bf newborn not pooing

[suzi2]

DD is 4 days old. She did giant meconium poos the first 2 days and nothing since! I know bf babies can go a long time without, but I thought that was later on. She hasn't passed all the meconium.

Feeding loads, no troubles, milk been in for 2 days, plenty wet nappiess.

Is a midwife visiting you? Can you ask her? Or you can usually ring them at the hospital.

I had the same with mine, didn't poo for some days - even early on. At about 4/5 weeks she would often only go about once per week and that continued for quite a long time.

I was told that it is normal with bf babies, there's not much wasted. If she's feeding and having wet nappies I should think there's no problem as she is getting the best nutrition available.

Keep it up.Good luck

Hmmm, it's not really normal in the early days. It might have been for your baby, but it would be good to be sure this baby is ok. Have you had her weighed? Is she exclusively bf?

It is true that later on b/f babies can go a long time without pooing, earlier they should do a few yellow poos each day. Is she alert and feeding well? Does she feed eagerly or does she fall asleep at the breast? I would speak to your mw. If she is feeding well you'll probably find a poo fairly soon

Tiktok has posted lots of really good stuff on this, will try and find a link.

this was my thread when ds2 was born - I don't think you necessarily should worry about no poo, but she should start in the next day or so I think!

My hv told me that 29 days was her record for a newborn not pooing! My ds1 did about 12 days without a poo at first, then was only ever other day or so. Ds2 (also bf) did about 5 a day!!

Check with your mw about the meconium, but if you have no other cause for concern then enjoy!

Suzi, it is really important to see someone about this - it is not normal for a newborn not to poo, and the stories about days and weeks are about older babies, for whom there is less concern. In a newborn, a lack of poo can be a sign you need to get your breastfeeding fixed now - not tomorrow, not tonight, but now. It doesn't matter if your baby has been on the breast a lot, because this does not necessarily mean she is transferring milk.

Wet nappies mean she is not dehydrating, which is good, and lack of poo is not a diagnosis but a sign, as I say....all may be well, she may present you with a lovely yellow poo today, and thereafter, and we can all relax, or she may be one of the (very few) babies who don't poo early on and are still feeding ok. But it needs checking out.

Your baby needs to be weighed on accurate, digital scales today, and someone needs to observe a whole breastfeed.

And mumsnet posters, I will die happy if people stop posting automatic reassurance in these situations

Glad you found Suzi tiktok! Hope things are ok Suzi!

Thanks everyone. MW just been - I was asleep but DH spoke to her. MW is not concerned as the amount of meconium passed easily at the start was good. Lots of wet nappies, seems 'happy', weighed in at 1oz under birth weight. MW said that after 5 days they would need to check her out though. So hopefully she'll do something today/tomorrow. All very worrying though... keep thinking "what goes in must come out"...

Tiktok - everything from my experience would suggest she's feeding really well. She has a tendency to nod off early on in feeds so someone else has suggested to me that she may notbe getting enough hindmilk. I've been waking her, encouraging her to stay on etc. Would this sound right to you at all?

Hi, Suzi. I think it is a shame your midwife did not take the time to wake you and talk to you and to observe a feed. You may be in an area where midwives are under pressure, which would explain it but not excuse it. It is poor care - even if it is the 'system's' fault and not the midwife's.

If that weight is accurate, then it is just fine - the weight should have been done on recently calibrated scales, on a hard level surface, and not on spring balance scales. The baby should be naked. If one or more of these does not apply, then the weight might as well not have been done - but as I say, it's good if an accurate weight showed an ounce under birthweight.

Forget about hindmilk and foremilk. Effectively feeding babies take care of this without any 'engineering' of time or wakefulness. In your case, I think it will do no harm to encourage her to take a little more time at the breast, however, while we are still not 100 per cent sure of bf going perfectly well.

I hope she poos soon! Let us know in what way the weight was conducted.

Oh, and scales should be digital - not the ones with a 'face' on them and a dial.

weight spingy scales says DH...

Hmmm... might see if someone can give our feding the once over. Not sure I would trust the mw to 'know' anyway. I trained as a bf peer supporter for a local project so might see if one of our trainers who are bf cousellors can take a look...

She feeds very actively, can hear it going down. And usually gives us a burp and bit of sick afterwards. Breasts are 'full' but are soft and empty after a feed.

Thanks for all your help - I'll see who I can get in touch with.

The feeding sounds absolutely normal, suzi, and all may be well, as I say.

Point is, in your case, you cannot use the weight as any evidence one way or the other....no one should be using spring balance for clinical assessment of a baby's well-being in 2007.

Did she at least take the baby's clothes off?

If you are concerned, then you might want to think about weighing the baby at the clinic - but that's only really an urgent thing if your baby starts to worry you in other ways (sleeps a long time, difficult to rouse for feeds, drops off to sleep after hardly any 'action', stops weeing).

Am trying not to encourage any over-reaction here, while also trying to point out there may be something to investigate...if the midwife had done her job and had weighed properly and observed a feed, then there would be no need for any real concern.

Tiktok, I gather you are an expert on the breast feeding front and I understand what you mean but most people (normal mums like me) are posting from experience and what they have been told.

My post wasn't an 'automatic reassurance', its just what I experienced and my understanding of it based on the advice and information I was given at the time.

Everyone on here should be aware that using this forum is on the whole just going to get that - personal experience (right or wrong). Anyone wanting expert advice should seek that from a professional healthcare advisor/GP etc in person.

Everyone should be aware of the disclaimer at the top of the mumsnet page too.

I understand, kimmy....I think my plea came from the experience of reading similar posts every few weeks, and reading similar reassurances every time, which while not 'automatic' to the posters, are still predictable because this idea (no poo is normal in a newborn) is pretty common among midwives as well as mothers.

Sorry if I sounded tetchy.

look...wellmeaning is one thng...knowledge is a whole other story and thank god for people like tictoc that take the time, for no pay whatsoever, to try to give adquate and good advice to however much they know about a situation!

btw, I have reasonable knowledge of breastfeeding but am may well be guilty of giving an automated advice..because I am not trained as a bfc and therefore am not ttrainied to ask the right questions, ....which tic toc tends to do...she never gives advice without finding out more first!

Just wanted to echo 3andnomore's comments. Tiktok has so much knowledge and experience to share - although most people know about the medical disclaimer at the top of the page, they could be lulled into a false sense of security.

that it is not normal for bfing babies not to poo - and that myth "is pretty common among midwives" too! I thought I had workd my way through most of the myths about bfing, but missed this one!
Tiktok, is the problem that some newborns are not feeding properly then, so lack of poo can signify lack of intake?

Thanks for the understanding, 3and, and NotQuite

NotQuite: a baby will poo soon after birth (sometimes before) and the meconium is the 'stuff' that comes out (helped a bit by colostrum, but it will come out anyway, barring abnormalities). As the baby takes in colostrum, and then milk, his digestion starts working in a new way (compared to what happened in the uterus)....you get the black, tarry meconium changing to brown, then green-brown, and then yellow. The yellow is a good sign that the larger amount of milk (as opposed to colostrum) with its fat content, is being taken in the top end.

An absence of poo is not a diagnosis but it is very unusual, and certainly merits a close look at what the baby is doing at the breast ie is he actually transferring milk, or is he just hanging out there? And, is he starting to gain weight/stopped losing weight, because this is also an indication of transferring milk.

Some babies don't poo in these early days and weeks, and everything is ok. But just saying 'breastfed babies may not poo much' is to apply the norms of an older baby ( > 4 weeks) to the new gut of the new baby....it always needs to be checked out.

Tiktok, no you didn't come across as tetchy, I do understand where you are coming from.

I just wanted to remind everyone else that your expert advice isn't the 'norm' on here, they are more than likely to get opinions from 'just' mums. I have found your advice helpful and enlightening on more than one occasion and like most others are grateful that you do spend the time on here.

Its nice to see someone so passionate about things on here (like lots of people are).

Mine went about 10 days before proper poo. Was getting lots of wet nappies though and was obviously quite content so I didn't stress. Trust yourself and not the hv.

yomella, good story! Sometimes babies are fine despite no poo in those early days....but it's not safe to 'trust yourself' or to go on the baby being content. 'Contented babies' include the ones who are sleeping too long to feed often enough or well enough. Suzi's baby needs observation and accurate weighing.

Thanks, kimmy

We're still awaiting poo . Tried to get hold of a couple of people yesterday with no luck. And the ABM helpline I got through to couldn't really advise more than anyone else has.

Anyway, i think baby blues have hit in and I'm now seriously doubting that she's getting enough, that I'm making it 'right' blah blah... promised myself I wouldn't do that this time! But I think that realistically I know she's doing all right. If there are no poos by tomorrow night I think the hospital will check her over on Monday and we'll get someone to check over a whole feed, get accurate weight etc.

Many thanks to all the responses. I really do appreciate them all. I completely get what you're saying chocolatekimmy... I know to take things with a big pinch of salt on forums. But hearing postitive stories is good for me too.

Awww.....suzi, none of this should make you worry you are not making it 'right'. If there is an issue with breastfeeding - and it's a big 'if' as I will explain in a moment - the issue would be less likely to be with you making it, and more with the baby getting it!

It's been 2 days since you posted. A baby who was not transferring milk would probably show more symptoms by now, if there was an underlying problem. For example, not waking for feeds, beign difficult to rouse, sleeping for long periods, or being miserable and fussy all the time. I take it your baby remains alert, eager to feed, and happy.

I am pretty sure the ABM when you phoned would have suggested getting an accurate weight and an observation of a feed - am I right? You can still do this, if you would like to, even though it is the weekend, by asking a midwife to come to your home with proper scales and an hour scheduled to watch you feed.

suzi, I've been through this three times, and I really KNOW that 'waiting for a poo' feeling - dd in particular was very 'windy' and I would get all excited and then utterly depressed at the lack of poo. But, she was the least problematic of the 3, the two boys both got very sleepy and difficult to wake, and they also lost a LOT of weight (15 and 13 percent). Looking back it was obvious they weren't getting enough - they were sleepy, not interested in feeding, lethargic, and I wish, particularly with ds1 I'd had MN and the benefit of tiktok's amazing advice, because we never got b/feeding exclusively established. With ds2, tiktok did give me fantastic advice, and he was exclusively b/fed for 6 months.

I'm rambling on, sorry, what I mean is that like tiktok says, if it's JUST the poo that isn't there, it may be ok, and hope things settle down over the weekend. x