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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

No poo in EBF newborn - midwife advised to give juice???

18 replies

PaulineMole · 04/11/2010 11:10

DD2 born on Fri. Passed meconium + + on Fri, Sat, Sun. Nothing since. Midwife saw use yesterday. DD2 has lost 5% birth weight. Midwife pronounced latch "fine". DD2 is feeding frequently, but briefly - for 5-10 mins at a time. Lots of wet nappies. Fontanelle not depressed. Midwife is seeing us again tomorrow, but in the meantime has advised giving 1tsp fresh orange juice in 1/2oz boiled water. Any thoughts on this??????

OP posts:
Tootlesmummy · 04/11/2010 11:13

Pauline, my DS got constipated at around 14 days old and didn't poo for 5 days, by this time he was screaming in pain and pulling his legs up etc. I gave DS some orange juice diluted in water, cycled his legs and rubbed his tummy. Within 3 hours there was a big poo! instantly he stopped crying and was completely fine

If he is EBF then he won't have as much waste as he would have if he was FF but there will still be some.

It sounds weird but it works.

Zari · 04/11/2010 11:17

My newborn also used to poo very infrequently,even tho he was putting on weight well ,feeding allrite and generally content.If thats the same case wid ur DD,then i would say to wait till she decided to poo herself as long as u r sure she is feeding well.She might just surprise u wid a massive explosive nappy soon!!!
Juice doesnt reakky help IMO and if u r EBF,it beats the purpose as well.

HTH.

Snuppeline · 04/11/2010 11:23

I found orange juice is very good for getting those tummy's moving again. I was EBF too but I couldn't bear her being so uncomfortable and its not like I was giving it on a daily basis. Only gave diluted fruit juice once while a baby and then a few times when constipated with weaning. I think its the fruit acid which sort of loosens things up. Dilute a bit in water, give on a spoon or in a bottle and then wait and see. Or dilute a bit in your breast milk if you feel more comfortable with that. Boiled cooled water is also good for constipations so you can try that first perhaps though I think what will really work is the juice. Good luck!

mummyofexcitedprincesses · 04/11/2010 11:35

DD was EBF and only had a poo about once a week. She was in no pain and there were no signs of constipation, she was completely healthy. There was just very little waste. It was handy for swimming, as if she pooed on a Monday I knew we had a few days to go to the pool.

If your baby seems to be in pain or distress she may need help to poo but if she is perfectly fine otherwise, I would be inclined to just see how things go.

mummyofexcitedprincesses · 04/11/2010 11:36

Ooops, forgot to add, congratulations on the birth of your daughter!
:)

faverolles · 04/11/2010 11:37

DS2 used to get constipated when he was newborn.
As I was Bfing, I was reluctant to give him anything else, and the mw told us to give him a warm bath, and to just let him lie there (supported obviously) and rub his tummy firmly but gently.
It worked for us.

crikeybadger · 04/11/2010 11:38

err, I would have thought that giving juice to a baby under 6 months was rather bad advice tbh.

Thought the guidelines were to only give milk until the age of 6 months. Hmm

Hopefully Tiktok can advise further. I'd try the massage in the meantime.

RubyBuckleberry · 04/11/2010 11:39

hmmm. not advised in current thinking but clearly works according to some. although a poo might have happened anyway so not really reliable evidence.

old midwives tale sounds like to me. your baby needs lots of breastmilk to fill her up and help her gain weight, not orange juice!

Original poster
PaulineMole · 04/11/2010 11:40

thanks for all these thoughts. it's good to hear that others have experienced this without there being cause for concern.
DD1 was more of a 6-a-day girl at this stage, hence my bemusement (PSB??).

OP posts:
GoldenGreen · 04/11/2010 11:44

My dd didn't poo from day 3 to day 7 (having passed all meconium). This is very unusual for a newborn and can indicate problems but all was ok in our case - I think my milk was maybe slow to come in and that was why. She too only lost 5% birthweight and fed very frequently incidentally.

I think the juice is a bad idea as she shouldn't need it if feeding effectively and it could interfere with bfing. I would keep a close eye on her and get her checked out by the GP if nothing happens today.

(am not HCP/BF counsellor but just remember all the advice I got from when it happened to dd)

mousymouse · 04/11/2010 11:46

up to two weeks without poo is normal in bf babies. as long as there are plenty of wet nappies, please don't worry too much Smile

CommanderDrool · 04/11/2010 11:46

BF babies do not poo as much. Mine went 5 days. Look at kellymom - google it.

GoldenGreen · 04/11/2010 11:51

it's normal for bf babies not to poo for days AFTER the first couple of weeks

in the early days it is unusual - kellymom etc will back this up

sorry to contradict other posters but I think this is important

heymango · 04/11/2010 11:51

CommanderDrool could you tell that to DD - after her 8th poo of the day!

I think it says in the Birth to 5 book that EBF babies can poo all the time, once a week, or anything in between. I wouldn't give anything like orange juice, unless she gets really upset.

Congratulations!

tiktok · 04/11/2010 11:53

Lack of poo in a newborn is highly unusual (it is only usual in babies beyond about week 4 - sooner that that and it is always a sign to weigh the baby and check for feeding effectiveness). You have had her weighed, and that checks out just fine (would be useful to get her weighed again in a few days as a back-up). She is feeding frequently and weeing, and she has passed mec, so all that looks good, too, and she has been seen by the midwife.

So she may be just one of those babies who don't poo frequently as a newborn.

It is very unusual to advise orange juice and water for a breastfed newborn and of course you don't have to do this if your own judgement is that it is not necessary - clearly your baby is health and comfortable. Breastmilk and solely breastmilk is what newborns need and anything else is simply not necessary unless there are real medical indications - and there don't seem to be.

There is no reason not to let nature take its course as far as I can see - would you feel able to ask another midwife for a second opinion, or to check with the first one that it would be ok not to give the OJ?

Massage and a bath is fine, and at least has the benefit of not introducing something else to the baby's diet :)

Original poster
PaulineMole · 04/11/2010 12:08

thanks everyone, very glad to see you, tiktok. dd2 is quite a sleepy feeder, so i have been changing her nappy mid-feed to stir her a bit.

midwife is visiting tomorrow to check for weight gain, and again on tues.

OP posts:
Original poster
PaulineMole · 06/11/2010 13:37

just wanted to update in case this thread gets searched.

DD2 went 5 days with no poo. The HCPs did think this was highly unusual in an EBF newborn, and a cause for concern in its own right. DD2 was initially admitted for monitoring, but tests were clear, and a suppository was instantly effective, so we ended up coming out of hospital the same evening.

OP posts:
crikeybadger · 06/11/2010 14:40

Glad things worked out PaulineMole Smile

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