breastfed baby and nappies....

[Redhairmum]

Hi don't know if this is the right place to post, but need advice please.
Dd (2nd child) is ebf, 5 weeks old, feeds on demand (VERY regularly) and does block of 3 hours between feeds at night. she is a calm baby who only crys when hungry or getting dressed.
However she went 10 days without a dirty nappy by last fri. So I phoned the hv, she recommended a visit to the gp, who sent us straight to hospital. After an x ray, an enema (which produced a lot of poo), 20 mins of horrible screaming whilst they tried to take her blood for testing and an over night stay they said she was fine, but not to let her go for 3 days without a dirty nappy as bf babies should not go this long without one.
After much research on mn and elsewhere it seems that 10 days is not unreasonable, so I am now v v confused, and stressed as she has now gone 2 days without, and I don't want her to go through that hospital experience again.....

Any advice please?

10 days without a bowel movement is fine in a breastfed baby. I would suggest those you saw at the hospital need to update their knowledge.

I certainly wouldn't worry now at only 2 days without poo. If you're worried then bicycling her legs and massaging her tummy in a clockwise motion my help get things moving.

I wouldn't worry. My DS did very similar. After the first spell of 9 days I rang my midwife. She said it was fine! I think his record was 10 days. Really, try not to worry, and just be grateful for no poo! DS did eventually start pooing more regularly (3-4 days) but not uncommon for him to go up to a week without pooing. Even as a toddler he only poos 2-3 times a week!

From my understanding it is fine, they absorb bm really efficiently so there is little 'waste', DS often went several days without a poo, I think up to 8 was a fairly regular occurrence. As already mentioned a tummy massage and bicycling legs may help if you DD seems uncomfy.

It's possibly linked in with the digestive system maturing. They go through phases where their systems suddenly mature and develop and this can affect their eating/sleeping/pooing routines.

My breastfed baby went once a week for a while. After a couple of months of this he just grew out of it. I wouldn't worry.

I think it is a concern in a newborn ebf baby but bit after the first month. Source: Alphaparent's Timeline of a BF baby.

Poor you that sounds very stressful for all concerned. My 5 week old just went for a week between poos. I was concerned till I googled it and spoke to HV. Im guessing she absorbed everything so no poo

An enema?

For a bf baby?

How ridiculous.

Please tell your Hv about this crazy, crazy treatment.

Unless there was something else going on, of course.

It is well within normal for bf babies beyond newborn to go several days between poos. Shocking the hcps seem not to know this. Were they expecting you to give an enema next time she goes three days without a poo?

I am shocked.

How upsetting for you all. My breastfed baby didn't poo at all from day 3 to day 14 of her life, and thereafter regularly went up to ten days without pooing. The gp was lovely and reassuring, suggesting we give lactulose whenever she went longer than a week. At the same time, he referred us to hospital paediatrician to rule out any structural causes that might be making it hard for her to pass poo. Everything was fine, no panic, everyone agreed she was unusual but probably that was all. In hindsight I suspect the lack of poo was related to tongue tie - she had it snipped at 5weeks and did begin to poo a little more frequently eventually.

Anyway just wanted to say, I too had a freakishly poo free baby and there was nothing wrong! Hope you are all OK. I would seek advice from midwives/breastfeeding counsellors etc. They will have seen a broader scale of "normal" and can rule out any other related issues, like tongue tie or whatever

DD consistently went a week without pooing from day 5. I asked for advice but was told it seemed burns for her. If I was really worried, I dressed her in a pretty, light coloured, complicated to remove outfit and went somewhere without changing facilities. Rarely failed.

You can do things like cycle her legs and do tummy massage to aide the digestive system (so you feel like you're helping!).

DS is currently on day 9 without a poo..... I'm not looking for to when it happens! DS normally goes at least 5 days, now 9 days between poos.

I've been given varying advice but the majority agrees that EBF babies can go 10 days without pooing. Although DS is given formula once a day and no one can decide how this should affect this.. at one stage we gave him a suppository because he appeared in discomfort. Some of the more bizarre advice I ran past my HV. It seems unnecessary for your DD to go through all that. Don't be afraid to seek a second opinion!

Hi all thanks for your reassuring replies. Hv is not available until Thurs am, so your responses are much appreciated.
Still no poo... have now tried the massage and cycling her legs and will continue with this. Am also drinking prune juice (me not dd!) as a nurse acquaintance said it might help.
Hospital found nothing untoward in any test from last week, and have put it down to an 'unusual occurrence that she will grow out of'......am going to chat to the hv tomorrow and then see how dd goes.

Have checked out the Alphaparent site, and dd is doing most of the things they have said.

Yippee....a 20p sized poo!!! Sorry if tmi but am very very relieved. The things parenthood gets you Interested in...