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Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Infant feeding

BF baby 4mths not done poo for over 2 weeks - should I worry yet?

19 replies

Cazwa · 13/12/2006 22:25

My baby is 4 months old and is exclusively BF. Since 6 weeks shes regularly gone up to 2 weeks without pooing, but had recently settled down to going once a week. Shes quite content, lots of wet nappies and is growing well, feeding well, doesnt seem to be constipated (although does some stinky bottom burps!) i.e. doesnt draw her knees up or cry after feeds.

My health visitor hasn't come across it before for such lengthy periods and is advising me to give her cooled boiled water 3 times a day and massage. Im not keen on giving her loads of water, gut feeling is its going to fill her up and deprive her of milk, and anyway milk is mainly water.

Getting to the point... Shes now passed the 2 week point, Im not completely sure how long its been but its definitely over 2 weeks now. So, at what point do I worry? Surely she has to poo at some point? Whats the longest anyone has gone, do I worry at 3 weeks or when she looks poorly?

Hoping an experienced BF counsellor on here can put my mind at rest, feel like Im in unchartered territory...

OP posts:

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tiktok · 13/12/2006 22:29

Well.....Cazwa, this is unusual but in the absence of anything else concerning, I would just say 'stand by" !!!

I am a bf counsellor, but speaking as a mum, I think massage is not a bad idea at all. It might possibly make her more comfortable and also stop you forever being on the brink of expecting an explosion

Water is pointless, as you have already sussed.

There is nothing medically or physiologically wrong, here, from the sound of it

Plibble · 13/12/2006 22:29

If she seems ok I wouldn;t worry, but am not especially exerienced in these things, other than that my DD's record was (I think) 15 days without a poo. In the end I had to give her formula (as was going out and hadn't expressed enough) and that fixed it. If you are worried you could always slip her an ounce or two and see if it gets things going.

tiktok · 13/12/2006 22:30

Plibble - no point in giving formula at all.

It was prob coincidenc that it seemed to work for you!

Cazwa · 13/12/2006 22:34

Forgot to add Im doing the massage a few times a day, also to check her stomach isnt getting hard.

Thanks tiktok, I was hoping you would be on here to reassure me and you have!

Secretly I think she is the first human to evolve and remove the need for pooing...!

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midgetgemgem · 13/12/2006 22:38

i had the same problem with my little one my healthvisitor told me to give her a small amount of pure apple juice it worked a treat and in 24hrs well lets just say OH MY GOD did it work

Cazwa · 13/12/2006 23:57

I tried a bit of diluted orange juice in water last week and no result. Its not recommended apparently, but I thought Id give it a shot. Nay luck.

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breadandroses · 14/12/2006 00:12

DON'T WORRY

This happened to me with dd1 and I ended up calling nhs direct I was in such a tizz. They said try a tiny amount of diluted fresh juice, which did work. She got to 12 days.

The reason they don't need to poo is because bm is so perfectly absorbed that there's not much which needs to come out, iyswim.

deaconblue · 14/12/2006 09:13

My ds must have been an exception - he was bf and used to poo 10 times a day up to 6 weeks and then 6 times a day! We felt like we were constantly up to our eyes in sh*T !!

2labs · 14/12/2006 11:12

shoppingbags - same with my bf ds, though he's now 18 weeks and poos an average 2-3 times a day. His record was 15 poos in one day when he was 5 weeks old . Quite envious of all these non-pooing babies.

Cazwa · 14/12/2006 19:42

Its funny isn't it, Im actually disappointed every time I open a nappy and there is no poo in it!

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eggnog · 14/12/2006 19:53

hmm, my friend had a prob with this. here in spain they recommend prune juice and it seems to work a treat. she was in a world of s* within a couple of hours of giving it.

sputnik · 14/12/2006 21:54

My DD was like this, though never got to 2 weeks. We are in Italy and they're big on fennel and camomille tea here, which seemed to work sometimes. When she got to 5 - 6 months the paed recommended prune juice then fruit as well as lactose as I remember. I didn't know at the time (and paed didn't tell me) that it was pretty normal for bf babies. In retrospect I think DD was just absorbing all the milk incredibly efficiently as her growth was practically off the charts.

I would be interested to know actually if this is really only a problem if what eventually comes out is hard, ie. classic constipation IYKWIM, anyone?

twickersmum · 14/12/2006 22:27

I used to have this with DD1 and then we'd have an explosion. omg. it brings it all back. the number of outfits i had to just throw away...

does she poo a huge amount when she does go?

if so, i would give her a bit of apple juice to see if things move!

hotmulledwinemama · 14/12/2006 22:32

My dd2 was like this. Check out the guidance on Kellymom.com - was reassuring.

My HV (a rare good one) just said dd2 was just very efficient at using up every scrap of my milk.

Dd2 became more regular when weaned onto solids but still bf. HTH

Cazwa · 14/12/2006 22:48

Ive been on kellymom.com and it is reassuring. However Im sure there must be a cutoff at some point where it is too long, like 4 weeks maybe? Who knows, the longest Ive seen written is 3 weeks.

I saw a friend today that I hadnt seen for a few weeks who asked me if she'd had a poo yet which made us then both realise its more like 3 weeks shes not been for one.

And yes when she goes OMG does she go, its like shes sitting on an upturned blancmange... Its never hard though

I might give a tiny bit of apple juice a whirl tomorrow, even though its not great, I just cant bear the thought of her not going for a month. Thanks for the advice.

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twickersmum · 14/12/2006 22:52

i know giving some apple juice etc is against conventional wisdom, that breastfed babies may not poo as there isn't much left over, but then why do they poo so much when they do go? i don't think 4 months is too young - it's not like she is just a few weeks old.

with dd1, i worried sick about this (didn't know about mumsnet unfortunately), but there really wasn't anything wrong. my dd did used to get very uncomfortable though which was distressing and very hard work.

Cazwa · 17/12/2006 23:29

Poo update - still no poo!! Im sure its over 3 weeks by now. Had another OJ attempt, nothing happened. She still seems fine.

I will be celebrating with champers when she does finally go, and probably drowning in poo!
She has 3 injections tomorrow, maybe that will get things shifting...

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Cazwa · 20/12/2006 23:01

HALLELUJAH!!! We have poo! I think we made it to 4 weeks. She woke on Tuesday with a full nappy and then had another poo later in the day. She had injections the day before so I think maybe they got her moving.

Relieved... and so is she now probably!

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twickersmum · 21/12/2006 15:42

great news!!

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