Help! My 2 Month Old Hasnt Pooped

Hi A.! This is an old fashioned Italian recipe my 89 year old nonna had me do. Get a fresh sprig of parsely, and only use the end (wash it first) and gently insert it only a tiny bit into the baby's rectum. Believe it or not it will stimulate her bowels and she will poop! My doctor thought I was crazy when I told her but it worked for my 1 month old!

As long as she is not in pain or showing signs of distress you should do nothing. She will poop when she needs to.

Hi Angela,
You may try to boil 3-4 dried prunes or dried apricot in a cup of water and mash and then strain it so it comes to a drinking consistency and then you can try giving it with a spoon.

I went through this with my daughter for several months and I feel for you as it was not fun. I ended up seeing a pediatric gastro specialist because I was so concerned and they told me that she can go up to two weeks without moving her bowels! Yikes! I tried everything - prune juice, water, you name it. there were times after like 7 or 8 days that I would give her half of a child's glycerin suppositry - but that is not good to do more than a couple times because it doesn't help to train their bowels to do it on their own. She was then diagnosed with reflux and I have to say - once we got that under control - the pooping seemed to get more regular - but it took several months. I wouldn't go crazy with worry right now but if she goes more than a week and does that consistently - and is irritable (which all doctors told me was an important sign) - then talk to your pediatrician and ask to see a pediatric gastro specialist. I think it really helped. Good luck.

Babies who are breastfed only often poop only once or twice a week. If she isn't in pain and is eating....I wouldn't worry.

This happened to my little girl at about the same age, she actually went 8 or 9 days before going when she was going several times a day before. The Dr. told me that as long as she did not act constipated or in pain not to worry. Your Breastmilk changes as the baby gets bigger and is so easy to digest that there is often nothing to excreat. My little one started only pooping once a week like clock work. But then it all changed againg once she started soilds around 4 months. Hope this help set your mind at ease. When it was happening to us I called the ped every other day freaking out and they keep saing dont worry.

At two months I would be wary of any advice to give your baby anything other than formula or breastmilk, unless it is being given to you by your doctor. My son had the same experience and naturally grew out of it as he got bigger and began eating more. I always thought it had to do with the growth spurt at 6 or so weeks, they need all those calories and just use everything that they eat. I agree with the other mothers that said it is normal and that if your baby is comfortable everything is fine. When my son would go a week or so and I was freaking out I myself would drink the prune juice and then nurse as regular. That seemed to work okay.
Good luck!

You can try putting a bit of vaseline up inside her anus. You can try bending her knees to her chest to see if that helps. Years ago the doctor said to put a tablespoon of light caro syrup in a bottle.
Make sure the baby has lots of fluids.

my daughter had the same issue around the same time as your daughter. Her doctor said as long as its not over 7 days its ok.(weird right) but because she is only getting breast milk the baby's body uses everything in it...meaning there is little to no waste. (makes sense i hope) however you know your daughter, if you still feel its a bit too long the doctor also recommended (only if you feel comfortable) take her temperature with a rectal thermometer. Sometimes the bowel is there but just needs a little stimulation...and make sure you have her on her changing pad and lots of wipes and mayb even extra diapers at hand it can get very messy. (personal expierence..lol) HTH. :-)

Our pediatrician said to expect that sometime around 3-4 months, and, sure enough, it happened. Between my son's 3rd and 4th month I think he pooped 3 times total. Ask the doctor to be sure, of course, but apparently this is totally normal.

It is normal for a exclusively breastfeed baby to go without pooping for a few days in a row. I would not give her prune juice. Contact a lactation consultant or ped.

I would talk to your doctor to make sure there is no problem but I would not panic. My child did this and for a while I had to give a suppository every 4-5 days to help him go. Don't do this without a doctor's order though. I would not be giving prune juice to a 2 month old either without a dr saying to do so. Good luck.

this happened with my daughter once or twice, exclusively BF too. After a couple of day her dr told me to cut the child size suppository in half or thirds (can be found at the grocery store or drug store). I would call her dr to be sure what they want you to do.

I'd take her temperature rectally, continue to give juice and call the pediatrician in the morning. Speak to one of the nurses on the phone and they'll either give you a better solution or have you come in. I recommend the rectal temp because a lot of times, that stimulation will cause a baby to poop.
good luck

4 days is not unheard of, but if this is a recurring thing, I would look into your diets: dairy; iron supplements, high gluten diets, infant cereals (rice is the most constipating) and food intolerances often encourage slow bowel movements in breastfed infants. Many people (doctors included) will tell you that 4 days between bowel movements in a breastfed baby is normal. It IS very common (especially on the typical western diet), but it is not the optimal sign of health.

Things you can do to get your baby's bowels moving now are: warm baths, make sure her belly is always warm (use a belly warmer or extra t-shirt), massage around her bottom around the anal opening with some gentle soap and water, massage her belly in a clockwise direction, drink lots of fluids and nurse as much as possible, some epsom salt in a bath can also help. Remove her diaper and hold her in a squat position over a toilet or potty or other container whenever you change her diaper, after a good nursing session or when she has gas. See the first picture on this page for the squat postition:
http://www.tribalbaby.org/EChowtostart.html

Use laxatives and suppositories as a very last resort after contacting your doctor--do not use these often, because they can be "habit forming" for the baby (not addictive, but the baby may start to rely on them like a crutch). Avoid sticking anything into the baby's anus as it can be dangerous, however massaging the outside of the anal opening with a Q-tip coated with lubricant (vaseline or olive oil) can encourage the bowel movement.

Maybe you can add a banana to the applesauce and give your baby lots of water. There are also suppositories that may be ale to help. Contact your pediatrician. Also if you are breastfeeding be mindful of your diet.

Good luck.

Totally normal. Mine went two weeks without a BM and it didn't seem to bother her. If your baby seems comfortable just wait. You can gently rub her belly in a clockwise motion to help peristalsis.

Our baby did the same thing a couple months ago when she was about the same age. The ped said to use a glycerin suppository and just keep watching my own diet. I also just breastfed her, no formula at that point. I'm not sure about all the prune and other added foods. I think it's a little early and you should really go by what your ped says before trying anything else. Good luck!

That's not uncommon with breastfeeding. If she's not straining or not uncomfortable, I wouldn't worry. At that age my daughter would go 5 days without one, and the doctor wasn't worried as long as she's comfortable. At one point I did have to give her a suppository, which I think was like 1/4 pediatric glycerin suppository, but I would ask the doctor, and ONLY give it if necessary.

Don't worry, this is normal. My breast-fed son would go 9 or 10 days without a poop at that age. When it came at last, though, it would be a mess. To avoid a big surprise like that, my doctor recommended taking his temperature with a rectal thermometer after a week. This would almost always make him poop, and I liked it better than giving him a suppository. Good luck!

DON'T PANIC! My daughter went through the same problem in the early months of her life. She only pooped once every 5 - 7 days. This went on until we added solids to her diet in the 5th month. This phenomenon is completely normal for breastfed babies. It doesn't happen to most of them, but it is TOTALLY normal.
A few things you can do: give her water, as much as she would take, as often as you can think about it, don't force her if she is not interested even a few drops is better than nothing. this will not interfere with her breastfeeding.
Massage her belly, always in clock-worth direction, push ightly with your fingers as if you are walking them in a circle on her lower belly. you may even feel bubbles under your fingers as you do that. do it every night before she goes to bed and whenever you think about it during the day, when she is naked.
Another good exercise is to take her legs and fold her knees toward her chest/belly, do that 8-10 repetitions couple of times a day, ti helps things inside move in the right direction.
There are a few other movements you can do, if you are interested in these exercises you should look up "itsy bitsy yoga" they have classes and a book with all sorts of exercies you can do with your baby. most of them help with digestion. I'd like to think that my daughter benefited at least a little from them.
Another option (which worked for us) is if she has not gone after 5-6 days, and you feel that she may be unconfortable, take a Q-tip, dab it in a little baby oil and VERY GENTLY poke her in the butt. after a minute or so everything will come gushing out, so be ready.
I know this was a little long-winded, but I hope it's helpful.
Good luck to you!

Oh, and one more thing, I just read that somone else mentioned the parsley stick, I thought that my mom was the only crazy person to recommend this (as an old Bulgarian tradition), but apparently it's used by other. Glad to hear! We actually used the parsley on my daughter several times, and it worked like a charm!

This is really common according to my doc when I called with the same concern. Breastfed babies are not considered "constipated" until they haven't gone in a week b/c there is literally no "waste" in breastmilk. Our doctor suggested 2oz of water mixed with 1 Tbl of Karo syrup to get things "going". It worked very well for us!

Don't worry about it. Exclusively breast feed babies can go up to 2 weeks without pooping. Breast milk is so well metabolized that there is no waste. If your very nervous check with your ped but i am sure they will tell you the same thing. Definitely do not give her juice as she is NOT constipated and she is way too young to be able to digest it. My daughter used to go 10 days as an infant, as long as they are BF and not on formula it is okay!

Good Luck!

Same thing happened to my son, my pedi said it was within normal for some breastfed babies, because your body is already removing the waste from the milk. I only used prune juice when his seemed uncomfortable. I also would massage his belly clockwise 7 times, then straight down 7 times, put his knees to his chest for the count of 7 and then bicycled his legs for the count of 7. My sister used brown sugar and water as a laxative as well. Good Luck

I'm T..I know you've had many responses.I don't know if any one has told you.But there's one thing that made one of my children constipated was bananas.And of course there's some milk products will do the same.I hope this helps.I would cont. w/ the prunes and anything else you can give.Any fruit I'm sure will help.I hope something happends.Or it has already.I;ll be praying for you.God Bless.

Totally normal, I am a Neonatal nurse and have this question when moms go home and the same happened to me with my first. It will happen there really isn't ANY need to go messing with her rectum or giving lots of liquid -- breastmilk is the mostly water. You mention mixing prune juice in her bottle -- does she get formula bottles too? After a few months she will go more frequently. If you do give prune juice make sure it is very watered down and no more than 4 ounces. You can just try 4 ounces of water once a day if that makes you feel better, but she will probably go about every 4+ days no matter what.

my mother told me i didnt go for 2 weeks, when i was a baby. the doctor was not impressed either. nothing to worry about. good luck

I am no doctor but I would certainly contact your doctor. I was exclusively breast feed and did not poop for many days. The doctor has to stretch my anus (sphincter). Good luck

A.,

The real first: Congratulations, and congratulations again on exclusively breastfeeding! It is the most wonderful gift you can give your baby!

First, it's normal - unless s/he is straining, uncomfortable, or otherwise affected by not pooping. It's one of the blessings of breastfeeding exclusively.

You don't need prune juice. The breastmilk is being used almost entirely by her system - it's not being wasted. Literally.

I'm surprised your pediatrician hasn't told you - but then, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised - I learned a lot about breastfeeding from here, La Leche League, and Dr. Newton online. Here is the site:

http://breastfeedingonline.com/newman.shtml

It'll take about a week for the prune juice to get out of her system; she might smell a little different to you until it does - normal, too. Once she goes to solid food, she'll keep you in diapers like a trouper. Until then, enjoy the respite from messy diapers!

Good luck,
M.

Is your baby soley breast fed? Does your baby seem uncomfortable? If your baby is soley breastfed and does not seem uncomfortable I would say that he is fine. I soley breastfed my baby and at times she did not poop for 7 to 10 days, and she was fine. As long as your baby seems happy and comfortable she will poop when she needs to. If the baby is formula fed he should poop more often.

Hi A.
I had a similar problem when my daughter was about your babies age. It happens sometimes....Their little digestive tract is working hard to get used to eating...
I had called my pediatrician and he had told me to take a thermometer and dip the tip in vaseline.
Then just lightly and very gently take ONLY the TIP of the thermometer and roll it just in the opening of your babies rectum. All it does is stimulate the bowel to let the stool come out.
Be ready though, it can come out almost immediately, or it will be there with the next diaper change.
If in any doubt, call your pediatrician.
Sometimes you may have to put a little water in with her bottle. To just hydrate her more and therefore the bowels will not be that hard.
Is she getting enough of your milk?
Do you supplement also?
Good Luck, but call your doctor too!