Really need advice - breastfed baby seems constipated - can this be right?

[ragtaggle]

Would really like some help with this. My breastfed baby has started having real trouble digesting my milk. She spends ages straining and looks in real distress. It's got to the stage where me or my dh have to spend hours with her on her changing mat cycling her legs and rubbing her tummy to help her pooh. She always does manage eventually but this is starting to become a particular problem at night.

Until recently she'd have one small night feed (We were delighted!) and then go straight back to sleep. But for the last few nights me or dh have spent several hours up with her in the night helping her to release her pooh. Last night dh did from 12 -3 until she finally managed it . But then she cried for feeding again at 4 and afterwards the whole thing happened again. I spent from 4-7 trying to relieve her distress.. She has only managed a small pooh this morning and still looks agitated.

Could it be something I'm eating/drinking? I thought breastfed babies were meant to digest easily and not get constipated. I could really do with help on this because I can't work out what's wrong and I hate seeing her so uncomfortable

[cords]

Hi ... My DD must be CONSTIPATED !!!! She is totally BF and has not done a poo since Monday , today is Friday !!!! I have in past stuck vaselined bud gently up here bum and it helped an avalanche of poo to come out... now I am leaving her to see what happens...

Pupuce ... cld be dairy , as I am drinking a milky decaf every day now, which I never did before and I am usually lactose intolerant ...

[cords]

Hi JIMJAMS ... I am interested in yr piece abt yr baby sleeping lightly ... what do u mean ? I also tried a CO but gave up after three sessions as DD cried so much she really cldn't get much done . My DD also sleeps lightly as well .

[pupuce]

Cords - how old is your DD? Gald the vaseline/KY jelly tricked work. Why did she cry at CO?

[tiktok]

Cords, in a baby older than about four-five weeks, going several days without a poo is normal and I would say even typical....though there are many bf babies who don't have a pattern like this.

This is not constipation. If you get an avalanche of poo, then clearly, it is soft.

Honestly, in a baby who is well and healthy, there is no need to stimulate the avalanche. It will come in its own good time

[Clarinet60]

No, I wasn't on iron tablets, tiktok. He had funny poo though, for a fully breast -fed baby. It was only ever that nice yellow breastfed poo for about a fortnight. For the rest of the time it was brown, sometimes even green.

[tiktok]

In that case, Droile, I am stumped