I'm feeding like a mofo and he's still constipated...

[ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight]

seriously - feeding at every available opportunity until he's either asleep or chewing my nipple contentedly...he's been feeding a lot but not producing poo - he had 2 good healthy ones last fri then nothing til yest - strained and strained and produced 2 round nuggets then some softer green poo later. Bless him, his straining face was so sweet....

So why is he constipated/dehydrated? Should I give him water at this point?

Forgive me for endlessly bothering you on this board but I prefer to ask lots of people than my HV - she will just say give water and I want to know more opinions first....

How old?

xx

oops - 6.5 weeks.

If he's exclusively bf then it's unlikely to be constipation, has he been mix-fed at all?

xx

yes he is, mainly bm but 2 top ups a day.

Hmmm... I'm not an expert, but that sounds to me like he maybe doesn't need the top-ups. What I mean is, I've heard on here that babies will take a bottle even if they've had a big feed, so that he is drinking it anyway, and it's too much and is bunging him up? I definitely wouldn't give him anything other than milk at this age.
Breastfed babies after six weeks do often reduce the number of poos they do to every few days though.
Also, when you say 'nugget' do you mean like when a grown-up gets rabbit dropping type poops?

xx

exactly! round, about the size of a grape. i would dearly love to cut out the top ups, i've reduced them but last time he was weighed he had gained nothing in 9 days. the hcps' advice is just more top ups but i swear he doesn't want it - i'm using compression to try to empty the boobs each feed and this morning he only took 40ml very slowly then brought lots up undigested. i think if i top him up more he'ss just drink less bmbut i'm not willing to cut them out til he gains some weight as i'm sure he'll have a slow week whenever i do it - and i need to be bolstered before facing the hv! him being on the 2nd percentile atm won't help my argument to cut out ffs.

Have you tried expressing, so he can have a top-up of breastmilk? That way he's still getting the extra, but it's stimulating your supply too.

xx

kat 2nd centile is a normal centile to be on. look at my profile pics for a 2nd centile (or even just under) month old.

hv do routinely not understand charts and think all babies should be on the 50th!

what was his birth weight?

that should read 8month old,on bad typing form today

i can't express - no chance at all. his birth weight was 7lb4 - last thurs he was 7lb 5!

How's he doing kat? Sorry I didn't have any more advice, I am not an expert on this matter.

xx

hedid a massive explosive poo while my mum was babysitting this evening

Excellent!

xx