Needs to BF to poo?!

[nookandcrannies]

My Lb is nearly five months and has and still is ebf.... His digestive system hasn't had the best start with horrendous reflux and we are just reducing the ranitidine now as symptoms very slowly are getting better...

My lb only poops when he is breastfeeding. He literally can not go unless he is feeding... I can tell it's a feed for him needing to poop rather than hungry as he behaves and feeds differently at the breast. Is this normal?

I'm worried when I wean he is going to suffer badly from constipation if he can't poo without bf.

Of note on the paternal side of the family including dh all suffer from IBS/crohns etc so maybe I am just a bit anxious....

I massage and do bicycle kicks but no luck helping him poo? Any advice or reassurance?

[Coconut0il]

I'm pretty sure that it will just be a phase. Sounds like you are feeling worried because of the family history.
When I started weaning DS2, 17 months he was still bf and I always left a sippy cup of water about. He hardly touched that but has never been constipated.
Even if the worst happens and he does get a bit constipated I'm sure your GP will be able to prescribe something to help out.

[sleepy16]

Maybe he feels comfort going while feeding, baby's are strange little things.
But as long as he is going then I wouldn't worry to much.

[savagehk]

I think that's pretty common. One thing that almost always worked with our boy was to put him in his bumbo seat, that position helps open things up. You could reproduce that position in a hold too

[OneWithTheForce]

Well eating breakfast in the morning is what kickstarts our (adults) metabolism and gets our bowels moving so it makes sense that he needs to BF to get his bowels going. I honestly wouldn't worry too much. Sounds like he has had a MN unsettled start digestively speaking so his system might just need a bit longer to settle into a normal routine. BF will still be his main source of food until he is around a year so you have another 7ish months before solids start taking over. I would take weaning slowly based on his history. My DC started weaning at 6mo but was constipated so I stopped again totally and waited another month before trying again and I took it much slower really just letting him have a taste of things rather than the forming any substantial part of his intake.

[OneWithTheForce]

Don't know where the random "MN" came from!

[nookandcrannies]

Thanks for all your replies. In the last month dc has started going every day when it used to be maybe three times weekly and his pops are always healthy looking etc so I will try not to worry and see how it goes! Thanks for the reassurance