks without having a bowel movement. It is completely natural. Don't give her suppositories. She will go on her own. Any lactation consultant will tell you this. It is very important to let your little one's digestive system learn to work on it's own. Suppositories will inhibit this from happening. You'll see, she will go on her own, and when she does it will fill her diaper and probably come out everywhere else. After a couple of months she'll start to go more often. As far as the gassiness. This is something all 3 of my breastfed babies went through. They tend to suck in a little air while nursing and that causes gas. It's probably not the diet you eat. Just her age. They tend to be fussy until they reach the 3 month mark. Please find a LC to talk to. Even most pediatricians don't know enough about breastfeeding. I breastfed 3 kids for 14 to 18 months each, and never supplemented or gave solids until 6 months. I feel like I've been through every breastfeeding issue. Check out the Kellymom website. It's great for breastfeeding mom's. You will find any of your questions answered there. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

If you are really concerned I would contact your pediatrician.

However, an exclusively breastfed baby can go up to a week without pooping. Breastmilk has very little in it that isn't used by baby. So, consequently, there is very little waste. And when they do go, it is often very runny. Maybe a little "seedy"...but still very runny. Think of how your poo would be if you only ate broth or only drank milk. Nothing else.

I would also avoid the karo syrup. That's pretty heavy stuff, even diluted. A good alternative is diluted apple juice or diluted prune juice.

Again, a quick call to the pediatricians office and a chat with the nurse will eliviate your concerns. That is what they are there for.

1 mom found this helpful

Hello! Congrats on the little one. I wouldn't worry. I was told by my pediatrician that breast fed babies poop less frequently than formula fed babies. It could be a week before you see a present. However, if she is gassy, it may be something you are eating. You may want to go without milk or acidic foods. Change it up and see if that helps. I wouldn't give too many suppository's. I would check in with her pediatrician...

I have a six month old and we had the same problem when she was a newborn. I formula fed her. I talked to some other mothers and my pediatrician and we started giving her a little (like 1 oz.) of pear juice a day and she started having bowel movements regularly and they weren't runny, they were the consistency they should be. It took us a little trial and error to find out the right amount of juice. We still give her pear juice everyday and it keeps her consistent. Now that she is older and bigger we give her about 2 1/2 ounces a day. Gerber has the pear juice and it isn't very expensive. It is safe for the baby even as young as she is. It was a life saver for us. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Did you talk to your pediatrician?

I know breast fed babies go less often then formula fed babies, but I recall my son going like crazy at 1 month old and yes it was runny, seedy breast fed poop.

I would talk to the nurses/pediatrician because I am not sure you should be giving her water and karo syrup.

Call right away!

All three of my kids used to poop anywhere from once a week to once every ten days....its perfectly normal ...... everything in breast milk is used up so there is hardly any waste which means it is very common for breast fed babies to go infrequently. I would suggest not giving the suppositories and let her body work naturally. The fact that her poo is loose when she goes means she is not constipated so there is no reason to use a supository. Just enjoy not having to change poopy diapers and stop stressing :) After a month I could tell when mine were about to go (it was like clockwork - like I said one was 7 days, one was 10, the other was random)and I would make sure on that day I took an extra set of clothing with me if we went out because it was always alot of poo !!! I doubt the gassiness is related thats just a normal baby thing whether they go everyday or once a week.
Hope this helps!

By the way my pediatrician said it was perfectly normal!!

breastfed babies sometimes go a few days with out a bowl movement that is normal, also she is too young for water.

It is totally normal for a breastfed baby to not poop some days. It means she's using up everything you're giving her. Don't give suppositories or any kind of juices - her little body isn't ready to handle these things yet.

If she's gassy, try giving her gas drops before every feeding. Try bicicyling her legs to get things moving, and if all else fails, a little stimulation to the anus never hurt - take a warm cloth and rub the anal opening. That helped us! Good luck!

Its my understanding that STRICTLY breastfed babies might not have a bowel movement everyday. HOnestly, they can digest everything in the breast milk and may not have a BM for up to 3-5 days. Breastmilk has a natural laxative effect so her BMs should be a little runny/soft (again only if STRICTLY breastfed).

My newborn was exactly the same - actually it's not uncommon with breast fed babies. And also remember that not all of us go to the toilet every day. My newborn once went seven days without going - my pediatrician told me not to worry and eventually he would go - and he did. I also used karo syrup which perhaps helped a bit. Try to relax. Also, although I occasionally resorted to suppositories I wouldn't use them very often. Try massaging your babies abdomen to get things moving. She will eventually get her own routine - but I have to say my 5-year-old has never been a big Pooper! Even now he only goes every two or three days but is perfectly healthy and a really great eater although naturally slim. Good luck - ALison

It sounds like she's constipated. Sometimes the only thing that gets past a blockage is the runny stuff.

I'd try a glycerin suppository to "clean her out" and then I"d start adding some pear juice to her daily diet. Pear and Prune work good, but from my experience pear is much better. You can find it in the baby food section, NOT the juice section of the grocery store.

I'd definitely go to the pediatrician and get to the bottom of her constipation issues, breast milk should not do this. My daughter didn't have this problem until she started formula, but she had it until she started eating pureed vegetables at 6 months old. I still had to use suppositories maybe once a month, and her normal pooping schedule was every other day. I'm wondering if she is sensitive to dairy products? Some kids are, if the mom eats them. Other then that I don't have any quick answers.

Best wishes!

I am having difficulty reading the other responses, so sorry if this is a repeat response. I breastfed my children and am currently breastfeeding my twin boys. Our children all have allergies to the foods i ate and so i had to modify my diet significantly. Keep in mind when you are changing your diet, it takes 1-2 weeks to see improvements sometimes. I recommend going on an allergy free diet, eliminating the top allergy protiens (Dairy, Soy, tree nuts, eggs, seafood) for several weeks and see how things change. For my daughter it was just dairy, but for the boys it is other stuff as well. Also, read labels. Dairy and these other food items are in a lot of foods and labeled in other ways. Go to the Food alergy & anaphylaxis network for information on how to read labels.
Other natural things that work: brew chammomilia and fennel teas, soak a wash cloth and place on babies tummy; massage the feet.

One last comment, i know that breastfed babies often don't poop every day. So often doctors say not to worry, but it sounds like your daughter is showing signs of discomfort. I wish you all well. It's so frustrating to see little ones uncomfortable.

Hi T..

I would contact my pediatrician's office. I know breast-fed baby's can go up to a week without pooping. Is she miserable because of not pooping or just gas? Different thing in your diet can make her more gassy, so maybe you could look into that aspect(Of course you may have already done that) Good luck. I know how hard it can be with not knowing!

Both of my kids were exclusively breastfed and had several times as infants when they went 5-7 days without a bowel movement. It would always cause me a lot of stress, but the doctor said that as long as I couldn't feel a hard mass in their abdomen, it was fine. He didn't recommend using a suppository until 6 or 7 days without a BM because they can become dependent on them if you use them too much. He did recommend that if the baby seems really uncomfortable to try a small amount of diluted juice, but for my kids that usually made them gassier and more uncomfortable. I would also recommend contacting La Leche League to see if they have additional suggestions regarding changing your diet, but it really is normal for breastfed babies to have infrequent bowel movements. Good luck!

hi T.,

i can understand your concern. i breastfed my son and he was pretty regular so i didn't really have that issue. however, there were a few times i got concerned because he would go several days without. in my research i found that it can be very normal for a breastfed baby to go up to 7 days without having a bowel movement. if the bowel movement is runny than your daughter is definately not constipated. maybe let it go and see how she goes on her own? good luck!

My newborn son had problems with bowel movements and I breastfed for the first 2 months, then had to switch to formula. What we did is give him a bottle of water. If the karo syrup doesn't work, try molasses. Glycerin suppositories will clean her out really good. And if you can dilute prune juice.

My son had a similar problem, and still has constipation issues here and there. My doc told me that some people are more hard wired this way, and to keep an eye on it make sure he was getting enough fruits and veggies (when he was older, of course) etc.. but when he was a teeny little guy, they recommended giving him 2 mL of prune juice in one of the medicine syringes, no more than once a day, to help get things going when he was very uncomfortable from it.

Hi T.,

I'd suggest getting your baby's weight checked just to be sure she's gaining well. If your baby isn't having 3 or more bowel movements a day, until age 6 weeks or older, it's just a red flag to be sure she's gaining well. If she is great. Then you just relax and let her have the BMs whenever her body determines that. I wouldn't do any suppositories, just let her stool on her own.

You might want to get in contact with your local LC and seek out a local LLL Leader for support and information as well.

Best wishes and Happy Holidays,

S.

I would talk to your daughter. I know we had a similar situation with our younger daughter, and we gave her suppositories so frequently that she never would go potty. We were finally told to stop giving her the suppositories (and the doctor did tell us to use them to start with), and give her some natural laxitives (juices and baby food that would help) and not to help her. It took a couple of very painful days, but she got the hang of it. In the end, I think it was harder on us because we wanted to help than her. As the doctor explained, because of her age she "unlearned" how to have the bowel movement without the help. We had to force her body how to figure it out. She's 3.5 and doing fine now.

How much milk/milk products/dairy are you consuming?

A lactation consultant can help you evaluate your diet to see what might be contributing. I had one who was extremely sensitive to just about everything, including spices like cinnamon and protein like peanut butter.

What does the pediatrician say? Rule out something physical as a cause, too.

T. S.

These are the ways I remember people using to help little ones poop when they could not without help.

Diluted apple juice diluted with water. I don't know the percentage juice to water. Try
1/3 full-strength apple juice that adults would drink to 2/3 plain water. If you still
boil water, boil and cool first.

Is the baby fussy? If she needs to poop and can't she will fuss and cry more than not.

I breastfed my younger daughter, and as time went by, I learned that no matter what I ate she became gassy. I had to pat on her a lot and rock her and when she got a little older she seemed to outgrow it.

My daughter had seedy looking poop from breastmilk. Some breast babies just don't poop as much as others. You might also call a local hospital and ask for the local number to the LaLeche League. They can give you some free advice.

You might also try www.lalecheleague.org for info.

Hope this is some help for you.

L. C.

Breastfed baby poop is always runny. Some babies absorb everything and don't poop as much. Does she strain to poop as if she is constipated? Does she cry about it? Baby's digestive system aren't always regular and she is still so young. Breastmik has very little waste to it. The standards set for what is regular are probably based on bottle fed babies. Formula has alot of waste to it and would cause the bottle fed baby to poop more often. You are smart to look into your own diet. Brocolli, chocolate, coffee, eggs and dairy can be the culprits. You might contact a Le Leche League Leader for some advice and of course ask your pediatrician...what's normal for some isn't normal for all. The Karo syrup helps, but it is just sugar that baby really doesn't need. No worries!

She may be lactose intolerant. Have you asked your doctor? Breast feeding babies have a BM after each feeding.

It is good that you recognize you needed to change your diet. My suggestion is to stay away from dairy (unless it is other than from cows)and definitely increase your roughage (raw fruits and vegetables). Stay away from foods that are binding.

Also, if you are taking a prenatal vitamin with iron, she may have a sensitivity to the iron. The iron in prenatal vitamins is usually not digestable (does not absorb into the body), creating constipation.

Also the appropriate amount of water for a person is 1/2 their weight in ounces. So if you weigh 130, your water intake should be 65 ounces.

Hope this helps.

M.

I would contact a ped, but also contact a La Leche League leader. If you are close or can get to Dr. Park Davis in W. Bloomfield, check her out for a ped. She's very supportive of breast feeding.

At that age you'll want to make sure she is getting enough nutrition.. how often is she nursing? Is she nursing well? Does she seem constipated?

My son's poops were very runny at that age.

This is something you should talk to her doctor about. At a month old, her poo won't be completely solidified, so the runniness isn't a huge concern, but not going at all could be something to be concerned about.

My son had the same problem. All the "home" remedies didn't work, so his doctore prescribed Malt Supex. We added it to his bottle. It was expensive, but worked great. It's not a drug per se, it's a malt derivedid.
good luck.