8 Week Old with Constipation

TOTALLY agree with the advice that this is normal!!! Breastfed babies do not get constipated - I breastfed all 3 of my babies, and they all would go days without pooping. This is totally normal. My middle daughter once went 9 days without!! Once they started eating solid food they would go on a regular basis. I thought of it this way - my milk was so good for their little bodies that they used every ounce for growth - they didn't waste any on pooping! Oh, and all 3 of mine were perfectly healthy :)

It's rare for a mostly breastfed baby to be truly constipated and it's normal for them to go days without pooping. BUT when they do go it should be nice and soft and NOT painful or straining, and with my son it seemed like the more days he went without going the bigger the blowout when he did go (and he'd save it up for 7-10 days, until we were late going out the door and he had on a GOOD outfit!)
So if you're getting little hard "rabbit poops" with lots of straining and pain you've got a problem.

I HIGHLY HIGHLY reccomend going to a La Leche League meeting. You can find one near you at http://www.llli.org/webus.html I think it would probably be REALLY helpful to brainstorm in person with a trained leader(s) and other moms. He may be reacting to the formula, he may be reacting to something in your diet, he may benefit from a probiotic...etc And they can probably help you increase your supply/pumping output to get him on all breastmilk...

I was wondering... how often is he feeding/nursing/getting his bottle?
Is the Babysitter, feeding him on-demand? And NOT on a schedule?
Infants need to feed/nurse on-demand.
Anyway, my point is, if he is not feeding as he should, maybe he is dehydrated or not getting enough breastmilk? Per the Babysitter.
I would wonder, how often the Sitter is feeding baby?

Then again, maybe look online, but breastfed babies, do not always have daily bowel movement. And can even go a week.

My youngest had realy bad constipation issues. To the point of tearing her anus. My sugestions give him a little baby fleets every other day. Not much just enough to lubricate the stool. Get some Plumsmart. You may have to help him a little. Use a gloved pinky to pull out the first piece of hard stool. He may need to be stretched a little.(talk with dr if this continues) Iron will constipate them but they need it. Also when he is trying to go, hold him with his back to your chest and pull his legs towards his chest as if he is sitting in a chair. This helped Avary. Now she is 18 months and if I put her in a slightly warm bath(not hot but a little warmer than your elbow she poops in the tub almost every time. Also try to move his legs several times a day as if he were walking and rub his tummy I L U in big letters( I Love You) per Doctor Sears.

Is normal on a breasfeed baby to poop every few days even 7 days is ok , what I'm thinking is on the pain that you mentioned could probably be gas, if is this have you try some gas drops?
For me 8 weeks is to young to give him anything before asking your ped.
And about probiotics , I never heard that will make you go, sorry I'm not a big help, change the milk for the one that he gets at the hospital, that my only advise right now.

No, no, no! Stop all the tricks. Unless your baby has hard, pellet-like poop (not just a little thicker), he's not constipated. It's perfectly normal for breastfed babies to go even 7-10 days without pooping.

Continue to nurse him often, and see if you can avoid the formula in case that's causing some of his tummy issues.

Check out www.kellymom.com and maybe go to a La Leche League meeting to get more info. It's extremely rare for a breastfed baby to be constipated.

First off, you HAVE to stop giving him anything that isn't breastmilk and formula. All of that extra sugar and stuff isn't good for his digestive system and is what is causing problems.

What you THINK is constipation is actually just your son learning how to poop. Babies have immature digestive systems and don't automatically "know" how to poop and how to push it out. It's not always comfortable for them, especially if they have some gas or you ate something that disagreed with them, and so they appear to strain while pooping.

Constipation in a newborn is indicated by screaming in pain from pushing out dry, hard, pebbly poops that are crumbly or super stiff. They would be difficult to pass and likely to cause fissures to the point of his BM's being "too big" for his tiny anus.

Let his little body learn how to poop properly. Don't give him anything else that's going to interfere with is body learning how to digest and poop.

I feel bad for you guys!

I think you should get a referral for a specialist. It is rare for breastfed babies to get constipated, and your baby's GI tract is too immature for those other food remedies. Especially protein; it can cause inflammation and bleeding in the gut and a whole other set of problems.

Good luck.

Probiotics will help balance the bacteria in his gut. There are refrigerated ones and non-refrigerated capsules like Culterelle (comes in Kids type too). I would personally get one without any dairy (lactose, casien, etc.). And you probably should try pulling dairy from your diet and his (i.e. dairy based formula). He may have a dairy sensitivity or allergy. Try Yahoo group Foodlab for any support or questions. Good Luck.

I don't know how it works with babies but with older kids and adults I swear by it. I always take probiotics. It's part of my daily routine. My 16 year old daughter takes it too. Either something in your diet or in the formula are not agreeing with him. You need to be keeping a food journal and remove certain foods from your diet and see what changes. Are you a big milk drinker? Is there anything you are eating a lot of? I would be working with your doctor and ruling out all issues. Poor little guy. I hope he goes soon.