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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

constipated newborn (ebf)

18 replies

GirlWithTheMouseyHair · 13/12/2011 09:59

DS is nearly 3weeks and seems to get regularly constipated, I think on 4 occasions now she's gone the night without pooing but been straining and sounded unconfortable.

Midwife suggested I eat foods that would alleviate constitution in me, and I've been doing various tummy massaged, bicycle legs etc that helped with DS. Any other suggestions?

OP posts:

organiccarrotcake · 13/12/2011 10:16

How many poos a day are you getting, roughly (ie within 24 hours) and what consistency are they?

Original poster

GirlWithTheMouseyHair · 13/12/2011 10:17

Bloody predictive text "constipation" not constitution

OP posts:

Original poster

GirlWithTheMouseyHair · 13/12/2011 10:20

It changes, when she's had one of these 9-10 hour gaps the poo will be bright orange, quite explosive and a relatively small amount, then she'll go back to regular (every few hours) runnier, more mustard/yellow colour and more of it.

She's quite a grunty noisy sleeper anyway, but I'm pretty sure there's a change in her noises when I think she's constipated

OP posts:

lilham · 13/12/2011 10:22

It's very uncommon for ebf babies to be constipated. But it's very common to go many days without a poo. When he does poo eventually what does it look like? Is it like pallets? Ie not the curry like ebf poo? I don't know how a mums diet will help with babies constipation. Have you asked to see the gp to see if there are other things wrong?

tiktok · 13/12/2011 10:27

Mousey, shame your midwife told you such rubbish - eating foods which alleviate constipation in you will have no effect on your baby's gut.

If your baby is healthy and thriving then this is no big deal. Orange is on the normal spectrum. Maybe your baby is a little discombobulated by the feelings she has before she poos - but unless she is actually distressed, it's not worth worrying about. Grunting and snorting and wriggling are part of a new baby's repertoire - and if she's asleep when this is happening, then she's clearly not uncomfortable :)

organiccarrotcake · 13/12/2011 10:28

It actually sounds fine to me. It's common for BF babies to go days between poos but just yet not at 3 weeks.

It's not constipation as this would show as small, pellet-like poos and it's virtually unheard of in an exclusively breastfed baby. Are you giving ANYTHING else at all - ANY formula, baby teas, water, juice etc?

lilham · 13/12/2011 10:28

Just saw your new response. It didn't sound constipated to me. But have a look at this page. It's one of the links from kellymom, a wonderful site about bf.

organiccarrotcake · 13/12/2011 10:28

Argh I'm going to get on with my work as no matter what the time of day or night, tiktok and I are cross posting .

tiktok · 13/12/2011 10:29

I have to go, too, organic :)

organiccarrotcake · 13/12/2011 10:31

Aww bugger, you mean I have to keep talking about breastfeeding instead of doing some work?

Aww, well, if I must...

banana87 · 13/12/2011 10:32

No advice but my DD is 4 weeks and poos every other day pretty consistently. She also wriggles and farts but because she's not screaming (which I presume she would be) then I'm not worried about anything sinister.

lilham · 13/12/2011 10:37

Horrible linking from phone. Try this link instead.

kayjayel · 13/12/2011 10:40

Hi, sounds exactly like my 7 week old DS - lots of grunting and screaming which seem relieved by poos/farts. I'm assuming he'll grow out of it. I too have had comments about constipation but he has soft runny poos so I think thats nonsense, he's just adapting to all the new jobs of being outside the womb!

Original poster

GirlWithTheMouseyHair · 13/12/2011 10:44

Thanks all. Her poos def aren't hard or pellet like, and you're right that if she's sleeping it can't be that bad....although she does cry out after straining for a while and it can go on for ages (there's def a difference between that and her normally gruntiness!)

I'm not giving her anything else, not even expressed bm in a bottle.

I'm not super concerned, she just looks so uncomfortable! And there's probably a part of me panicking about the onset of colic, for no real reason other than DS had it and it was hell!

OP posts:

JimbosJetSet · 13/12/2011 10:44

My DD used to only go once a week when she was ebf, I mistook that for constipation but I was reassured it was perfectly normal. There is so little wastage from bm they don't need to go as often as ff babies.

organiccarrotcake · 13/12/2011 10:53

What kayjaye says pretty much sums it up :) They can seem uncomfortable but it's all normal.

Original poster

GirlWithTheMouseyHair · 13/12/2011 10:55

Brilliant, i'll find something else to worry about then! Thankyou

OP posts:

Fishandjam · 13/12/2011 11:03

Don't worry - my DS (who was exclusively fed expressed BM) used to go days without a poo. It didn't bother him much, although it freaked me out. Now at age 2, he's still a once every 2-3 days man (whereas I am a once a day like clockwork kinda gal). It's all on the normal continuum!

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