Any one else have this? I exclusively breastfeed. I have a 5 week old who can't seem to consolidate his poops. He does these tiny poops over an hour or so until he gets the amount of what should probably be one poop out. So what it ends up being is constant diaper changes and screaming for an hour. If you just leave him on the changing table he won't continue to poop. But pick him up for 20 seconds and he'll poop again. I can't leave a small amount of poop in his diaper to wait for him to go more because he'll get a rash. Plus he screams when there's even just a smudge of poop in his diaper. I'm thinking of just putting him on a baby potty the next time this starts to see if it helps. I don't know if the sitting position might help instead of laying? Any advice? Or is this one of those things I have to wait out for another month or so? I feel bad that my 3 yr old daughter gets put on hold for hours of screaming diaper changes in a day. Thanks for any suggestions!
Thank you for all the comments and suggestions!
Well I figured out it was the wipes creating the diaper rash, not the poop. Even just a few wipes on a rash free butt would start up a pretty red rash. It all cleared up very quickly once I started changing him with a wet paper towel for a wipe. I do think the little bit of poop each time was bothering him because of the rash. He is very sensitive and still now cries to have his diaper changed right away. As for the 20 diapers in an hour, it gradually decreased over the past few weeks every day. The pediatrician said it was completely normal for a breastfed baby. And now at 8 weeks, he goes only 0-2 times a day :) You just forget how little they are and that things get better and better within the first few months. Now if he could learn how to pass his gas more easily, we'll be set!!
I would definitely talk to his pediatrician...
But...if you stimulate the anal region...there is a vegal response that often leads to a bowel movement. As in rectal temps...
Ask pediatrician if it would be OK to try this. Five weekers are still tiny...but just thinking along the lines of getting a vegal response to help you out.
Sorry if this sounds crazy!
I had what sounds like the same issue with my daughter. We took her to her pedi who said you have to wait it out. It was just a couple of weeks until her digestive system worked itself out. I would suggest changing baby on the floor in a room where you and older sister can make a game or play while changing/waiting. Good luck to you!
Jennifer had a good response. Liberally smear A&D on his nether regions and change him every 15 minutes. This will get you down to only 4 changes in an hour. And, this phase should end really soon (though it never seems like it's soon enough).
I would consider pooping every 20 seconds over one hour, as you describe it, as diarrhea!
That's cause for medical concern, not for more diaper ointment. And I'd be very concerned if he is constantly screaming at having any poop and his poop is giving him rashes this much. He is in pain, it seems -- as if the bowel movements are almost "burning" him.
Please get him to the pediatrician and don't leave out the part about the screaming when he has any poop on his skin. That does not sound right. He may have something very acidic going on in his system and that needs checking out, now. I would also wonder if he is retaining enough nutrients if he's basically leaking liquid poop for an hour at a time. I'm not trying to be alarmist but I also do think this merits more than just diaper creams. Rule out diarrhea or digestive issues now, not later.
Oh you poor thing! Sorry, I didn't deal with this, exactly. But, two things to keep in mind.
First, 5 weeks is very young. His system will mature soon, and he will begin pooping less frequently and more at a time.
Second, one of our kids was in the NICU for 10 days. The nurses there would squirt a bunch of A&D ointment (not the cream, the one that's more of a salve) into the diaper at the end of each change. It kind of created a barrier between the butt and the poop. Might help hold off any diaper rash.
Good luck! Remember, this won't last forever!
Wow, that's a lot!
Call your Pediatrician?
I breastfed both my kids, but as infants they never had 20 poops in an hour.
Does what you eat, (since you are nursing), make a difference in his output?
5 weeks is a bit young to sit him on the baby potty.... :)
If the poop is liquid, then you may want to check in with the advice nurse.
If the poop is a soft but a bit solid, try waiting a few minutes after you realize that he has messed. It could be that you have caught him at the start and sometimes it takes 5 - 10 minutes to finish.
Try using Desitin (comes in a pump) on the bum to prevent diaper rash.
Why are you changing his diaper before he's finished pooping? You need to give his poor little body a chance to finish before picking him up and taking off the diaper. What you're doing right now is training him to continuously stop mid-poop, and that's got to be worse than what you're imagining would be a twice a day poop and possible rash.
If you're worried about rash you can preemptively put Balmex on him every time you put a fresh diaper on him. That would protect his skin against urine and feces AND would allow him to poop normally ie. you wouldn't be interrupting his bowel movements.
are they hard? or really runny (yes i know infants have runny poop) but there is a difference between normal and not. i would bicycle his legs. or do circular motions right under his belly button. if you feel a knot hes constipated. call his dr.
I'd rub a whole bunch of Aquaphor on his little butt and hold him for the hour and let him poop it all out. The Aquaphor will keep his little hiney rash free.
And I don't think he's crying from the little bit of poo - he's struggling. You should ask the Dr. about if your milk is having an adverse reaction in his tummy.
The nature of their digestive system changes around 6 weeks. We had weird poop issues at 5 weeks leading up to this.
It will be over soon.
This is just one of those things you have to wait out and deal with. You are right to change him immediately though, diaper rashes are no good and you don't want him to be in discomfort or worse yet, truly in pain from an owie butt!
He is only 5 weeks...give it some time.
I suggest getting big sis involved and have her help with 'diaper duty'...I bet she will love being a 'helper'!!
I would not change a diaper that often.. just to have it pooped again.. I really don't think it is the poo in his diaper that bothers him.
breast milk poo is not acidic and should not bother his skin if you get it off in a reasonable amount of time.. cover his bum with Vaseline or A&d or desitin and let him finish pooping.. sounds like he is fussy when he is pooping when he is being changed and during the entire process. so he might as well stay in one diaper till he is done. he may need to be held in a sitting position.. or on his tummy.. maybe bicycle his legs to move the gas around a bit. seems like it would be tough to poo laying on your back on a changing table.
This too shall pass. my newborns (breastfed)pooped all the time.. but by 2 or 3 months they pooped once or twice a day. this is just part of the newborn phase.
I think it'll work itself out, no puns intended. If he continues to cry frequently, it may not be the elimination but something in his tummy. I remember changes where we went through 3 or 4 diapers in just one change because it just...kept coming. She did grow out of it. What you might want to do instead is make sure he's not gassy or something and wait a little bit before changing him.
ETA:
The poster who mentioned him having diarrhea has a good point. I'd at least call the doctor to discuss signs of dehydration. Plus side, though, is that breastmilk is a "clear liquid" and full of good things for a sick tummy.
I'm not sure that you are right about why he is screaming, K.. You might think that it's because there's a spot of poop, but it may be his little tummy. I think that you need to consider that he is in pain.
I would be asking the ped for help from a pediatric gastroenterologist. I am worried that something is wrong with your baby's intestines.
There is no need to change his diaper until he finishes pooping. I've had this experience with several babies over many years. I helped to care for my baby brothers and I can even hear my mother tell me to wait until he finishes before you change his diaper.
If he's screaming during this time then I suggest that there may be something medically wrong and I would take him to the doctor. Or, perhaps he's screaming because you are holding him on the changing table anxious for him to finish?
Don't even pick him up at the first sign of a poop. You can check to see if he's finished by pulling back the diaper and taking a look. If there's not much there walk away and leave him to work on it on his own.
Why do you think he'll get a rash? Have you tried waiting until he's finished? Unless he has extremely sensitive skin he will not get a rash in the time it takes him to finish pooping, even if it's an hour.
If you think that the acidity is bothering him, apply diaper cream after every change. The cream will keep the poop away from his skin.
Yes, you absolutely need to let him finish pooping...screaming, crying, or not. You can't keep changing his diaper mid-movement! You may need to use a good barrier ointment on your infant if you are concerned about rash...but if an hour of poop is giving him a bad rash then he is sensitive to something in your milk.
Hi K.,
I went through this with my daughter. She even wound up in the hospital from dehydration but her poop was looser. and she cried after breastfeeding for long periods. The only thing that seemed to soothe her was the breast. I told the pedi that I thought she was allergic to my breast milk and he said "No way". Well, after having only an IV for 24 hours they told me to breastfeed and she immediately started screaming/crying after a couple of minutes. I told the nurse to bring me some soy milk and I never put her on breast again. We have milk allergy issues in our family. She was getting the problem from the milk I was drinking. Hope this helps.
KP
Yes! My youngest did this! He had the WORST diaper rash from it.
What fixed it was a bottle. My hubs and I went out to eat when the baby was 4 weeks old and my parents gave him 1 bottle of formula. Plugged him right up and he never had the problem again. I was so thankful. Even my pedi didn't know what to do.
