Newborn poo (or lack of it!). Not enough milk?

[dinnersinthedawg]

Hi, hoping to get some advice as I am a bit worried that my DD may not be getting enough milk.

She was 7lb 9oz when born last Friday (28th June). When she was weighed on Wednesday she was 7lb (lost 7.7%) and then today (day 10 I think) she was 7lb 1.5oz so she had put on a little.

I am concerned that she is not putting on much weight and also that she is not pooing enough. I've read that newborns should poo 2-4 times every day - after the meconium poos she didn't poo until Friday, none Saturday, did 3 yesterday but none today. Could this be a sign that she is not getting enough milk?

I mentionned this to the midwive today but she said everything was fine and has signed us off (and laughed when I said I was worried about lack of poos but she had done 3 yesterday).

DD seems to be feeding well, is doing plenty of wet nappies and is a very settled little thing. Average length of time between feeds is 1 hour 15 minutes and average length of feed has been 15 minutes, increased to 20 minutes today. So if she isn't getting enough I'm not sure what more I can do.

I think I'm particularly paranoid about this as DS didn't put on weight, had to have loads of tests at the hospital (even though I knew it was because he was too sleepy to feed) and we had to give formula top ups. It was different circumstances though as he was 4 weeks prem.

Thanks for any advice or experiences you can offer.

[snickers251]

can't offer any advice re milk and weight gain but my 15w dd has only ever done 1 poo a day, sometimes she will miss a day. I queried with my hv and she said its fine as long as she's doing lots of wet nappies and she was slowly gaining weight so hv was happy.

My dd was ff so I knew she was getting enough milk.

I was worried like yourself as my ds would poo several times a day

[Twattybollocks]

I would also be worried. Firstly, why has the midwife signed you both off when baby has nowhere near regained birth weight? Second, lack of poo with slow weight gain would be a concern for me as well. It can be normal for some bf babies to not poo for up to a week, but that's usually older babies not newborns. I would ring your hv in the morning and explain your concerns to your hv. A 10 day old baby who has only pood 4 times since birth, and is still 7oz under birth weight doesn't sound right to me at all.
It may well just be a milk transfer issue, which can be sorted so don't worry overly tonight, ask about local bf support too.

[BuntyCollocks]

I agree this warrants investigation. It may be nothing, but the likelihood is an issue with transfer. My dd was the same, and had a posterior tongue tie. Your dd is gaining, slowly, and has lots of wet nappies - both are good. She is not in immediate danger of dehydration.

She may, however, be content/sleepy because she isn't getting enough. There are babies who are content to starve - they take enough to take the edge off and then sleep to conserve energy.

Please phone health visitor, and see if you can get to a breastfeeding group ASAP. Also, has baby been checked for tongue tie?

You can do this yourself. Run a clean finger under her tongue. If you feel any type of 'speed bump'/obstruction, it's a tie, and could very well be causing the issue here.

[Badgerwife]

I asked the midwife the same thing when I was discharged on Saturday, she said that as long as there are plenty of wet nappies I needn't worry. I produce an insane amount of milk so I know my supply isn't a problem but she's stilll not pooing much at all. When she does however, then it's a day of neverending poo!

The wet nappies are a very good sign imo, it means she is getting milk. I would keep an eye out and watch out for the colour of the poos when she does have them. It is not unusual for breastfed babies to only poo every couple of days. If in a couple of days nothing changes and you are still worried then I think it's reasonable to see your GP or HV.

[gamerchick]

Its very normal for breastfed babys not to poo much. Since breastmilk is designed for babys and its easy to digest, very little is wasted so there's nothing really to poo out.

Lots of wet nappys is a good sign that things are fine.

[Doodlekitty]

If you are concerned you could ring la leche league helpline, they might be able to shed more light or reassure you, whichever applies. For the record my lb lost 12%, regained that then did a poo every 3 days until we started solids at 6 months. He's big and healthy!

[Longdistance]

Try cycling your baby's legs. Works every time.

But...DUCK!!!!

Bf babies can go for quite a while without a poo.

Is baby happy otherwise? My mw used to say, you look at the child not the scales. It's true in some cases. My dd took 2 weeks to regain her weight, dd1 was 5 days porker, so they're all individual. Your baby has gained weight, but not to birth weight. That was 5 days ago since she's been weighed, so to put your mind at rest, maybe get her weighed again.
We used to have Surestart bf clinics, and you could go along and weigh baby if and when.

[glorious]

dinners congratulations on your DD who had the same birthweight as mine

I agree with bunty [waves!] that you should get some support to check things out. It may be fine and the wet nappies are a good sign but her weight gain does sound a bit slow and that's not many dirty nappies for a small bf baby.

Kellymom is reliable for this sort of info, e.g. this page on nappies and weight: //kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/enough-milk/

I'm surprised the midwife has discharged you tbh. Can you get to a breastfeeding support group or as a first step talk it over with one of the helplines?
//www.thebabycafe.org/breastfeeding-help/2-helpline-numbers.html

[glorious]

And long I don't think it has been 10 days since she was weighed, she's only 10 days full stop which is why you'd expect more poos

[glorious]

Sorry, not 5 days.

[BuntyCollocks]

Hello glorious!

It's normal from about 6 weeks for poo to not be often. At this age there should be several bowel movements a day. It is a red flag to me, especially having experienced it myself. glorious has given excellent link.

[dinnersinthedawg]

Thanks everyone for your replies, useful to know that I'm not alone in thinking there must be an issue, unfortunately... The good news is that she did have a BM this morning - a decent size, probably 3-4 £2 coins worth (TMI!). Still doesn't seem enough though after 3 on Sunday and nothing yesterday. I'm going to ring a local BF helpline this afternoon and try to see someone tomorrow when DS is at nursery. The HV is coming out on Friday so I'm going to ask her to weigh DD again then.

[dinnersinthedawg]

Ok, just rang the bf helpline and they told me everything sounded fine and that newborns don't always poo everyday. And she said the weight gain was ok, although that seems to be based on the fact the midwive has signed me off. I'm not sure that's right - really confused!

I'm still going to go to the group tomorrow afternoon to get the latch checked etc (midwive did check it and said it was fine but I would like a second opinion).

[HadALittleFaithBaby]

On it's own the poo is ok, my DD is EBF and an infrequent pooer! She can go 7 days between poosnbut man when she goes, she goes! I discussed it with my MW then HV who said as long as its good consistency (so formed but not hard) and she doesn't seem to be straining too much it's ok. The weight gain (or lack thereof) would concern me. Glad to see you're seeing the HV and hopefully you can get some clear advice!

[glorious]

Yay for the enormapoo dinners !

Glad you're getting some support, particularly at the group.

faith I presume your DD is a bit older though?

[tiktok]

Which bf line was this, dinners?

Not really what I would say, if I'd taken your call :)

[HadALittleFaithBaby]

glorious yes and no - she's 12 weeks now but has been like this ever since we came home from hospital at 5 days. We have periods of days with no poo then can have a few days in a row where she goes two/three times a day, huge ones! I was really worried but I only thought she was constipated once - really strained on and off for a couple of days then the stool was quite dry looking - and generally she's a contented soul so unless a week passes I don't worry!

dinners I would ask for regular contact with the HV regarding her weight to put your mind at ease.

[dinnersinthedawg]

Tiktok - it was a surestart one connected to the group I'm going to tomorrow as I thought that would be best for consistency of advice, however it has just left me even more puzzled and concerned as it wasn't the answer I was expecting either.

To be honest I think I really need someone to see her latch and watch her feed as everything else appears to be ok in terms of frequency and length of feed so I'm not sure what more anyone could do over the phone. Do any of the helplines offer this or am I better sticking with the group I was going to (I have no idea of the credentials of the person running it but I know it is not the person who took the call)?

Bunty - thanks for the advice re tongue tie. I can feel where the tongue is connected to the bottom of her mouth, but I'm not sure if that is normal or counts as an obstacle as such? What I have noticed is she seems to have a really short tongue, don't even think she could stick it out, not sure if that's significant? Also, again not sure if relevant, but I fed a few times on the morning she was born and by the afternoon my nipples were bleeding and blistered, which I was surprised about after just a handful of feeds.. I don't think her latch was right as I couldn't get her to open her mouth very wide. I got some lanisoh and her latch seems to have improved since then and nipples are fine now.

[glorious]

bunty knows more about tongue tie than me and tiktok is a real expert so listen to them rather than me but those can be signs, yes.

Here's a link: //kellymom.com/health/baby-health/bfhelp-tonguetie/#basic

I'm pretty sure the helplines can put you in touch with good real life support even if from a different source. Also the link I gave below for helplines is from the baby café site which you can search for groups. Sometimes unfortunately midwives and HVs don't give the best breastfeeding advice (though sometimes of course they are brilliant). So if I were you I'd want to know about the breastfeeding qualifications of the people on your local helpline and group. Tongue tie can be hard to spot so you want to be sure you've got someone experienced .

[tiktok]

Try one of the national helplines, dinners.

All may be well, and it is reassuring the midwife as signed you off. I th weight is going up, that's a good sign as well.

Lack of poo is very unusual in newborn (not in an older baby) but can be fine.

So jury still out :)

[BuntyCollocks]

dinners given what you've said about the blisters, dd not pooing regularly etc, I think it would definitely be worth having her checked.

This is only my experience (unfortunately it is vast!), but I think it sounds like she is tongue tied. It may be a sneaky posterior tie, where it is not immediately apparent, but a 'normal' tongue you shouldn't be able to feel a connection to the floor of the mouth. Is there any dipping or cupping when she cries, ie, does her tongue curl up at the sides when she is full on crying?

If it is a tie, it is more than likely impacting her ability to effectively transfer milk, and the sooner it is sorted, the better.

This post is excellent, and has pictures, including the cupping I'm talking about.

[dinnersinthedawg]

Thanks everyone for all your advice and support, really useful.

Just to update you:

1. poo situation has improved - 3 yesterday and 2 so far today.
   
   
2. went to the breast feeding group where the lady I spoke to was absolutely fantastic and so knowledgeable. Apparently the latch was poor (despite the midwive having checked it). She gave me some help with it and it feels so different and so much better now. She also checked DD for tongue tie - she said she has a short tongue but there doesn't seem to be any obvious tie but she will check for a posterior one next week.
   
   Getting DD weighed by the HV on Friday so fingers crossed for an improvement. Feeling so much better about it all, thanks again!

[glorious]

Yay good news on the poo! It's amazing what gets exciting with babies isn't it?!

Glad the group was good too and fingers crossed for the weigh in. Hopefully the new improved latch will help. Let us know.