1 formula feed a day since thurs bf rest of time ,babs not had a poo since fri morning.

[helenhull]

I introduced 11 week old babs to formula to top up on thurs night coz her weight was low. She weighed 11lb 8 half at birth. Her weight went right down ,and has now climed back up since i did this and changed her feeding pattern (3 hourly).last week she weighed 11lb 7oz this week she weighed 11lb 15oz.BUT she hasnt had a poo since fri morning and its worrying me a bit.HV advised me to give her 2 t spoons of water and 2 t spoons of fresh squeezed orange to help her bowels empty??? Will she weigh a lot less wen she finally passes 1? HV said its quite usual for some babys to go up 2 4 days without passing a stool,tomorrow will b the 5th day.Has this happened to anyone else and has anyone got any advice ??? also ....... babs was on the 98th centile last week and is now in between 50 and 25 wat does this mean? X

I certainly wouldn't be going anywhere near such a young baby with orange juice. She is way too young to have citrus. If your HV is concerned about the weight loss then it should be properly medically investigated, rather than just introducing formula and hoping it will resolve itself. Is she uncomfortable, because if she isn't then there is probably nothing to worry about poo wise. She was big at birth and may just be finding her level.

My bfed dd2 regularly went 5 days or so between poos before she was weaned at 6 months, tho' I confess I wasn't exactly marking the poos off on the calendar. Actually she's still a bit like that now, even though she's on 3 meals a day with finger foods.

It doesn't mean anything, as long as they're not obviously in discomfort. You can give OJ, which will cause a poo explosion of vesuvian proportions. But 11 weeks seems a bit young, and frankly why bother if she's not uncomfortable?

A move down the centile charts isn't generally significant either. My dd2 was 9lb 5oz at birth and is now around the 9th centile. If she's gaining at all, wetting plenty of nappies and seems content, then there can't be much wrong. Personally I find not taking them to be weighed does great things for my peace of mind.

hth

My breastfed baby went for 8 days without a poo at about 3 months old, and the doctor said as long as she was alert and still feeding regularly then they wouldn't worry unless it was 2 weeks! I gave her a couple of teaspoons of water, but I personally wouldn't try orange juice at 11 weeks.

Don't give orange juice! You could always have some prune juice to drink - I've heard (though it could be rubbish) that that might help via the breast milk. Although, having said that, dd used to go between 5 and 7 days between poos. I'm sure I've heard mears say that it is fine, it will just be an 'up the back' job when it does come!

As far as the centiles go, I wouldn't worry there either - if baby is happy and looks well then she's probably fine. My two went from 98th and 99th respectively to between the 9th and the 25th - it's just where they're meant to be. Lots of people have said to me that the birth weight isn't an indicator of where they should be anyway and the genetics takes over once they've been born. Also, given that your baby was SO big when she was born, you really wouldn't want her to stay on that centile I wouldn't have thought!

Hope this helps.

My baby used to poo every 5-7 days.
I think if she is not uncomfortable then don't worry. It WILL come, and probably in the worst palce you can think of. We used to call the days he didn't poo the rollover days
My wonderful BF midwife advised that I have orange juice, a good pint of it if there was a problem. That definitely worked. She advised against giving baby OJ at that age. She really really knows whta she is talking about. She has been BF midwife for a long time, and just exudes confidence.
Good luck, but don;t let it stress you too much. It will come out!!

Oh nooo!!! i gave her oj b4 i read any of your messages.
Now i feel like a bad mummy.
Well it did work she exploded twice today. Shewasnt even uncomfortable the days she didnt, i wont do it nxt time ,i do prefare other mums experienced advice rather than HV.
BUT.... its done now cant go back.
No point fretting too much .
Its hard not knowing wat to do for the best,conflicting info really does my head in ,only coz i care and i have never done it b4.
But i really appreciate advice from you guys thanx!!! i will wait b4 i make any rash decisions nxt time x

my dd would regularly go 7-10 days when bf exclusively. bf counsellor said this normal. i used to eat curry to help her along- never worked. she's on solids now and quite regular.