HELP!!! Newborn not pooing

[DitsyMe]

Hello!
My SIL has pointed me in your direction for help.
My DS is 4 1/2 weeks old.
She did a little poo yesterday, but that was her first in nearly 2 weeks! Prior to that she was pooing every few hours.
She feeds regularly, but is a real snacker and usually stays on for only a few minutes. I have started block feeding in the last week to increase the amount of hind milk she might be getting but still no extra poos.
She appears to be growing well, plenty of wet nappies and is content. I am going to get her weighed today by the HV to check that she is still gaining.
Should I be worried?
Is there anything else I should be doing?
TIA
Emma

Hmmm, your baby is a bit young to be pooing so little, but it's possible this is normal. If she's still gaining, I would think it's fine.

Breastmilk is a very efficient food, without a lot of waste, hence not necessarily a lot of poo.

sounds like its ok ditsy. i agree with NQcockney, that its quite young, but sounds like she is growing and producing wet nappies, so she may just be efficiently using the milk without much waste. mention it to the HV, but sometimes they are not that educated about breastfeeding. if you want to chat to someone, there are some great helplines with volunteers very experienced in helping bfing mothers.

NCT Breastfeeding Line 0870 444 8708

Breastfeeding Network Supporterline 0870 900 8787

La Leche League LIne 0845 120 2918

It does seem a little early for your DD to be pooing less frequently. It's my understanding that some babies poo less frequently after 6 weeks of age once their digestive systems and reflexes have matured somewhat. But then again each baby reaches their different milestones at their own paces...

If I remebemer rightly I have heard that you can give a glucose solution or diluted orange to help the process along but I personally would be a bit hestiant in an exclusively breastfed baby??

Perhaps Tiktok or Mears could ofer more advice on this?

my third ds was like this

they do digest breast milk very efficiently so chances are its nothing to worry about but check with nct or la leche league.

i found it helpd to massage my little ones tummy, always do this clockwise, and also to move his legs up and down whilst bent at the knees, like peddaling a bicycle.

Ditsy - agree it is unusual, and needs checking out. Good idea to get a weight, so it can be added to the picture.

Block feeding is probably not a good idea, BTW, if by this you mean feeding one sided for some hours at a time.

Block feeding is good for over supply issues, when the baby is gaining weight like crazy.

It's otherwise not something to be recommended.

thats interesting because i had a very snacky baby, well ds2 and ds3 were, and i was told by a bfeeding counsellor that it could be helpful to block feed, for say two hours or so, to make sure they emptied the breast properly and got the hind milk etc.

lots of differing advice out there it seems!

3madboys, sticking to the same side for 2 hours may not have been unhelpful for you - your situation was not the same as Ditsy's. Block feeding generally means four to six hourly, not two hourly.

Thanks for all the advice!

I had DD weighed and she has gained plenty and has followed her line on the growth chart.
1 more little poo yesterday but still nothing regular or frequent.
Talked to the NCT who seemed to think that while unusual, was probably fine as she was gaining weight and content enough. HV was also unconcerned.
So do you think just monitor for now? I'm not sure where to go if I wanted it investigating futher.
Em

P.S. By block feeding I meant 2 hours or so on each boob - I was recommended this by a BFC for DS3 who was also a snacker. As DD is feeding the same I thought I'd try it for her too.
Is that OK do you think?

Ditsy, all sounds fine

Lack of poo with a healthy baby who is gaining weight normally is unusual, but not a problem.

Block feeding - with each breast used every two hours rather than every four to six hours: nothing wrong with it, and it will not reduce the volume of milk the baby gets or the volume of milk made, which is fine. I would be surprised if it helped with 'snacking' which is a normal behaviour and which self-limits anyway