When Is He Going to Poop??????

It is normal for exclusively BF babies to not poop very often (but when they do go....watch out!), BM doesn't leave much waste. But if he is grunting etc I would think he is probably constipated from the formula. If you can go without giving him that he would probably have an easier time. He may still go many days without a bowel movement, but he won't be constipated like that. With a baby that young, I wouldn't be giving him anything additional to help with the constipation.

When my daughter was young (maybe 1-2 months old), she only pooped every 5-7 days...once she went 11 days! She was gassy, but didn't seem to be in any digestive pain. When talking with the lactation consultant, basically she said that the baby is very effectively digesting my milk and there isn't much waste product. As long as she wasn't in pain, was having wet diapers and gaining weight, up to two weeks would be the upper end of normal for going without a poop. Enjoy it now...she's a year old now and goes several times a day :)

It's not that uncommon in BF babies. Just make sure he's peeing enough...lots of wet diapers every day. Do not give him anything else, unless it's formula. I'd even pump or feed on the breast at night. Babies that small can't digest anything except BM or formula well, and other stuff could make him sick. As long as he's not hurting or straining with no results, or not peeing, just go with the flow. Good luck!!

Totally BF babies can easily go a week to 10 days without pooping, in fact, many children & adults only go once a week.

No No No, I am totally against every post here. The reason your baby isn't pooping could be the little bit of formula your giving him, BUT MOST LIKELY it is your breastmilk...what are you eating? breastfeeding mothers' milk is usually the culprit - if you are breastfeeding you should obstain from eating crappy foods that will upset your childs tummy and constipate him:
chocolate, too much dairy (no ice cream ever), spicy food or anything with any chili powder, chips and soda, caffeine, etc.
Breastfed babies should be pooping everyday until they start solid foods at age 6 months, and only grunt and strain if there's a problem in their tummies. Take these foods out of your diet and drink a ton of water yourself and you'll have a completely better baby in 24-36 hours. This is the first step to having a healthy eater and pooper for the rest of his life! (it really makes a difference and you'll feel better too when you eat better as well)

My son did the same thing around 4 weeks old. He went from a few times a day to once every few days, even went 5 days before. My doctor said its normal, as long as he isn't in pain. I'm also breastfeeding with an occasional bottle of formula.

Don't freak out! Completely normal, especially breastfed babies. My daughter's pediatrician told me that the reason for the gas and the grunting, turning red, etc. is because they do need to poop. However, they don't know which muscles to use yet to poop efficiently. So, they try a bunch and it seems like they're straining with the grunts - they're really just trying different muscles. As long as he's not in pain and screaming, he's fine. My daughter's pediatrician said that if she went longer than ten days to give her just a bit of watered down prune juice - when she was that little it worked every time. He's okay. :)

hi! not to worry. i had the same issue with my third baby, a boy. he would go days without pooping in the beginning. i think the longest stretch was between 8-10 days. i was freaked out about it, too, but, he was fine. just the way his system worked. my other 2 kids were not like that at all, but, everyone's different. eventually, when he wasn't a newborn anymore, he become more regular and now that he is 13 months old, he is pooping 2-3 times/day. i would try not to worry about it. some kids are just like that.

good luck!!!

He will poop and when he does, be prepared for a large mess. In all seriousness, if he is not yet on solids (yet he is wetting his diaper) don't worry too much. If he is very fussy however, call your pediatrician.

Don't worry. It's normal.
My son pooped 7 times a day (one after each feeding) and my daughter pooped once a week (and went up to 10 days). I was really worried (especially that my mom was freaking out about it)
But the ped said that it's completely normal. Each baby has a different rhythm.
I tried probiotics but it didn't help. She just didn't need to go that often and kept all the good breast milk to grow.
My daughter began to poop some more when she began solid food and now, at 11 months, she poops once or twice a day.
You can relax!

Exclusively breastfed babies don't get constipated. BM is a natural laxative. Is it possible to replace the formula at night with a nursing session or pumped milk? You could also nurse him more at other times. Around 6 weeks he should be having a growth spurt anyway so the extra nursing will be a good thing. It is very normal for BF babies to go days without pooping. Their bodies are very efficient at using everything. Around 5-6 weeks, I remember my son went from pooping like every single time he nursed to much less. I would try not to give him juice or syrup or other stuff people will recommend because at 5 weeks his body doesn't need anything except BM. Congratulations on your baby!

My son did that too. Breast milk is so good that their bodies use it all up (most anyway!) and there isn't much left to poop out. I think it bothered my mom more than anyone. :)

My son was the same way. My ped told me that bf babies can go up to 12 days with pooping! Some days he would go 3-4 times and other days none at all. He is now 11 months old and on a pretty "regular" pooping schedule. He should be fine. And way to go for breastfeeding...it's the best thing for your baby!

I'm still going through the same thing! My son stopped pooping regularly at around 4 weeks (he just turned 4 months old). He has gone as long as 11 days without pooping! Believe me, we were freaking out and calling the doctor daily. When he did poop, it wasn't even a blowout. Sometimes he's gassy/cranky the day or two before he poops, but other than that he's happy and breastfeeding normally. Our doctor examined him and said that as long as he's happy and his stomach doesn't feel hard that we shouldn't worry. Still trying not to worry :) Now he goes anywhere from more than once a day to nine days between pooping. Good luck!

I agree with the other posters - if you can pump your milk and keep your son exclusively breastfed, it will probably help. I used to supplement my daughter's nursing with formula and I had similar issues that you described. With my son (after I'd finally taken a breastfeeding class - who know you needed to take a class?!?!), I never had those issues and I do think it's bc I wasn't mixing the types of milk. If it's a matter of supply, just keep latching him on and you'll produce more milk. Otherwise, pumping should help! Good luck!

If the formula has iron in it, it can be very constipating. If you can express your milk and put it in the refrigerator for later feedings. If he is producing a lot of gas it means his stomach is having a hard time breaking his nutrition down. Also, be careful what you eat.

Take care
J.

My son did the same thing yours is doing. At about 1 1/2 mos he stopped going multiple times a day, just out of nowhere. My sister's baby is 2 mos older than mine and she told me about hers doing this, so I wasn't surprised, but I still checked with my doc. She said it was normal too. After the initial time when he went 5 or 6 days before having one, it was 4 days between them. I called them poop days, we didn't go anywhere til he had it because they were always blowouts. I wouldn't worry if I were you. If it isn't hard and your son isn't crying or otherwise appearing to be in pain, it should be fine. Check with your doctor before giving any water or suppositories or anything else to be sure what is safe and how much to give.

you can add a little vasiline to the tip of your baby finger or q-tip and gently stick it in his rectum (just about a 1/4 inch). Within about 5 minutes he should poop.

Another tip would be to place your two fingers about in inch above his belly button and press in about 1.5 inches working your way around his belly (let your fingers do the walking). Do this twice around (going clock wise).

It helps move his food thru his organs. I usually did this 5 mintues before I was going to change a wet diaper with both my kids and by the time 5 minutes passed, they pooped too the diaper was loaded. Works like a charm all the time and saved me a lot of money on diapers (on the times I forgot, when I went to lift their legs to change their diaper, more times than not, they would poop in the clean diaper). So, if you do that before you change them, you end up going thru less diapers.

My son was like that too and I felt he was cranky and I was worried. A way to help him is to gently insert a rectal thermometer in his bottom, just as you would when you measure the temperature anally. I usually had to wiggle it a tiny little bit. But please be gentle! He will have to relax the anal muscle and the poop will come out. Yes, it's weired and yes, it's kind of gross, but it made my son feel much better when he wasn't able to go for a long period of time.

At 5 weeks, it could be nothing more than he is having to learn to use his anus muscles. It is ok to add a little bit of water such as an ounce a day to his diet to help water it down to make it easier to poop. I would recommend asking your doctor to perform a rectal exam on him. My son had anal stenosis and had to undergo surgery and a little physical therapy to fix it. They found out by checking the size of the anus. However, my son was also crying and in pain most of the time due to the discomfort of not being able to poop, so it's very possible your son doesn't have that problem.

bicycle his legs - move them around in circles to help get the gas out and to get things moving - you may want to prop is head up slightly on a pillow just in case he has any reflux symptoms - our son had to go on prescription medication for constipation - try to get his legs moving - hope it helps!!!

Well, even though my son is now 16, I can never forget when he was a "liitle tike" like your 5 week old. The reason he not "pooping" can be the result of his change of your going from "breastfeeding" to the formula. It can also be the "formula" itself. Some children have to have a certain type of formula...some with iron and some without. Also, after he eats make sure that you get at least "two" burps out of him. If he is still not "pooping" then just do it the old fashioned way...take a very small piece of soap..(half the size of a sunflowerseed kernerl) and gently place it in his rear. I know it sounds strange, but within 2 to 3 minutes he will be "pooping". Its sort of like a baby enema. Good luck, and God bless