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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

How long should I wait for my BF baby to have a poo before seeking medical advice?

39 replies

FeelLikeTweedleDee · 28/10/2010 08:00

My baby is 3 months old and exclusively BF. How long should I wait for my her to have a poo before seeking medical advice? It's been a LONG time.

OP posts:
SkylineDrifter · 28/10/2010 08:01

How long is a LONG time? I'm no medical expert, but I wouldn't wait more than perhaps 5 or 6 days.

foxytoxin · 28/10/2010 08:16

A breast fed baby can go 10 days without a poo and it is still normal. Dd gave a couple days warning with increasingly frequent wind and then it was all up her back.

Original poster
FeelLikeTweedleDee · 28/10/2010 08:27

On Saturday DD will have gone 2 WEEKS without a poo.

She has lots of wet nappies but no bowel movements.

What should I do?

OP posts:
ProfessorLaytonIsMyZombieSlave · 28/10/2010 08:30

2 weeks is fine for a 3-month old exclusively breastfed baby. Although around this point I would start arranging for DH to hold her as much as possible as it is likely to be extensive when it comes...

crikeybadger · 28/10/2010 08:31

I'd give your GP a ring and ask their advice- just for peace of mind.

louii · 28/10/2010 08:34

16 days is the longest I have heard a breastfed baby go without having a bowel motion.
Like professorlaytons advice :-)

ScroobiousPip · 28/10/2010 08:35

I remember DS went through a 'no-poo' phase too. He was probably a bit older (5mo?) but it was probably ten or so days between poos.

If your DD is healthy in every other respect it could just be a growth spurt or something which means she is using up every bit of energy you give her. But, to give you peace of mind perhaps have a chat to bfing counsellor (better if it is someone informed about bfing, not just a general HV). Do you have a local baby cafe or bfing group? Or, you could call the national NCT helpline?

MoonFaceMamaaaaargh · 28/10/2010 08:36

TBh I'd probably seek advice from a breastfeeding councillor as we have all heard on here some of the crazyness spouted by gp's. Unless youur gp is very pro bf they may not have even seen many ebf 3mo's before. Sad

I've seen other threads on here abouut ebf babies going a fortnight with no poo. Ds did abouut 10 days.

cherrybea · 28/10/2010 08:40

You can help things move along by eating things that would normally help you if you were constipated. My bf adviser always mentioned the benefits of fresh orange juice.

However I would consider the gp before it gets to the weekend.

TruthSweet · 28/10/2010 08:54

FLTD - Baby is not constipated. There is very little 'waste' from BM as almost all is absorbed or used within the gut. That is not to say copious poo in a bf baby is wrong but that infrequent pooing is well within the bounds of normal. I have heard of a baby going over a month with out a poo - it was explosive when it came.....

If you want you could try encouraging pooing by bicycling baby's legs, daisy chain baby massage on her tummy or even a little gentle baby wiping of her anus (it's what animals do to get their babies to poo - although they do do it with their tongues! Blergh)

HelenLG · 28/10/2010 08:55

Is she still passing wind?

tiktok · 28/10/2010 09:15

In a healthy, thriving baby this is truly nothing to be concerned about....really!

Eating or drinking anything yourself will make no difference whatsoever - cherrybea I am dismayed that someone purporting to know about bf gave you this rubbish advice!

crikeybadger · 28/10/2010 09:16

But surely there must be some GPs out there who actually know about breastfeeding moonfacemama? Actually no, on reflection, I think you're right there probably isn't. Put that suggestion down to one coffee too many.Smile

Probably best to consult with a bfc first.

cherrybea · 28/10/2010 09:24

Tiktok - I was told this by a bf counsellor whilst on a bf peer support training course! Shock that this is untrue.

Mayandbump23 · 28/10/2010 09:38

Moonfacemama and crikeybadger, there are many GPs who are very knowledgeable about breastfeeding. Some of them may have even (shock horror) breastfed their own babies.

crikeybadger · 28/10/2010 09:39

Ah well Mayandbump23 I'm sure that is true...I just haven't come across one yet.

MoonFaceMamaaaaargh · 28/10/2010 10:00

mayandbump I'm sure that a bfc would refer the or to a gp if she felt it was something to be concerned about. I'm sad to say i feel it's reasonably likely that if op went to a gp straight off they would have little knowledge of bf and world cause unnecessary worry and give crap advice (eg water as per ff)

I didn't say that all gp's were ill informed so please do not insinuate that i did. I would assume that one who had bf would be amongst those i site as pro bf. But like crikey i have heard many horror stories.

SeriousWispaHabit · 28/10/2010 10:07

Oi Crikeybadger !

I am a GP and I know loads about breastfeeding, so there :p

Actually, 99.999999% of what I know comes from not having a clue what I was doing when DD1 was born and difficult to get started with feeding. I am now very well read and reasonably knowledgable. In fact, I'm trying to get a slot in the GP teaching programme to teach the trainees. DD1 still feeding at 2.3 and DD2 (4 months) feeding as I type.

Anyway, sorry for hijack. As you were.

tiktok · 28/10/2010 10:10

cherrybea - what organisation was she from? Whichever it was, she should know better.

'Tis common sense. The items we (as grown ups) eat or drink to help with constipation work in the gut - high fibre stuff is not digested, but bulks out the food in the gut to make it easier to pass. It does not get into the breastmilk. Not sure how orange juice helps, but the amount getting into the breastmilk is going to be absolutely microscopic by the time it has been through the mother's digestive system and been broken down...it's really not going to get into the milk in any recognisable form.

Sorry to hi-jack, OP!

DialMforMother · 28/10/2010 10:12

I'm glad everyone's told you not to worry. Dd always goes 7-10 days and I would heed advice about someone else holding dc as much as possible now because when it goes.... :)

mollycuddles · 28/10/2010 10:20

I'm another GP who is ebf my 5 month old and fed my other daughter until 14 months. I was thinking about how I could use this to educate other GPs too wispahabit. We should compare notes. I'd also considered becoming a hcp lactation consultant but not sure how to go about it.

Sorry for further hijack. If everything else is fine then 2 weeks is no issue at all.

Mayandbump23 · 28/10/2010 10:23

And a good GP would refer the OP to a breastfeeding counsellor, or seek advice from other sources, if they felt that they weren't knowledgeable enough about breastfeeding themselves. They are general practitioners so can't be specialists in everything but have to know when they don't know something and need to refer to someone else.

Sorry OP, will stop hijacking your thread right now, just a bit tired of GP bashing when many of them do an excellent job. I do agree with other posters that if you are concerned a breastfeeding counsellor is probably your best point of call. They should be experts in breastfeeding matters and unlikely to be under as great a time pressure as GPs so therefore more able to offer you one on one continued support and help.

Mumsnutterwithanaxeontheloose · 28/10/2010 10:27

DS regularly went a week or more, and then - nuclear nappy!!

trianera · 28/10/2010 10:35

My ds went for 24 days without pooing at around 4 months old (the longest I've ever heard of). I read a lot around the subject and decided to just let him be. There were great celebrations on that day 24 though (and luckily we were at home when it made an appearance)! It's hard not to worry, but really it's completely normal.

bobblemeat · 28/10/2010 10:38

My ds went 17 days once. He saw the paed after about 14 days (about an unrelated matter) and she wasn't concerned