Breast fed 11 day old.....how often should he empty bowels???

[TheLadyEvenstar]

Hi
I am new to breast feeding and my ds2 11 days old has not been for a poo in just over 24 hours. I did have him on mixed feeds to start with but have found he feeds better from my breast so I stopped the formula. bur since stopping it he hasn't had a poo, I know this probably sounds silly but is this normal or ok?? and when should I start worrying?

It is normal for many babies. As long as he's having regular wet nappies then no need to worry.

breast milk is the perfect food and can be completely digested by your baby, so as long as DS is producing wet nappies and seems well then don't worry. You'll have lots of poo to deal with in the next couple of years so don't be feeling deprived

My ds sometimes went for 4 or 5 days.. I got really worried but the mw said that there was nothing to worry about. There were a few times when he seemed to be realy uncomfortable so I gave him some colled boiled water on a teaspoon which seemed to get things moving a bit. although it could have been coincidence.

Congrats on your ds and well done for the bfing.
Poos could be anything from 3 a day to less than 1 a week, as long as the nappies are wet you are fine.
(Like Fihi says, bf is the perfect food so not always a lot of waste to come out!)

I'm not sure it is necessarily normal for a baby this young tbh. Usually breastfed babies start having fewer poos a few weeks in.

Best get your midwife to have a look at him to be on the safe side. It he still having lots of wet nappies though?

My breastfed ds started pooing very irregularly from very early days (a week maybe?).

plenty of wet nappies....just no poo ones. he feeding well. he is a little diamond....and shocked me arriving 4 weeks early lol. he didn't like formula and it seemed to go right through him. but breast is filling him up it seems and he sleeping better. got midwife coming out tomorrow so will tell her.

My bf ds2 once went two weeks without pooing. So don't worry.

LLL article on newborn pooing

phewwwwwwww sigh of relief mrs

sounds like he's doing very well . Do speak to midwife, my ds used to get really uncomfortable after a few days of not ppoing.

It's very unusual in a baby this young, TheLady....you need to think about/have checked over whether your baby is transferring milk effectively, and to have your baby weighed.

It is only usual in a baby who's a few weeks old. No poo in a newborn is always a sign for come checking, as it can mean the baby is not getting enough milk - if the milk transfer and the weight are both ok, then there is no cause for concern.

Please ask the midwfe to weigh him and check milk transfer.

As everyone says, it's probably fine but just mention it to your midwife in case (read ib's article which explains it.)

lots of info on poo here

"Even if a baby is strictly breast-fed, the frequency of stooling varies among infants. While a frequent stool is most common, babies may stool only one time every other day and still be completely normal. Constipation in fact refers not only to the frequency of stools, but also to the consistency. Therefore, if an infant poops every third day but it comes out soft, this would not be considered constipation, and no therapy is indicated. In fact, at 3-6 weeks of age, breast-fed babies may only have one stool a week. This is because breast milk leaves very little waste in the intestines to be passed. Again, if the stool, when passed, is not hard, this is completely normal. In general, it is almost impossible for strictly breast-fed babies to become constipated."

on teh kellymom site
worrying about poo

Mine was a few weeks older. I'd mention it to the midwife but I bet she'll tell you he's fine.

I hate to bang on about this, but if the midwife just says everything is fine without looking at how you feed, or without weighing your baby, then she is not helping you.

The evidence is clear - no poos for 24 hours in a newborn is unusual enough to warrant further observation. In this case - because of the formula - there may be a glitch which will pass with a big poo very soon. But it still needs checking out.

Follow some of the links from the kellymom website to see what I mean for instance this one

oh fab link tiktok - i lurve the pictures of dirty nappies [yuck]

Why do they call it "poop"....? grrrr

Had midwife out today Zach is doing well, on monday they weighed him and he had gone down from 5lb 15oz to 5lb 12 oz today he is 6lb 1 oz and doing so well I have been disharged from midwife. Only thing we have a prob with is he has thrush so i have to get a gp appt tomorrow to get something for it unless anyone knows any natural remedy for thrush in a 12 day old ratbag who won't stop feeding lol.

If he has thrush in his mouth you need to make sure he gets medicine (nystatin i think its called) and you also need to get medicine for your breasts. Nystatin/canesten/daktarin cream/ointment to rub on after every feed, and also tablets fluoxe...something (will have a look)

TheLady - that weight sounds great Chances are you will get an explosion soon!