EBF baby: won't poo in nappy only naked!

[squizita]

Just that really.
3 week old EBF baby. She appears in good health.
but since last lunchtime won't poo in her nappy! She will wait HOURS and do it on the mat. As soon as the nappy is off, she will release her bowels onto the mat or bath or whatever. She waited since teatime and just did it now - of course lots of poo!
She farts just fine! Feeding well, peeing, healthy looking.
The stools look rather watery but I understand this is not the runs for an EBF baby as they are still ok smelling, yellow and seedy.
We recently tried a new brand of nappies which feel more snug - could that be it??

[DaughterDilemma]

She won't be doing this deliberately, a 3 week old baby can't wait or hold it in, but it may be that the mat starts it off somehow. It might be the position she is in on the mat relaxes her tummy in a way that doesn't happen in the nappy. I would definitely try a different nappy. Is it your first?

[Justgotosleepnow]

Try holding her over a potty?
Look up elimination communication. You may have a baby that just wants to poo not in a nappy. Much tidier with ec!

[Surfsup1]

Do you know how many people you are making jealous?

[MexicanSpringtime]

This happened before my time and I don't know the whys and wherefores of it, but my dm started sitting my db on the potty at three months of age, because he so much hated being dirty.

[squizita]

Surfsup it's not pretty - it takes out all her clothes and the mat in a tidal wave every time and I can't change her outside the house at all! She becomes quite distressed. Also she gets full of poo and gas!

I think it may be the cold. She doesn't do it
on her playmate where she lies and wriggles.
I might also go back to the old brand of nappies.

[thatwhichwecallarose]

I had this with my ff baby, although she grew out of it (I'm not sure when but she's 11weeks now and I can't remember her last doing it). I would literally be standing next to the changing mat holding her legs up!

I've no advice for getting her to do it otherwise, just keep lots of cotton wool/wipes to hand and before you take off the old nappy, lay a new one underneath to catch the new poo. Try giving her tummy a little rub with her legs in thr wiping position before you take the nappy off too.

I think it's not a problem - just annoying!!

[Surfsup1]

squizita I hope you noticed the wink emoticon - I am quite sure it's not the wonderful world of super-early-potty-training I would love to imagine it to be.

You have my sympathies!

Might be worth checking out some of the techniques that could make the post of her natural tendencies though? Always easier to work with their idiosyncrasies than against them?

[squizita]

She hasn't done it so far this morning ... but then again nothing more than a ditty smear on the last nappy so she's saving something up to unleash!
There was a tiny bit of green poo overnight - wonder if she's got a bit of a grumby tummy?

[Surfsup1]

Don't worry too much at this stage - she's so little and most of these weird phases pass very quickly and then they move on to the next weird phase.
Dealing with the wondrous world of poo explosions is just one of the joys of motherhood and I'm living proof that you will one day look back and laugh.
Hang in there.

[Hollycopter]

I had something similar with my DS, he never pooed in a wet nappy until he was around 2 or 3 months I think. Every time we changed his nappy, he immediately dirtied the fresh dry one.

Could you start changing the nappies on a more frequent schedule and see if that makes a difference? At the worse it'll just unleash the poor in smaller doses! says the woman who doesn't have to clean up

[tiktok]

This is coincidence, truly - she is not waiting, she can't wait, she is not aware of bodily sensations as 'belonging' to her and under her control.

It may be that as DaughterDilemma says, the position she is in on the mat encourages it in a reflexive way, but I doubt it very much. ..more likely that as you are placing her on the mat, the change in position stimulates the lower bowel, but even that is less likely than sheer coincidence.

All sounds fine :)

[tiktok]

Not sure why this is something you want to change, either - does it matter?

[tiktok]

Sorry, I see it is a bit messy.

Um....and???? :)

Just have a muslin on the mat and her vest etc out of the way.

[Allisgood1]

I find putting my knees up and resting DS on them usually evokes poo and burps. Agree with the others that it's the cold air and position, not baby holding it.

[mrsmilkymoo]

dd has been very similar, for the first few weeks it seemed she'd save up all her poos for the changing mat. I know exactly what you mean about that tidal wave of poo! she does it less frequently now and fills her nappy more (often during a feed which can be quite disconcerting) and at 10 weeks I now feel I can risk changing her when we're out. We still rarely get through a day where she doesn't wee on the mat though, and I'm so thankful we got a new energy efficient washing machine before she was born!

[NotMrsTumble]

Probably tmi, but could it be you stimulating her to move her bowels by wiping? Ds2 would have no problem going in his nappy, but occasionally would poo just after being cleaned up after taking off the old nappy (and yes, it's as if the floodgates open, very messy).

[squizita]

Tiktok what worries me is that she has been going 9 hours without a proper poo, too! Then it all comes out at once (quite watery which I understand is fine in a breastfed baby). Today she hasn't pooed since midnight! I even put her naked on the mat to try to get it to happen - nothing! I know older bf babies poo less frequently but she's only 3 weeks.

She is feeding as usual, peeing normally and happy. GP said mention it to the Hv or mw next visit.
I'm worried she's full of poo.

[squizita]

Also gaining weight fine and clearly growing bigger.

[eurochick]

Green poo usually means too much foremilk.

My baby does poo in her nappy sometimes but definitely prefers firing it across the room with her nappy off. It's messy but I don't think it's a problem.

[Smartiepants79]

My EBF baby could go days without a poo. Also totally normal so don't worry about that too much.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

EBF babies easily go days before unleashing a poonami. I don't know why simple facts like this are not passed on to women who are breast feeding.

[squizita]

Thanks all. I rang my GP who said "if she's not crying, feeding, peeing and hasn't got a fever, no need to come in".
tinkly at my NCT class they went on about counting poo till 6 weeks! Can they start to poo less at 3 then?

[tiktok]

Squizita, there is nothing at all wrong or unusual with anything you have posted here about your baby's poo.

If your NCT class talked about counting poos till 6 weeks, then either you have misremembered or the teacher got it wrong. There is no need for counting, though monitoring and checking that the baby produces 2-3 poos in 24 hours after about day 4-5 in the first week is a good sign that milk is being transferred. Babies may continue to do this, and more, for several weeks, but there is no cut off time. In any case, 2-3 poos a day does not have to mean 'one every 8-12 hours'.

If you are working out how many hours it has been, you are over-thinking it :( :(

[tiktok]

Going days between poos can happen in healthy, breastfed babies any time from about 3-4 weeks, though that is fairly early for that change over. By six weeks, many babies start to go longer.

It's to do with the maturing of the gastro-colic reflex - highly sensitive in new babies, less sensitive as the baby grows.

It has nothing to do with 'there is no waste with breastmilk' 'cos if it had to do with that, you wouldn't get the deluge when it does happen! The baby stores the poo in the lower bowel and then it comes out........and how :) :)....after sometimes several days.


squiz, don't let anxiety about your baby's perfectly normal pooing habits make you worried about her health or digestion. She is FINE :) :)